Jakarta, 28 November 2024: ERIA and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) co-hosted a side event of the Third EECOLE Roundtable, focusing on higher education institutions (HEIs), cities, regions, and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Held in a hybrid format, the event emphasised the critical contributions of HEIs and other innovation actors in advancing the 2030 Agenda, with a particular focus on local and regional collaboration.

The session featured expert insights from academics, including Deepa Vedavyas from NOPEC, Dr Nigamanth Sridhar from Cleveland State University, Prof. Carmine Bianchi from the University of Palermo, and Prof. Paulo Nussenzveig from the University of São Paulo. Discussions explored numerous avenues for HEIs to contribute to the localisation of SDGs and driving inclusive development, such as integrating SDGs principles into curricula, establishing research and innovation centres focused on sustainability, supporting student-led initiatives, collaborating with community foundations dedicated to SDG implementation, and engaging local governments to drive impactful changes.

A key takeaway was the recognition that HEIs have unique role and position in the ecosystems. With their deep understanding of local contexts, HEIs have the capacity to empower and unlock synergies between local governments and communities. While universities have traditionally been centres of knowledge, their role is evolving and expanding to include being hubs for experimentation, building bridges between global and local dimensions, and potentially offering solutions and agency to local governments. HEIs are also positioned to be transformative agents for localising the SDGs by aligning education, research, and governance with community needs, paving the way for sustainable and inclusive development.

Finally, HEIs can play a pivotal role in supporting SMEs by providing access to resources and entrepreneurial training that can help SMEs adopt sustainable practices and scale their operations in line with SDGs.

Dr Giulia Ajmone Marsan from ERIA and Dr Raffaele Trapasso from the OECD moderated the discussion. For more information on how HEIs are contributing to innovation ecosystems in ASEAN, please refer to ERIA's One ASEAN Start-up White Paper on Southeast Asia’s innovation ecosystem.