Collaboration for SDG Best Practice

Staff Menopause Toolkit

The University of Aberdeen has been at the forefront of raising awareness of menopause and was the first higher education institution to produce a menopause policy. The University of Aberdeen has led the way in putting measures in place to support employees across the institution. For instance, a member of the senior leadership team created a short video to share her own experiences of menopause at work. This has gone a long way to developing a more open culture in speaking about menopause. The University is working with external partners to develop a psychologically informed toolkit to support women experiencing perimenopause and menopause, to remain in the workplace.

Working Together to Decarbonise Clinical Trials

The Greener Trials project is a collaboration project that aims to adopt an open science approach to reduce the carbon output of clinical trials. As the number of clinical trials being conducted continue to rise, so will the associated carbon emissions. The University of Aberdeen will lead research that aims to understand who needs to what differently in order to combat this. The project will result in a website hosting an open access, free online carbon calculator designed to work alongside calculators in development by the pharmaceutical sector, as well as active communities of practice, evidence-based mitigation strategies plus priorities for research. The project is led by the University of Liverpool and involves The Institute of Cancer Research, South African Medical Research Council, NHS England, Sustainable Healthcare Coalition and public and patient research partners.

Aberdeen Software Factory

The Aberdeen Software Factory is a student-run software house for students started to gain experience working on larger software projects. Students benefit from work experience, while clients (including University researchers) can benefit from a flexible, cost-effective solution in which their application is developed to suit their needs.

The software factory provides students experience in working in a development house prior to graduation, working on both greenfield sites, as well as helping to continue the development of on-going projects. They can also look at the factory from the business side of projects and think about what they need to do when setting up their own software house as entrepreneurs.

Toolkit to Help Those With Thyroid Disorders Stay in Work

Thyroid disorders affect millions of people worldwide. In the UK, one in 20 people have a thyroid problem, with women disproportionately impacted. A Thyroid Workplace Toolkit was launched by the Business School to mark World Thyroid Day. The toolkit is believed to be the first of its kind, supporting both employees and employers/line managers though evidence-based insights and practical resources. Developed by researchers at the University of Aberdeen’s Business School with input from national charity the Thyroid Trust, the toolkit is now being made openly available. A large local authority in England has already agreed to adopt it.

Partnerships for the Goals - SDG 17

We work at regional, national and international level with governmental and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to influence public policy developments, positively impacting and addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We participate in cross-sectoral dialogue and collaboration with international partners to gather, measure and analyse data in support of the SDGs. Through impactful research programmes and extensive research partnerships, we help develop international best practice that contributes across all 17 SDGs, and we collaborate with numerous partners, including NGOS, to develop educational resources that support communities in the UK and overseas, as well as providing our students with volunteering and skills development opportunities to enhance the positive contributions they can make.

Relationships with Regional NGOs and Government for SDG Policy

Cross Sectoral Dialogues about the SDGs

International Collaboration Data Gathering for SDGs

Collaboration for SDG Best Practice

Collaboration with NGOs for SDGs