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  6. SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals

SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals

The ambitious results of the UN SDGs cannot be achieved without the widest partnerships and collaboration amongst multiple stakeholders. IULM is accordingly committed to a comprehensive set of measures aimed at building widespread and deep relationships to support the goals and promoting education for SDGs and a commitment to meaningful education with specific courses on sustainability:


Università IULM has direct involvement in national government and regional non-government organisations SDG policy development, identifying problems and challenges, developing policies and strategies, modelling likely futures with and without interventions, monitoring and reporting on interventions, and enabling adaptive management.

A clear example of this is its collaboration with the Municipality of Milan on the "Interculturalità & Anagrafe" project. This initiative, launched in June 2023, involves a partnership between the Municipality of Milan and IULM to provide dedicated support and orientation to foreign residents through a multilingual service at the city's civil registry office. The project was developed based on research conducted by the Humanities Analytics Lab (HAL) at IULM, which analyzed data provided by the municipality regarding foreign citizen access to registry services. The study revealed communication barriers due to language differences, leading to the creation of a tailored service offering native language support in Arabic, Spanish, and Russian. This initiative directly addresses issues of social sustainability, supporting the integration of foreign citizens into the local community by easing bureaucratic processes and improving accessibility.

Another notable project initiated by IULM in 2023 is its collaboration with the municipal administrations of Milan and Rome for the "NO2 NO GRAZIE!" project. This initiative, in partnership with the NGO Cittadini per l’Aria, addresses air quality issues, particularly nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions from diesel vehicles, in both cities. The project involves citizens in monitoring air quality around homes and schools, generating important data to inform both the public and local governments. IULM plays a central role in this research by:

  • Developing anthropological tools for data collection.
  • Analyzing survey responses to identify key areas for participatory processes.
  • Assisting in creating strategies to increase public awareness and acceptance of necessary changes to improve air quality and urban mobility.

Additionally, IULM participated in a strategic meeting with the Mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, and rectors of eight universities in Milan, including IULM's Rector Gianni Canova. The meeting focused on addressing the issue of student housing and setting a goal of increasing student accommodation in the city by 10,000 units in the coming years. This collaboration between the Municipality of Milan and universities aims to promote initiatives to improve student life in the city, including transportation and other services, and a shared effort to keep housing costs affordable for students.

IULM also partners with NGOs such as Mygrants, a for-profit digital platform dedicated to supporting immigrant social integration through adaptive microlearning and thematic quizzes. Mygrants offers services such as skills validation, career placement, and information to facilitate asylum procedures and promote economic opportunities for immigrants. IULM, aligned with its mission to promote inclusion and fight inequalities, supports Mygrants by promoting the platform's work through various initiatives, including the IULM Flow Talk 10 on "Opportunity in Adversity: Migration and Global Business." Through this partnership, IULM contributes to transforming migration into an opportunity for both immigrants and host communities, while addressing labor market shortages across Europe.

Lastly IULM is part of RUS (Rete delle Università per lo Sviluppo Sostenibile), a network that promotes sustainability practices across Italian universities, aiming to spread a culture of sustainability and contribute to the achievement of the UN SDGs. IULM is also involved in RuniPace, the Italian University Network for Peace, demonstrating its commitment to peace, human dignity, and addressing inequalities through cooperation and education. Both networks enhance IULM's role in promoting sustainability and social responsibility at both national and international levels.

Università IULM actively initiates and participates in cross-sectoral dialogue about the SDGs. A prime example of this is the event titled "Comunicare la cooperazione internazionale" held at IULM's Rome campus (Palazzo Cipolla). This conference focused on the crucial role of communication in international cooperation, reflecting on the significant challenges and opportunities in the 21st century for sustainable development and humanitarian efforts (SDGs 16 and 17).

The event brought together representatives from NGOs such as Oxfam and government organizations like the World Food Programme and  FAO, alongside professionals, journalists, and academic experts. Speakers included notable figures such as Emanuela Cutelli (World Food Programme), Francesco Petrelli (Oxfam Italia), and Clara Velez Fraga (FAO), fostering a vibrant dialogue on how communication strategies can strengthen global cooperation and sustainable development.

By facilitating discussions with diverse stakeholders from NGOs, international organizations, and government bodies, IULM demonstrates its commitment to contributing to global efforts in addressing the SDGs.

Università IULM actively participates in international collaboration on gathering and measuring data for the SDGs through various ongoing research projects. Below are key examples from 2023:

1. SDG 3 - Health-Related Fake News Mitigation (HeReFaNMi): Coordinated by Alessandro Bruno, this project, funded by the Horizon NGI-Search consortium, tackles health-related fake news by developing AI models to classify and verify news. The project involves international collaboration with the University of Orleans (France), ISASI-CNR (Italy), and experts from Algeria and Switzerland, sharing data and methodologies in line with open-source principles.

2. SDG 5 - Digital Gender Hub: The "Digital Gender Hub" project, led by Maria Angela Polesana and Elisabetta Risi, creates a network of researchers from various institutions (including University of Warwick) focusing on gender issues in the digital society. The project promotes research and analysis of gender biases in digital platforms and AI, contributing data and insights to global discussions on gender equality in the digital age.

3. SDG 10 & 11 - Indigenous Peoples of Central and South America: Led by Massimo De Giuseppe, this interdisciplinary project explores the history, memory, and activism of indigenous peoples. The project collaborates with multiple Latin American institutions (such as Escuela Nacional de Antropología e Historia in Mexico) and international organizations like IILA to gather data and foster dialogue on social inclusion and cultural heritage.

4. SDG 13 - ESG and Financial Communication: An Empirical Analysis: Led by Pietro Mazzola, this research focuses on the evolution of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) reporting practices in line with recent EU regulations (NFRD-CSRD). The study analyzes financial communication and ESG ratings, with collaboration from institutions like Macquarie University (Australia) and the University of Bergamo, addressing issues of sustainability reporting and its global impact.

5. SDG 13 - CESTour (Centers of Excellence in Sustainable Tourism): This Erasmus+ project focuses on promoting sustainable tourism in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The key objectives are to (i) promote sustainable tourism concepts and transfer knowledge to support long-term changes in the tourism industry, (ii) enhance university-business cooperation to foster sustainable tourism, and (iii) improve teaching quality and graduate employability through updated education. This collaboration aims to boost sustainable economic development and strengthen cooperation in Southern Asia.

6.  SDG 16 - Religious Communication during the Ukrainian Crisis: Tradition and Innovation: Coordinated by Francesco Galofaro, this project examines the role of religious discourse during the Ukrainian crisis. It involves researchers from various European institutions, including the University of Warsaw and V. Dahl’s East Ukrainian National University, contributing to understanding the intersection of religion, communication, and conflict in times of war.

These projects demonstrate IULM’s ongoing commitment to collaborating on a global scale, sharing data, and contributing to research that supports the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Università IULM actively reviews comparative approaches and develops international best practices for tackling the SDGs through its research and international collaborations. The following six projects from 2023 illustrate IULM's contribution to global best practices:

  1. SDG 3 - Health-Related Fake News Mitigation (HeReFaNMi): This project, coordinated by Alessandro Bruno, involves international partnerships with the University of Orleans (France) and ISASI-CNR (Italy), focusing on mitigating health-related misinformation. By leveraging AI models and shared data, the project aims to establish global best practices for identifying and combating fake news in healthcare. The results are shared openly, contributing to international standards in health communication.
  2. SDG 5 - Digital Gender Hub: The "Digital Gender Hub" project, led by Maria Angela Polesana and Elisabetta Risi, focuses on gender representation in the digital space. By collaborating with institutions such as the University of Warwick and other international researchers, this project compares gender biases and best practices in digital media across countries, developing strategies to address gender inequalities embedded in AI algorithms and media content globally.
  3. SDG 10 & 11 - Indigenous Peoples of Central and South America: Led by Massimo De Giuseppe, this project collaborates with institutions across Latin America and Europe to explore the history, memory, and activism of indigenous communities. The project develops comparative approaches to indigenous rights and cultural preservation, aiming to create international models for social inclusion, historical memory, and sustainable development that can be applied across different regions.
  4. SDG 13 - ESG and Financial Communication: An Empirical Analysis: This research, headed by Pietro Mazzola, examines ESG reporting practices across multiple countries, including the EU and Australia, with partnerships such as Macquarie University. By comparing how different regions approach ESG disclosures, the project develops global best practices for transparent and effective sustainability communication, helping standardize ESG reporting to enhance global sustainability efforts.
  5. SDG 13 - CESTour (Centers of Excellence in Sustainable Tourism): This Erasmus+ project, focusing on sustainable tourism in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, seeks to establish best practices for sustainable tourism development. Through international collaboration, CESTour enhances university-business cooperation and develops long-term sustainable tourism strategies that can be adapted by other countries, promoting global standards in eco-friendly tourism practices.
  6. SDG 16 - Religious Communication during the Ukrainian Crisis: Coordinated by Francesco Galofaro, this project brings together researchers from Poland, Ukraine, and Italy to explore how religious discourse is used in crisis communication. By studying the interaction between traditional and modern religious communication methods, the project contributes to developing best practices for managing religious narratives in conflict situations, with the aim of reducing tensions and fostering peace.

These projects exemplify how IULM, through international collaboration, actively contributes to the development of comparative approaches and best practices, advancing progress toward achieving the SDGs on a global scale.

Università IULM collaborates with NGOs to tackle the SDGs through various initiatives and projects. For example:

  1. Moleskine Foundation: Università IULM signed an agreement with the Moleskine Foundation, a non-profit organization that promotes creative potential among young people to drive social change. Through this collaboration, IULM students have the opportunity to volunteer in a training program dedicated to preserving African culture, history, and language. This initiative contributes to social sustainability by safeguarding valuable African cultural heritage and promoting inclusion in global projects.
  2. One Ocean Foundation (OOF): Università IULM collaborates with the One Ocean Foundation, an international initiative focused on ocean preservation and sustainable blue economy. The foundation aims to inspire leaders, promote ocean literacy, and drive sustainable solutions for marine challenges. As part of their partnership, IULM and OOF held a seminar on effective communication for environmental challenges, particularly the importance of oceans to businesses. The event, led by IULM’s Professor Stefania Romenti and OOF’s Operations Director Giulio Magni, discussed the increasing relevance of ocean sustainability and non-financial reporting for companies.

These collaborations with NGOs like Moleskine Foundation and One Ocean Foundation demonstrate IULM’s commitment to addressing the SDGs through joint efforts and initiatives that promote social and environmental sustainability.

Università IULM has a strong commitment to meaningful education around the SDGs that is relevant and applicable to all students. IULM integrates the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across its full academic curriculum and university initiatives. IULM is in fact a signatory of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a United Nations-supported initiative. PRME aims to embed sustainability in higher education, ensuring future leaders are equipped with the skills to balance economic, environmental, and social goals, directly aligning IULM with the UN’s work toward achieving the SDGs.

This is also outlined in the University Strategic Plan 2022-2024, where IULM commits to promoting cultural democracy and contributing to societal progress. As part of this commitment, IULM focuses on educating students about the SDGs, making this knowledge applicable across various fields of study and expanding it beyond the campus to benefit society at large.

To reinforce this, IULM established the IULM Sustainability Committee, chaired by the Rector’s Proxy to Sustainability and Social Responsibility, to ensure sustainability education and initiatives are deeply integrated into academic life. This committee promotes sustainability practices across the IULM community, such as environmental awareness campaigns, energy reduction, and sustainable mobility efforts.

Through these initiatives, IULM demonstrates its commitment to fostering sustainability education and preparing students to address global challenges.

Università IULM offers dedicated courses that address sustainability and the SDGs across various disciplines. As a signatory member of PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education), IULM is committed to raising awareness of sustainability in business and management education. PRME engages institutions globally to ensure that future leaders are equipped with the skills needed to address the economic, environmental, and social challenges reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This commitment helps align IULM’s academic programs with the broader goals of the UN Global Compact, fostering ethical conduct and promoting sustainability.

Several examples of IULM’s courses from the academic year 2022/2023 that directly address sustainability and SDGs include:

  1. Bachelor Degrees
    • Fashion and Creative Industries - Interculturality, Sustainability, Inclusivity: This course emphasizes cultural anthropology and encourages critical reflection on interculturality, sustainability, and inclusivity, especially in the context of fashion and creative industries.
    • Tourism, Management, and Culture - Territorial Marketing and Environmental Sustainability: Focuses on creating value through branding and communication, while integrating ecosystem sustainability practices for territorial development.
  1. Master Degrees

Through these specialized courses and their integration into various degree programs, IULM fosters education around the SDGs, preparing students to contribute meaningfully to sustainable development in their careers.

Università IULM has several dedicated outreach educational activities for the wider community, including alumni, local residents, and displaced people.

Initiatives for alumni:

  • People, Planet e Profit: tra equilibri ed equilibrismi
    • A roundtable on sustainability and corporate strategies, featuring experts from various fields. The event included a presentation on sustainability impression management techniques by Dr. Elanor Colleoni.
  • IULM Alumni: Le Nuove Frontiere del Marketing
    • An event discussing the evolving landscape of marketing, including the impact of AI and digital innovation. Alumni and industry professionals engaged in dialogue about marketing’s role in a post-pandemic world.

Initiatives for the local community

Initiatives for Displaced people and refugees

Since autumn 2022, IULM has been part of the InZone program in collaboration with the University of Geneva, offering courses for students in refugee camps in Azraq (Jordan) and Kakuma (Kenya). The courses cover topics such as professional English, sociology of media, information systems, and data analysis. This initiative aims to provide refugees with educational opportunities, fostering inclusion, resilience, and economic empowerment.

Through these initiatives, IULM demonstrates a strong commitment to providing education and outreach activities that benefit a wide range of communities.