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Partnerships for the Goals

Collaboration and working with partners is key to addressing global sustainability concerns. We work with businesses, the public sector, charities and research organisations to tackle the challenges of tomorrow.

Northumbria is a signatory of the SDG Accord and recognise that as a higher education institution, we are in a unique position to support the Sustainable Development Goals. However, we also recognise that working with partners is crucial to tackling the global challenges of tomorrow.

As a member of the United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI), we strive to deliver impact through our research to directly address the targets identified by the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

We work with a diverse range of stakeholders – learn more in the case studies below:

Shaping Government Policy and Working with the United Nations

  • Working with the UN: Professor Rieu-Clarke (Chair in Law in Northumbria's School of Law) is a legal advisor to the UNECE, one of the UN agencies responsible for the implementation of the SDGs, and has been involved in a number of transboundary water cooperation projects.
  • Government policy: The Healthy Living Lab works closely with the government and policy makers to help bridge the gap between scientific research findings, policy and practice to address issues like holiday hunger.
  • Regional policy: Newcastle Business School is working in collaboration with the Tees Valley Combined Authority to identify ways to support and encourage sustainable economic growth.

Stakeholder Engagement and Cross-Sectional Dialogue

  • Our Stakeholder Identification and Engagement Procedure sets out our approach to the identification and management of stakeholders and our relationship with them.
  • We have representation at leadership and operational levels of a range of regional groups,  working with and supporting local organisations, government and members of the public, including:
    • North East Local Enterprise Partnership
    • Council of the North East Chamber of Commerce
    • North of Tyne Combined Authority Sector Groups - digital, creative and cultural
    • Students into Newcastle Forum, chaired by Newcastle City Council
    • North East Institute for Business Ethics
  • The Northumbria Centre for Evidence and Criminal Justice Studies (NCECJS) brings together our academics and postgraduate students with major stakeholders in the criminal justice systems including members of the judiciary, legal practitioners, senior police officers and leading expert witnesses.
  • We work with the North East Initiative on Business Ethics (NIBE) to bring together the business community to talk about responsible business.
  • Our outstanding cultural partnerships include the award-winning collaboration with the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art and the International Centre for Life.

International Collaboration

  • We work in collaboration with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) to offer UK-accredited courses taught at AUAS and delivered by Northumbria academics.
  • In September 2021, we launched our new Global Sustainable Business Management MSc programme in partnership with the AUAS. The programme explores and challenge the sustainability agenda and how it is shaping contemporary management thinking and practice, including critically appraising real-world business strategies driven by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

  • Our joint medical training programme with St George’s University in Grenada allows St George’s University students to spend up to two years at our campus to develop a foundation in the principles of clinical medicine.
  • We have a long-standing partnership with Kaplan to offer Northumbria degrees in Singapore.

We work with an array of companies and organisations – charities, small and medium firms, major multinational companies and key parts of the public sector. This includes Nike, IBM, Procter & Gamble, Santander, the BBC, and the NHS. 

Engage with us through research, Continued Professional Development and Short Courses, Knowledge Transfer Partnership, consultancy and more.




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