CUHK Faculty of Social Science - University Sustainability Index Launch

"Institutional social responsibilities and sustainability" has been listed as one of the key performance indicators in the University Grants Committee (UGC) University Accountability Agreement, reflecting the importance placed on the role of higher education institutions in advancing sustainable development. Committed to advancing university sustainability, the Faculty of Social Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), led by the Faculty and undertaken jointly by the Public Policy Research Centre (PPRC) and the Centre for Business Sustainability (CBS), released Hong Kong's first systematic global University Sustainability Index (USI). The research was led by Prof. Carlos Wing Hung LO, Director of the Public Policy Research Centre at CUHK, and conducted a holistic assessment of the social responsibility and sustainability performance of 151 universities worldwide, with the aim of driving continuous improvement in university social responsibility (USR) performance.

While Europe and the Americas pioneered the promotion of USR, Asian tertiary institutions stood out notably in this assessment, nearly half of the universities ranked in the "Global Top 20" were from Asia, including 3 from Hong Kong. Overall, global universities recorded relatively weaker scores in the "Practice" and "Impact" dimensions, reflecting that the implementation of social responsibility among universities was still in a developing stage.

Driving Universities From Theory to Practice, Quantifying Social Responsibility in University Sustainability

USI aimed to encourage higher education institutions to adopt USR as a core management model of sustainable development. Through establishing benchmarks for regional and international references, supporting institutions in seeking continuous improvement on their practices, encouraging the transparency of relevant information, and tracking and recognizing institutions with excellent sustainability performance. The USI aspired to transform theory into practice, break the ivory tower image of academia, and build a bridge between universities and society.

Prof. LO stated, "The value of this research lies in breaking the perception that academia is disconnected from the real world, building a bridge between universities and society, and translating abstract academic theories into concrete social practices. Through the assessment model we have developed, we quantify and explicitly define universities' substantive contributions to sustainable social development beyond pure academic research, allowing higher education institutions to better understand how to take concrete action toward social change, while also providing policymakers with objective data reference."

Building on the team's ongoing research into USR in higher education institutions, including a series of preliminary assessments conducted between 2016 and 2022, the research team published the first Greater China University Sustainability Index in 2023, and expanded the scope of assessment to cover global and Asia-Pacific universities this time. The research team applied the "Value-Process-Impact" (VPI) framework, which was grounded in USR performance, as the assessment model. It used data to quantify the USR practices of 151 universities globally# across seven key stakeholder groups, including Student, Employee, Communities, Environment, Government/Funding Bodies, Peer Universities, and Suppliers, thereby providing a comprehensive measurement of each institution's sustainability performance. The index integrated annual reports and sustainability-related materials publicly published by institutions, invited assessed universities to complete questionnaires, and engaged SGSHK, a third-party body, to conduct sample verification of the assessments.*

#The three sub-indices collectively covered 151 universities, some universities were included in more than one sub-index.

*For the Index methodology, please refer to the Appendix.

USI comprised three regional indices, with the following selection criteria for assessed institutions:

• Global USI: 113 institutions selected from the top 150 of the QS World University Rankings 2024, with the availability of USR, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), and sustainability data in English or Chinese as the exclusion clause
• Asia-Pacific USI: Comprised of 58 member institutions of the Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU)
• Greater China USI: Comprised of 30 institutions, including all 8 UGC-funded institutions in Hong Kong

Global Universities Excelled in Value and Management, Room to Grow in Practice and Impact

The 2025 results showed that, across the dimensions of the VPI framework#, the "Value" dimension achieved the highest scores, followed by "Management," while "Practice" and "Impact" recorded relatively lower scores. From a regional perspective, Oceanian institutions achieved the highest overall scores, followed by Europe. Among universities ranked in the "Global Top 20," nearly half were from Asia, including 3 from Hong Kong.

#Under the VPI framework, the "Process" dimension was subdivided into "Management" and "Practice".

Prof. LO noted, "USR was first promoted by Europe and the Americas. However, based on the results of this assessment, while Asia started promoting USR later than Europe and the Americas, its level of engagement and performance at this stage improved considerably and even placed it among the top performers, reflecting the emphasis of Asia's higher education community on sustainable development and its proactive implementation."

The research findings also indicated that global universities showed weaker performance in the "Practice" and "Impact" dimensions, reflecting that the implementation of social responsibility among universities was still in a transitional stage of development. However, patterns and priorities have emerged across the VPI dimensions. "Students" and "Environment" are most valued by universities in the "Practice" dimension, while in the "Impact" dimension, institutions across the Global, Asia-Pacific, and Greater China indices placed the greatest emphasis on "Peer Universities". Prof. LO believed that the value of a university should not be measured only by its academic research performance. Universities should also give duly attention and responsibility to various stakeholders to further advance sustainable development in society.

Bringing Scholars Together, Building an International Network for University Sustainability

Prof. LO stated that if Hong Kong institutions strengthened their efforts in the "Practice" and "Impact" dimensions, their overall performance had the potential to improve further. The research team would consider sharing the results with the UGC and relevant government departments, and proposed evidence-based recommendations to promote sustainable development among universities in Hong Kong and make an impactful contribution to social progress.

The research team established an International Advisory Committee, comprising senior scholars from Asia Pacific, Europe, North America, and other regions. The Committee's functions included reviewing and providing recommendations on the research methodology, data, and findings, serving as a bridge between the research team and institutional stakeholders and assisting in engaging sustainability departments in data collection. Members also regularly attended Committee meetings and related events, assisted in drafting research reports, and promoted the USI through their respective institutions to enhance its international influence.

The USI will be compiled annually to continuously track the progress of institutions across the various dimensions of sustainable development. The research team will hold a forum on USR and sustainability in the second half of this year, inviting relevant stakeholders to share practical experiences and research findings through thematic speeches and panel discussions. Representatives from assessed institutions will also be invited to attend, with the aim of fostering exchange and collaboration on sustainable development within the higher education community.

Through a cross-regional academic network, the research team not only encouraged universities worldwide to more actively fulfill their social responsibilities, but also quantified universities' substantive contributions to social progress beyond academic research. Prof. LO hoped that the project would help universities clearly define their role in sustainable development, while providing policymakers with objective data to drive higher education institutions to become driving force for social change, thereby benefiting society.

High-resolution photo and press releases HERE
The full report and results HERE

Appendix: USI Methodology

Compilation of the University Sustainability Index:

1. Annual USR performance assessment, which reflects the performance for the most recent calendar year with available information
2. Builds on the VPI model, which provides a comprehensive assessment framework focusing on the Value-Process-Impact cycle of institutions
3. Stakeholder perspective, which includes the evaluation of USR practices towards 7 key stakeholder groups, including Student, Employee, Peer Universities, Communities, Environment, Government/Funding Bodies, and Suppliers
4. Open information with validation, which relies on publicly available information disclosed in the university's ESG/CSR/sustainability report/official website

Prudence Measures:

1. Invited by email to individual index universities to complete a questionnaire on the University Sustainability Index platform
2. Index universities concerned were requested to review the questionnaire completed by our researchers on data accuracy and provide supplementary information
3. Sampling check and audit were conducted by the SGS HK after initial assessment scores for individual index universities were compiled
4. All assessment scores and rankings were reviewed and hence endorsed by an International Advisory Committee

Disclaimer: The scores for individual index universities are calculated using the VPI assessment model based on publicly available information and data related to sustainability/social responsibility of the index university concerned. Thus, the accuracy of the index depends on the sufficiency and accuracy of the publicly available information and data from each index university.
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CUHK Faculty of Social Science 

The Faculty of Social Science at The Chinese University of Hong Kong is dedicated to education, research, and community engagement across diverse disciplines, including Architecture, Urban Studies, Economics, Geography and Resource Management, Governance and Policy Science, Journalism and Communication, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, and Gender Studies. Through actively promoting professional, interdisciplinary research, the Faculty fosters knowledge transfer and strengthens societal connections, contributing to social advancement.

Faculty Website: https://socsc.cuhk.edu.hk/