University of Coimbra honoured twice in the area of Social Responsibility
The projects Plan for Equality, Equity and Diversity at the University of Coimbra and Healthy Campus UC were honoured for the management and transfer of knowledge, results and impact, replicability and sustainability.
English version: Diana Taborda
The Observatory of Social Responsibility and Higher Education Institutions (ORSIES) has honoured the University of Coimbra (UC) in the first edition of Inspiring Practices in Social Responsibility. The University of Coimbra's Plan for Equality, Equity and Diversity 2019-2023 and theHealthy Campus UC programme are among the 23 "inspiring" practices selected by ORSIES.
The Certificate of Inspiring Practice in Social Responsibility aims to recognise and raise awareness of projects, initiatives or actions that are capable of transforming contexts and generating useful knowledge. In addition, these practices must have an impact assessment, be replicable and provide guarantees of continuity at a social, environmental and economic level.
Running at the UC since 2020, the Healthy Campus UC programme develops a wide range of initiatives in the areas of physical activity and sport, nutrition, disease prevention, mental and social health, risk behaviour prevention, environment, sustainability and social responsibility, contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 United Nations Agenda. The University of Coimbra was the first university in the world to be awarded the Healthy Campus - Platinum certification by the International University Sports Federation, the highest level of this certification.
The Plan for Equality, Equity and Diversity (PIED@UC) reinforced the UC's commitment to promoting a more equitable and inclusive organisational culture, fully aligned with the UN SDGs. The first PIED@UC, which covers the four-year period 2019-2023, was supported by the team of the European project SUPERA | Supporting the Promotion of Equality in Research and Academia, and a new version is being developed in line with what will be the 2023-2027 Strategic Plan.
The Certificate of Inspiring Practice in Social Responsibility is based on the Green Book (available in Portuguese) on Social Responsibility and Higher Education Institutions, developed in 2018 by ORSIES, in a joint effort between the higher education institutions that make up this observatory. The two UC practices presented and honoured in this first edition are included in Chapter 1 - Socially Responsible Campus.
About Orsies
The Observatory of Social Responsibility and Higher Education Institutions (ORSIES) is a collaborative network of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) aimed at promoting social responsibility through the exchange of experiences and sharing of practices, promoted by Forum Estudante with the support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Higher Education since 2017, with the University of Coimbra as a founding member.