Later this month, we are hosting host the Coimbra Group 40th Anniversary Climate Symposium.
We’ll welcome Rectors and Vice-Chancellors from across Europe to Durham for a thought-provoking two-day event. The Symposium will explore the role of universities as agents of transformative change for climate, nature, planetary health, and society. As institutions at the forefront of research, education, and policy engagement, universities play a critical role in addressing the climate emergency. The theme reflects the urgent need to embed sustainability across all aspects of life and academia.
A key outcome of the Symposium will be the Durham Declaration, a landmark commitment that will shape the Coimbra Group and the wider sector’s response to climate change. The Declaration will also contribute to discussions at the upcoming UNFCCC COP30 Climate Conference, further enhancing the Coimbra Group’s international influence.
Ahead of the Symposium, we invited students to participate in an innovative sustainability education competition, 'Eyes of the Future'. This app-based game, developed by our Coimbra Group partners at Utrecht University, encourages players to envision a sustainable future while deepening their understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In the game, students worked in teams to navigate their city or campus, watch nano-talks on the SDGs, and complete interactive challenges such as ‘inspire a stranger.’ Teams earned points by uploading photos and notes to an interactive city map and engaging with other teams’ submissions.
Seven teams from across the Coimbra Network took part. The two winning teams, ‘EnviroTeam’ from the University of Iași, Romania, and Team ‘Wet Zero’ from the University of Bergen, Norway, will join university leaders at the Climate Symposium in Durham later this month.
As part of the Coimbra Group Student Exchange Network (CG SEN), we are committed to enhancing academic and cultural ties through student mobility. The CG SEN provides opportunities for students from Coimbra Group universities to exchange in a wide range of disciplines, strengthening collaboration and learning across borders.
Through initiatives like CG SEN and the Eyes of the Future competition, we continue to empower students as active participants in sustainability and global engagement.
We are recognised as one of the top universities in the world for taking action to address the most pressing environment, social and governance challenges facing society today. Find out why we're a world leader in sustainability.
Our people conduct innovative and impactful research to transform lives and make a difference, globally and locally: Learn more about research at Durham.
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Image L to R: Team ‘Wet Zero’ from the University of Bergen, Norway. Durham University's team from Durham, UK. ‘EnviroTeam’ from the University of Iași, Romania.
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