Contribución de las instituciones de educación superior a los objetivos del desarrollo sostenible en Iberoamérica

Abstract

This monograph aims to understand the contribution of Ibero-American Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), based on the relationship between institutional goals and research related to the SDGs. Three subregions were established: 1) Brazil; 2) Spanish-speaking South America; and 3) Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean. The selected research was published between 2015 and 2024 in journals ranked in Scimago’s quartiles 1 and 2, while the institutional goals were found in the development plans of the HEIs. The implemented methodology consists of five stages: retrieval, migration, categorization, representation, and analysis. In all three subregions, the most referenced SDGs within the development plans were SDG 4, SDG 10, and SDG 16. On the other hand, in the research from Brazil, as well as in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, the SDGs most associated with the research were SDG 9, SDG 13, SDG 14, and SDG 15, with the latter showing the highest percentage. In Spanish-speaking South America, higher values were observed in SDG 7, SDG 9, and SDG 12. Differences were observed between the SDGs linked to the research and the institutional goals, which, according to the literature, may be caused by the interrelationship and overlap between the SDGs. It is concluded that institutional goals correspond to the guidelines that HEIs must follow to contribute to the SDGs; that both in Brazil and in Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, the research primarily addresses environmental and biodiversity issues; while in Spanish-speaking South America, the research aligns with social prosperity, quality of life improvement, and renewable energy sources.