Browse the latest results of the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings

Universities today are increasingly judged not only by the quality of their research and teaching, but by the contribution they make to society.

At the University of Manchester, we’re working hard to respond to a simple question: what kind of university do we need to be now and in the future to contribute effectively to the communities we serve?

Frameworks such as the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – and independent assessments like the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Ratings that are based on them – help universities measure and demonstrate that contribution.

The fact is universities must show how their work addresses the wider challenges faced by our local communities and the big global challenges we’re all grappling with as well.

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Our institutional “north star” is to be a great civic university for the 21st century, creating knowledge for the public good both locally and globally. The SDGs provide a shared framework for what public good means today: reducing inequality, protecting the environment, improving health outcomes for all, and enabling sustainable, inclusive growth through partnership.

Rankings don’t measure everything we value, and they always need to be treated with care. Nevertheless, our performance in this particular assessment matters because it reflects a consistent choice to prioritise societal impact alongside excellence. For us, there is no trade-off between the two. Since the rankings began in 2019, we are the only university to have placed in the global top 10 in every edition – a record that points to long-term choices about strategy, investment and culture.

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The impact ratings aren’t driven by a single measure. They assess universities across research, teaching and learning, public and cultural engagement, and operational stewardship. Success depends on a genuinely whole-university effort involving academic and professional services colleagues, students, cultural institutions and external partners.

Our strategy, From Manchester for the World, is clear on this. Social responsibility is one of five core foundations of our vision and our ambition is to be among the top 1 per cent of universities globally for social and environmental impact.

This ambition can be seen in our work to strengthen interdisciplinary sustainability research through our Sustainable Futures Research Platform and in inclusive growth initiatives such as Unit M. It also shapes our vision for “partner-enabled education”, where students work on real-world challenges for academic credit as part of their degree programmes. And it’s there in our big shift to renewable electricity and our work to further decarbonise our campus.

Partnerships are central to this approach – locally and globally. In Greater Manchester, we work through deep civic relationships spanning local government, health innovation, culture and economic development. Our international collaborations, particularly in the Global South, focus on shared challenges such as climate resilience, health equity and sustainable urbanisation, reflecting the core insight of SDG 17 (partnerships for the goals): meaningful progress depends on collaboration between universities, governments, communities, industry and civil society. 

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We are also privileged to have four world-leading cultural institutions at the heart of the university and our city – Manchester Museum, the Whitworth Gallery, John Rylands Library and the Jodrell Bank Centre for Engagement. They strengthen our connection to communities across Manchester and beyond. Together, they welcome over 1 million visitors each year and create spaces where research, creativity and public engagement intersect – exploring themes such as biodiversity loss, social justice and diverse creative practices, while opening up extraordinary collections and archives to researchers and members of the community who might not otherwise have the opportunity to experience them.

The value of the SDGs – and of frameworks that assess progress against them – lies in their ability to influence real-world practice and improve outcomes for those most affected by global challenges. They help universities ask hard questions about our purpose, demand evidence of impact rather than assume it, and recognise higher education’s responsibility in contributing to the agenda set by the SDGs.

In the decades ahead, excellence alone will not be enough for universities to retain public trust and legitimacy. We must show relevance and responsibility – working with others, learning as we go and staying open to scrutiny. Aligning our work to shared global and local priorities, while protecting academic freedom and critical inquiry, is one powerful way to do this. 

At Manchester, the SDGs have helped sharpen our understanding of what it means to be a civic university in the 21st century – while remaining open to new ideas about how global change happens and who shapes it. Whatever form future global frameworks take, the fundamental challenge will remain the same: universities must earn trust by contributing knowledge, partnerships and practical solutions for the public good. 

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Duncan Ivison is president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester.

See the full results of this year’s Sustainability Impact Ratings