University of Mostar Among Global Leaders in Sustainable Development: 4th Place in the SDG-Based Responses to Global Challenges Category on the WURI 2025 Rankings

In the latest edition of the World University Rankings for Innovation (WURI) 2025, the University of Mostar achieved remarkable recognition, securing 4th place in category A8 – SDG-Based Responses to Global Challenges. This achievement confirms SUM’s status as a global leader in integrating the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into educational, research, and socially engaged processes.

The A8 category evaluates how universities embed the SDGs into their curricula, research agendas, institutional policies, and cooperation with social and economic sectors. Particular emphasis is placed on the concrete implementation of the 2030 Agenda through educational programmes that foster critical thinking and responsible leadership, research initiatives addressing global challenges such as climate change, poverty, and inequality, and activities that contribute to building sustainable communities and a more just society. In this context, the University of Mostar ranks alongside globally renowned institutions such as the University of Hong Kong, University of Oslo, Durham University, University of Groningen, Uppsala University, Carnegie Mellon University, KAIST, Ohio State University, University of Ottawa, University of Calgary, and others—highlighting the international relevance of its efforts in sustainable development.

Strategic Approach to Sustainability and International Recognition

This success is the result of the University of Mostar’s strategic and systematic commitment over recent years. A particularly intensive period of SDG implementation was marked by the development of institutional mechanisms, the adoption of sustainability policies, and the mobilisation of educational, research, and administrative resources. The Office for International Ranking played a key role in this process by initiating several strategic documents and publishing two reports on the University’s progress toward global goals for the academic years 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, thereby establishing a strong foundation for long-term SDG integration.

Through the application of internal evaluation indicators aligned with the 2030 Agenda, the University has improved transparency, equity, educational accessibility, open science, and community empowerment for sustainable development. The quality of this approach was confirmed by the University’s inclusion in the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings across all 17 SDGs, placing it among a select group of institutions that fully implement the 2030 Agenda.

Through these exceptional achievements, the University of Mostar is reinforcing its position as a modern, responsible, and globally engaged higher education institution. Its work clearly demonstrates how academic excellence can serve societal impact, creating a space where knowledge drives sustainable change and contributes to shaping a fairer and more stable future.