ODS Chairs promote pedagogical innovation at Católica

The Universidade Católica Portuguesa continues to establish itself as a leading institution in the integration of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into higher education, through the initiative “SDG Courses – The Great Challenges Facing Humanity”, coordinated by the Centre for Responsible Business and Leadership.

This initiative has been recognised by United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) as one of the best international practices for integrating the SDGs into higher education. The SDG Courses are interdisciplinary modules, open to students from different schools and campuses, taught online by lecturers from various disciplines, promoting cross-campus learning communities and the development of transferable skills to address contemporary global challenges.

Recently, the best projects from the SDG 4, SDG 13, SDG 14 and SDG 16 modules were invited to present to the Rector’s Team at the Universidade Católica, having stood out for their identification of sustainability challenges and their proposals for innovative, multidisciplinary and action-oriented solutions. The project most highly rated by the Rector’s Office was the one developed as part of the SDG 16 module – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – highlighting the quality and impact of the work produced by students in these modules.

In this context, the Católica also announces the creation of a new course module, SDG 3 – Good Health and Well-being, to be taught in the first semester of the 2026/2027 academic year. This module will address topics such as communicable and non-communicable diseases, health promotion, health communication and the sustainability of health systems, adopting an interdisciplinary approach focused on contemporary challenges. Another module will be launched in the second semester – SDG 10 – Reducing Inequalities.

With this expansion, the University is reinforcing its commitment to the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), thereby consolidating an internationally recognised educational model focused on social and educational impact.

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