The University has recently published our latest Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Report 2025- 2027, showcasing how our research, teaching and learning, public and civic engagement, and operations are helping to deliver positive impact across all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The report comes at a particularly significant moment for the University, following our ranking as the world’s number one university for sustainability impact in the Times Higher Education Sustainability Impact Rankings 2026. This achievement reflects the collective efforts of our colleagues, students and partners, and makes us the only university to have ranked in the global top ten every year since the rankings began.

Our new SDG Report demonstrates how we are turning our commitment to social responsibility into action. It brings together examples of the work taking place right across the University to address some of the world’s most pressing challenges – from improving health and reducing inequalities to advancing climate action, supporting inclusive education and strengthening partnerships.

As the first UK university to establish social responsibility as a core part of our mission, social responsibility is now one of the five foundations in our Manchester 2035 strategy, From Manchester, for the world. It underpins everything we do across our research, teaching and learning, public and civic engagement and operations, helping us create meaningful social, environmental and economic impact locally, nationally and globally.

The SDG Report provides an opportunity to highlight the outstanding work taking place across our University community and how we have embedded our approach to the SDGs across everything we do. It shows how together, colleagues, students and partners are helping to deliver the ambitions of Manchester 2035 while reinforcing our position as a global leader in sustainability and social responsibility. As much as being an account of our work, it is also an invitation to collaborate, to challenge, and to act together.

• Download the SDG report.
• Read about our 2026 THE Sustainability Impact Rating success.