Library Help: Office For Open Research

What are the SDGs and why are they important for researchers?

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 interconnected goals adopted by all UN member states in 2015. They provide a shared global framework for promoting peace, prosperity, environmental protection, and equity—both now and into the future.

For researchers, aligning with the SDGs can:

• 🌍 Demonstrate global impact
  Show how your work addresses urgent real-world challenges

• 🤝 Foster interdisciplinary collaboration
  SDG topics often cut across disciplines, encouraging new partnerships

• 💰 Attract funding
  Many funding bodies prioritise SDG-aligned proposals

• 🏢 Build industry and community links
  Businesses and NGOs increasingly seek SDG-focused academic collaborators

• 🧭 Inform policy
  SDG-related research is more likely to contribute to local, national, or global policy development

Why SDGs matter at Manchester

Supporting the SDGs is a central priority of the University of Manchester’s research strategy. We are proud to be the only university worldwide to rank in the top 10 every year of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings.

Learn more about this commitment via the Office for Social Responsibility.
 

How we can help you evidence SDG contributions

The Library’s Research Indicators team provides data and analysis to help researchers and departments showcase how their work supports the SDGs. Our services include:

• 📊 SDG mapping
  Identifying links between your research outputs and specific SDGs—even where not explicitly mentioned in titles or abstracts.

• 🎯 Custom reports
  Tailored analysis of your SDG-related output, suitable for internal reporting, grant applications, or REF impact case studies.

• 📈 Trend analysis
  Highlighting emerging topics across the SDGs to support future research planning.

• 🌐 Collaboration insights
  Identifying researchers at Manchester and beyond working on similar SDG-related themes.

• 📊 Impact visualisations
  Using tools like SciVal to generate charts and maps illustrating your SDG reach—ideal for presentations or reporting.

• 🧮 Benchmarking
  Comparing your SDG activity with peer institutions or departments.

For a recent example of how SDG-focused data can support institutional goals, see the latest University of Manchester Sustainable Development Goals report. The Office for Open Research contributed the bibliometric analysis to this report produced by the Office for Social Responsibility 

Get in touch

📞 Contact the Research Indicators team
We’d be happy to discuss how we can support you in evidencing SDG-related research for funding, reporting, or impact purposes.