Impact Rankings 2022: Clean water and sanitation (SDG6) and Life below water (SDG14)

Monday, May 9, 2022

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The University of Waterloo has once again placed in the top 100 universities on the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2022. This year, Waterloo moves up 46 spots on the list to number 53 overall.

The Impact Rankings are an annual measure of a university’s social and economic impact based on the institution’s success on delivering the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Waterloo ranked 39th this year on SDG 14 – Life below water. Results compared 452 institutions from 77 countries and considered five categories which included: research publications, supporting aquatic ecosystems through education and action, policies on water discharge and local aquatic ecosystems.

Waterloo ranked 65th this year on SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation. Results compared 634 institutions from 82 countries and measured universities’ research related to water, their water usage and their commitment to ensuring good water management in the wider community.

“Our performance and improvement in this year’s ranking is a testament to our commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” says Vivek Goel, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo. “Waterloo has been consistently participating in the UN’s 17 SDGs with an intent of using their comprehensive framework to monitor our own performance year over year. I am very proud of the work we are doing at the University to be global leader in adopting the UN’s blueprint for peace and prosperity now and for our collective future.”

Waterloo is the founding institution for Sustainable Development Solutions Network Canada whose mission is to mobilize Canadian scientific and technological expertise and accelerate problem-solving for the UN’s SDGs.

This is the fourth year THE has published the Impact Rankings, and the number of participating institutions continues to grow to 1,406 universities from 106 regions around the world.

To learn more, view the THE Impact Rankings 2022 announcement.

See the institutional announcement published on Waterloo News here.