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  6. SDG 17 – Partnerships for the goals

Collaboration with NGOs for SDGs

Università IULM collaborates with leading non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to tackle the SDGs through: development of educational resources, research programmes, student volunteering programmes.
These partnerships combine academic research, creative education, and community engagement, producing replicable models of social innovation in the fields of culture, environment, and health.
Through long-term cooperation with international and national NGOs, IULM contributes to evidence-based solutions that promote inclusion, sustainability, and well-being.

PlasticFree – Civic engagement for environmental sustainability (SDGs 11, 13, 17)

In September 2024, IULM joined forces with the environmental NGO PlasticFree during the Milano Green Week, the city’s official sustainability festival.
Together, they organised a large-scale cleanup in the Affori district, involving students, staff, and local residents in removing plastic waste and promoting environmental stewardship.
The initiative — part of the City of Milan’s Green Week — raised awareness on waste reduction and circular economy, directly contributing to SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 13 (Climate Action).
PlasticFree’s participation, backed by its national record of removing over 4 million kilograms of plastic through volunteer action, made this event a model of academic–NGO collaboration for civic environmental engagement.

Moleskine Foundation – Creativity for social change (SDGs 4, 5, 10, 17)

Moleskine Foundation is an international NGO recognised by UNESCO, committed to fostering creativity for social transformation.
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. The partnership exemplifies how creative education can be leveraged as a tool for empowerment and civic participation, generating measurable outcomes in social innovation and global citizenship.

One Ocean Foundation – Ocean literacy and sustainable blue economy (SDGs 13, 14, 17)

The One Ocean Foundation (OOF) is an Italian-based NGO with ECOSOC consultative status, operating globally to promote ocean literacy and the sustainable blue economy.
IULM and OOF have collaborated on communication for sustainability through joint seminars, corporate engagement initiatives, and research dissemination.
The partnership contributes to the development of best practices for ocean governance communication, reinforcing the link between scientific literacy, business responsibility, and global environmental policy.

AVIS – Health prevention and community well-being (SDGs 3, 10, 17)

Every year, IULM hosts a blood donation day on campus in collaboration with AVIS. In 2024 the initiative takes place within Transfusiasm, the national event promoted together with AVIS and La Rete di Tutti to encourage solidarity and raise awareness about the value of blood donation among students, translators and interpreters. On 16 October 2024, a mobile AVIS unit will be available on the Milan campus from 8:30 to 11:45, and a second unit will be present in Rome at Eur-Fermi from 8:00 to 11:30. Inspired by the Joyce-coined neologism “Transfusiasm,” the event symbolically connects the act of transfusion with the cultural exchange between author and translator, celebrating a simple but life-saving gesture open to everyone.

Through these structured and outcome-oriented collaborations with Moleskine Foundation, One Ocean Foundation, AVIS and PlasticFree, Università IULM demonstrates the transformative role of universities as co-creators of sustainability impact with civil-society organisations.
Together, these partnerships:

  • reach diverse beneficiary groups (youth, women, citizens, corporate stakeholders);
  • combine scientific knowledge and creative methods for social and environmental innovation;
  • and produce evidence-based frameworks that strengthen progress toward SDGs 3, 4, 10, 11, 13, 14, and 17.

IULM’s approach exemplifies how academic–NGO collaboration can translate research and education into measurable, replicable best practices for sustainable development.