Transition Roadmap of the University of Liège

The University of Liège acknowledges a globally shared observation today: our current economic and social trajectories are unsustainable. We are facing an ecological crisis, coupled with deep social inequalities, which will impact the living conditions of future generations. It is in this context that our institution commits to making a radical and structured change to contribute to a sustainable future.
The term «transition» is deliberately chosen to highlight the progressive nature of this transformation process. It is not a simple adjustment or marginal improvement, but a systemic change. The transition refers to the shift from a model that depletes our resources and generates inequalities, to a model that regenerates ecosystems, strengthens social cohesion, and is part of an inclusive dynamic. This journey, made up of innovations, collaborations, and concrete actions, is what this roadmap aims to outline.

As a university, we have a particular responsibility: to train the citizens and leaders of tomorrow, while playing a pioneering role in the experimentation and implementation of sustainable solutions. This roadmap is thus intended as an ambitious framework to guide our decisions and actions in the coming years, while integrating all stakeholders in this transformative process.

In this perspective of transforming the university to make it a model of sustainability, the roadmap is an essential step to set ambitions in terms of sustainability, complement and make visible other specific plans and policies related to sustainability, coordinate and enhance the various initiatives and commitments already underway within the institution, and meet the requirements of sustainability rankings.

This evolving roadmap embodies the University's concrete commitments, outlines institutional responsibility and policies, highlights current actions and specifies future steps. It is structured around five axes: the first three relate our academic missions to the transition, while the last two concern our internal organization.

• Axis 1 - Research engaged in social and environmental transition (SET).
  
• Axis 2 - Teaching adapted to the challenges of social and environmental transition.
  
• Axis 3 - Community services connected to the challenges of social and environmental transition.
  
• Axis 4 - Exemplary eco-responsible and inclusive campus operations.
  
• Axis 5 - Governance of social and environmental transition.
  

Flagship projects selected to support the roadmap

Eight flagship projects have been selected to accompany this roadmap. These will be prioritised during the current academic year. This selection is based on their feasibility, their reliance on one or more actions envisaged within the axes, and their significant impact on our sustainability trajectory. These projects are:

• I : Creation of a Transitions Laboratory
  
• II : Evolution of the online course "Sustainability and Transition"
  
• III : Support for establishing a sustainability culture at ULiège 
• IV : Development of future scenarios for sustainable canteens 
  
• V : Implementation of measures promoting equipment circularity at the University 
  
• VI : Development of a travel policy 
• VII : Development of sustainable campuses 
  
• VIII : Execution, monitoring, and strategic steering of the ULiège Transition roadmap 
  

These flagship projects are listed below (under the 5 headings of the roadmap).

In October 2023, a first version of a strategic plan was presented to the Sustainable Development Council, setting out a series of objectives for an ideal university in transition. The members of the Council were then asked to carry out a double materiality analysis (impact and expectations) in order to prioritize these objectives. 

. In January 2024, a survey of the initiatives already in place at ULiège was carried out, identifying the existing policies, the working groups in progress and the people responsible for these initiatives. The committees and working groups working on the priorities defined by the Council were mobilized or reactivated, and, in the absence of such groups, the departments concerned were consulted or new working groups were created. These groups, which brought together various stakeholders from the university, adopted a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach to help draw up the ‘Transition’ roadmap. Their mission, for each theme, was to take stock of the current situation, define an ambition, targets, SMART objectives and actions to be implemented, to be incorporated into the roadmap, up to May 2024. 

The period from May to October 2024 was devoted to harmonizing these deliverables and, in close collaboration with the administrative and technical departments, to identifying, evaluating and collecting indicators to monitor and steer this roadmap. 

In all, the roadmap comprises 5 axis, with 12 objectives, 21 sub-objectives and 165 concrete actions.

Implementation of the University's Transition roadmap will be accompanied by rigorous monitoring to ensure that the objectives set are achieved progressively and measurably. This monitoring will be carried out using a number of tools dedicated to steering, evaluating and ensuring the transparency of the commitments made by the institution.

Dashboard and indicators

A monitoring tool will be deployed in the form of a dashboard. This dashboard will bring together a set of key indicators directly linked to the objectives of the roadmap. These indicators will be used to track the progress of actions and, in some cases, to measure their impact. They will provide visibility on various aspects. Thanks to this tool, the University will be able to adjust its strategies proactively, based on the results obtained.

Reporting tools and transparency

To ensure transparent and regular communication on the institution's commitments and progress, several reporting tools have been put in place:

• A web portal dedicated to the transition, regularly updated with information on current projects and initiatives. This portal enables the entire university community, as well as the general public, to follow the University's progress in this area.
• A annual sustainability and transition activity report, which details the actions taken during the year, the results achieved, and the next objectives. This report is a key communication tool for sharing progress, successes and challenges.
• The calculation of the carbon footprint, carried out every three years, is a key element in assessing the University's environmental impact. This in-depth analysis makes it possible to quantify the greenhouse gas emissions linked to the institution's activities, and to adjust strategies to reduce these emissions over the long term.

External evaluation and rankings

To reinforce its commitment to sustainability and position its actions on an international scale, the University also participates in external evaluations. This includes participation in international sustainability rankings (QS Sustainability ranking and THE Impact ranking), which measure the University's position in relation to other institutions around the world. These rankings assess criteria such as environmental management, social inclusion, governance and contributions to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They provide a valuable frame of reference for assessing progress and identifying new opportunities for improvement.

ULiège's policy of commitment to education adapted to the challenges of social and environmental transition 

As our societies transition towards greater sustainability, ULiège is committed to informing tomorrow's citizens - on the basis of scientific knowledge - about the issues linked to these profound transformations, and to equipping [future] professionals with the useful skills needed to tackle individually and collectively the social and environmental challenges they face.

With this in mind, ULiège enables all members of its community (students and staff) to experience sustainability and the social and environmental transition as part of their course and/or career path. To achieve this, ULiège is committed to strengthening and adapting its teaching so that it responds adequately to the challenges of sustainability and social and environmental transition. By promoting and developing a range of courses on these themes for students and members of staff, and by allocating the necessary resources to teachers to enable them to adapt their teaching, the university aims to train a generation of committed and competent citizens, ready to take up the challenges of the Anthropocene.

Objectives:

ULiège commitment policy for clear governance of the social and environmental transition

ULiège intends to integrate the social and environmental transition into the strategic and operational steering of the institution. To do this, it is adopting a transition governance framework. On the one hand, ULiège's commitments in terms of social and environmental transition are being made explicit and visible. Secondly, the bodies and individuals responsible for steering the transition have been identified. 

This framework encourages collective ownership of the ambitions and makes it easier to coordinate initiatives to mobilise resources and create synergies between different projects and programmes.  Ultimately, the governance framework establishes a culture of sustainability at ULiège and strengthens the coherence of the actions that the University undertakes in favour of the global objectives of sustainable development.