A novel and comprehensive approach to mapping university research onto the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – the case of University College Cork, Ireland

Purpose The mapping of university research onto the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is important, as it demonstrates the crucial contributions that research makes to the SDGs while also showing researchers how the SDGs can inform research and enhance research impact. This paper aims to detail a novel and comprehensive research mapping approach implemented by University College Cork (UCC) and helps to guide other higher education institutions (HEIs) who are beginning their own mapping exercises. Design/methodology/approach This paper adopts a mixed-method approach, involving the quantitative mapping of publications, qualitative impact case studies, and the collation of researchers’ self-assessment data at innovative SDGs workshops. Findings The workshops generated a high level of engagement from the research community, resulting in 119 impact case studies and 497 researchers mapping their own research to the goals/targets. The results provide a clear picture of the main goals/targets that are the focus of UCC research, at the institutional level, in schools/research centres, and at the researcher level. Research limitations/implications This study was resource intensive. Its reach may be challenging for other universities to replicate, as success was supported by UCC’s longstanding institutional commitment to sustainability, the mature structures in place and the practical investment in this project. Originality/value The authors are unaware of other universities using this comprehensive approach. While other studies focus on the 17 overarching goals only, UCC research, as far as possible, was mapped at a deeper level to each of the associated SDGs targets.