Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the global partnership for sustainable development
The University of °µÍø½ûÇø (UOW) is committed to working towards the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through its governance, teaching and learning, community engagement, partnerships and research. The following initiatives are by UOW staff and students working towards Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals.
Across our subjects, courses, research publications and partnerships, UOW staff and students continued working towards the goals in 2025.
*SciVal figures accessed July - October 2026. **Publications written in collaboration with unique organisations from government, industry, university and community*
5,159 students studying subjects about this goal
1,436 unique publications contributing to the goals
3,942 publications written in collaboration with unique organisations from government, industry, university and community**
The University of °µÍø½ûÇø announced a partnership with the , enhancing its ability to deliver transformative outcomes and real-world impact for the public good. This significant partnership positions UOW to contribute expertise to complex societal challenges on a much larger scale.
As a joint venture between government and universities, JMI enables policymakers to harness multidisciplinary expertise to drive policy innovation and tackle complex public policy challenges. The partnership with UOW brings vital regional perspectives to policy discussions, which is important in developing responses that take the requirements of large regional cities into account.
The partnership provides UOW researchers with access to Policy Fellowships and the JMI Policy Challenge Grant pool. This competitive program gives experts a chance to generate research-informed policy innovations, with the potential to address Australia's most significant public policy challenges.
In 2024, program connected psychology students from UOW °µÍø½ûÇø with peers in Singapore, with a focus on fostering graduates who are culturally competent and globally minded. This innovative partnership program empowers students to build cross-cultural understanding and develop expertise for addressing global mental health challenges across the Indo-Pacific region.
Students engaged in comprehensive workshops covering counselling skills, research methodologies and career development, building practical knowledge to apply in the areas of mental health and community support. They also gained experience of collaborating to design research studies that tackled real-world, cross-cultural issues, bridging theory with practice.
Delivered in partnership with the Singapore Institute of Management, the annual program offers enriching experiences to students, through collaborations with the Institute of Mental Health and the National University of Singapore. Since launching in 2015, 290 students have taken part in the program, with participants consistently reporting enhanced confidence, valuable international networks, and expanded study and career opportunities.
In 2024, the long-term partnership between UOW and Illawarra Cancer Carers (ICC) continued, with the not-for-profit organisation providing a generous donation of $47,500 to UOW’s Molecular Horizons to support the research of innovative cancer treatments. The University and ICC’s 18-year partnership demonstrates the transformative power of community-supported research. Over this time more than $1.2 million has been gifted to UOW to support cancer research through local fundraising events such as stalls, raffles and an annual banquet.
from Molecular Horizons and the School of Science noted that the long-term support from the ICC helped drive cancer research conducted by her team, as well as research and clinical collaborators in the Illawarra region as a whole.
Two UOW research projects that received early and crucial support from ICC donations have gone on to attract commercial support. The most advanced of these is the Deflexifol project, which was picked up by local pharmaceutical startup FivepHusion, enabling clinical trials in °µÍø½ûÇø that demonstrated promising results in 60 people with advanced cancer.
Discover how community support drives cancer research at UOW
In 2023, UOW was invited to form a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre to offer expert advice and technical support to WHO Western Pacific member nations in the areas of children’s food, nutrition and physical activity.  
As a designated Collaborating Centre of the WHO, UOW supports the development, implementation and evaluation of policies and programs to improve food environments, dietary and physical activity behaviours among children and adolescents. 
The University of °µÍø½ûÇø has formalised its commitment to community engagement through the launch of the Local Community Partner Program, recognising the vital contributions of local not-for-profit organisations and creating structured pathways for enhanced collaboration.
The program launched in July 2024 with five leading Illawarra organisations: Raising the Bar Foundation, Healthy Cities Illawarra, The Disability Trust, Illawarra Academy of Sport and Greenacres. While UOW has engaged with these organisations for many years across research partnerships, student placements and community initiatives, the program formalises these relationships to amplify mutual impact.
The initiative provides partners with access to UOW's facilities and expertise while offering students invaluable workplace training and placement opportunities with high conversion potential to employment outcomes.
The program plays a key role in building meaningful relationships that enrich Illawarra communities while strengthening collective impact and progress towards common goals.
Get in touch with the UOW Media Team to share your story and help shape UOW’s contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals.
