Investing in collaboration across the University and around the world
To pursue the highest degree of research and teaching excellence by bringing together the world’s brightest minds to address critical global challenges best solved through multidisciplinary, transnational collaboration.
We will make bold investments internally, to bring disciplines together to address the greatest global challenges, and externally, to build long-term, multilateral, and mutually beneficial partnerships with select universities around the world.
Northwestern will coordinate and catalyze activity across the University and around the world in service of the strategic plan.
The Northwestern Buffett Idea Incubation Process will serve as a startup mechanism for bringing Northwestern faculty from across disciplines together for dialogue around and rigorous research on the critical global challenges articulated within the UN Sustainable Development Goal (UN SDG) framework.
Northwestern will also invest in building sustainable and reciprocal partnerships around the world. These partnerships will build off of Northwestern’s U7+ Alliance of and increasing collaboration between Northwestern University in Qatar.
Building on existing partnerships, our plan is to launch one to two strategic partnerships each year for the next five years, identifying new areas of opportunity in both the global north and global south.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015, includes 17 goals (UN SDGs) that provide a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet. By mapping and tracking our contributions in teaching, research and engagement to this international metric, we will bring a global perspective to all that we do. Together with our global partners, Northwestern will field multidisciplinary teams to address them.