Objective A4
By 2020, celebrate sustainability research as a core thematic strength of Waterloo’s reputation and identity
Progress: Completed
![100% full pie chart - complete](/sustainability/sites/default/files/uploads/images/completed_2.png)
Description: Waterloo continues efforts to strengthen identification of sustainability research as a foundational step to help better communicate the wide breadth of researchers who are conducting related research, whether from a technical, natural sciences, or human systems perspective.
Indicators
![Paper icon](https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainability/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/icon_applications.png?itok=QGOKraxt)
Actions and accomplishments
Objective A5
By 2025, become a world leader for research excellence in 5 sustainability related themes
Progress: Somewhat complete
![Somewhat complete icon - half circle](/sustainability/sites/default/files/uploads/images/somewhat_complete.png)
Description: Waterloo has a wide breadth and depth of sustainability-related research across all six faculties. Key focus areas and clusters of research exist on water, energy, climate change, and various aspects of sustainable transportation. While global benchmarking on specific themes (instead of disciplines) is still maturing, some early indexes are placing Waterloo quite highly. Further data collection on bibliometrics and funding is underway, and will help Waterloo benchmark its research inputs and outputs related to sustainability.
An accessible version of the data can be downloaded here: Researchers Conducting Research Related to the UN SDGs 2022 (Excel)
Indicators
![SDG wheel](https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainability/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/uploads/icons/sdg-wheel_transparent.png?itok=dvHX48kV)
![Research Icon](https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainability/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/research.png?itok=L91ZucEz)
Actions and accomplishments
By 2025, establish Waterloo as a “go-to” hub for knowledge and expertise on sustainability challenges
Progress: Mostly completed
![Pie chart 75% complete - mostly complete](/sustainability/sites/default/files/uploads/images/mostly-complete.png)
Description: Waterloo mobilizes its sustainability research expertise far beyond the academy. Forthcoming reports will identify the various sustainability-related partnerships and efforts. Waterloo gained significant momentum on this objective in early 2018 with the launch of SDSN Canada, hosted within the Faculty of Environment. This will strongly position Waterloo as a Canadian hub of expertise and catalyze further partnerships and research on sustainable development priorities within Canada and internationally.
Waterloo placed very prominently nationally and internationally on the THE Global Impact ranking in 2020. This reflects a combination of traditional research, but also community partnership, knowledge mobilization, and campus stewardship.
Indicators
![Clipboard icon](https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainability/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/policy_governance_0.png?itok=tj1InREq)
![Clipboard icon](https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainability/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/policy_governance_0.png?itok=tj1InREq)
Actions and accomplishments
2023
- Waterloo was awarded nearly $10 million in federal funding today for a major initiative to rebuild Canada's pandemic-battered aeronautics sector and position it for a more sustainable future
2022
- The Government of Canada's Environmental Damages Fund, administered by Environment and Climate Change Canada, allocated $15.8 million to six University of Waterloo research projects to identify solutions to environmental challenges
- $15 million in funding for the Faculties of Mathematics and Environment to work with Indonesian partners on climate-change adaptation and mitigation strategies in the country
- University of Waterloo is leading an interdisciplinary team to detect, identify and treat per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) – better known as forever chemicals – in water systems affecting more than 2.5 million Canadians
By 2018, implement 3 new sustainability-related projects annually on campus using faculty and student expertise; by 2025, implement at least 8 new projects annually
Progress:
Complete (2018 objective) |
Mostly complete (2025 objective) |
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Description: Waterloo has engaged multiple student project teams in hands-on and real-world projects using campus data and challenges. To scale up efforts, the Sustainability Office will be establishing a platform to identify ongoing collaboration opportunities between academic and operational groups on campus, in order to assist in co-creation of impactful projects.
Indicators
![Research Icon](https://uwaterloo.ca/sustainability/sites/default/files/styles/thumbnail/public/research.png?itok=L91ZucEz)
Actions and accomplishments
2022
- The Sustainability Living Lab worked with courses from Faculties of Health, Environment, and Engineering on topics including food, waste, reporting, engagement, procurement, naturalization, and energy
2021
- The Sustainability Living Lab was launched to link academic expertise and capacity with these operational needs, building on a long history of using the campus as a living lab back to the early 1990s; the new iteration will more tightly link operational sustainability initiatives to the University’s academic mission
Related links
Explore more of Waterloo's progress: