The Global Academy reached 2 new milestones this week – join us!

These are extraordinary times at The Global Academy – and it’s great to be part of it!

Less than 3 months ago my colleague Wendy Stone wrote this blog https://theglobalacademy.ac/heading-into-a-new-year-with-100-global-academy-researchers/ . We were thrilled then to have reached the milestone of 100 researchers linking their work to the wider purpose provided by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by joining us at the Global Academy. It seemed that our platform was gaining momentum and piquing interest in some research areas.

Adapting to difficult times

2020 was a long and difficult year for many, and researchers have been affected by the global pandemic along with everyone else. Some had their work curtailed by the sudden restrictions of field work. Others continue to be deeply affected by the inability to get the direct personal input they rely on from other researchers, or their research supervisors. Of course, over the course of the year, researchers have adapted in the same way as wider societies around the world: more work and collaborative interaction has moved online; new strategies for booking laboratory or library space and time have arrived; field work plans have been amended or adapted to fit the new reality.

At the same time a growing number of researchers have hugely valued opportunities that have arisen to collaborate, to share, and to showcase their research through new channels. This is evidenced by the growing number, and success, of online events and conferences and the new interest in possibilities to set research work in a wider context.

Our platform links research to the wider purpose of the SDGs and provides opportunities for collaboration, so we both benefit from, and amplify, this renewed need to understand the wider purposes of research.

Supporting researchers with purpose

Less than 3 months after that ‘100 researchers’ blog article we have now welcomed over 200 researchers to The Global Academy. It is truly humbling to have researchers from almost 60 nations involved. Also at least ten Global Academy researchers have linked their work to every one of the 17 UN Global Goals.

With every new researcher who chooses to join us, the value of the Global Academy platform increases. For researchers there is a facility to search for others working in areas akin to your own and to reach out to offer, or seek out, opportunities to collaborate. Or, you can search for researchers based in your own country to see what others are working on more locally. Most importantly though, the platform offers an opportunity to showcase your research and become part of a growing global community, setting their research in the wider context of the world striving to achieve the UN SDGs by 2030 – that’s just 9 years away! Please take a look and join us if you feel inspired to do so! https://theglobalacademy.ac

The next stage has begun – Research Groups

For us at The Global Academy this growth is thrilling because it is what we have been working on this for a while. It also means we can now able to move on and develop some of our other plans.

First among these is the addition of Research Groups. We are truly excited today to be launching the first Global Academy Research Group page. We have been privileged to work with Professor Sara Dolnicar and her team (especially Jenna Farmer!) at the Low Harm Hedonism Initiative in the University of Queensland Business School. The Group is undertaking a range of really important and interesting work, largely focused around sustainable tourism. They have linked their work to seven of the Global Goals, with a strong core of work associated with SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. We hope you enjoy exploring their work – much of it is explained with the help of straightforward, highly professional videos. https://theglobalacademy.ac/the-university-of-queensland/low-harm-hedonism/ . It is fascinating to hear from this team about the, relatively simple, changes that can help speed our progress towards sustainable tourism and travel.

If you’d like to showcase the work of your own Research Group or Institute, and set it in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, just get in touch! We’d love to hear from you.