17.2 Relationships to Support the Goals
17.2.1 Relationships with NGOs and Government for SDG Policy
17.2.2 Cross Sectoral Dialogue About SDGs
17.2.3 International Collaboration Data Gathering for SDGs
17.2.4 Collaboration for SDG Best Practice
17.2.5 Collaboration with NGOs for SDGs
17.3 SDG Reports
17.4 Education for the SDGs
International Collaboration on SDG Data and Research
Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) is deeply committed to advancing the United Nations 2030 Agenda through active participation in international collaborations focused on data collection, research, and analysis related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In alignment with SDG 17.2.3, GUST works alongside global academic institutions, research networks, and development organizations to generate and share reliable data that supports informed decision-making and policy development.
These collaborations strengthen the University’s role as a regional research hub contributing to evidence-based approaches to sustainability. By engaging in cross-border projects, faculty-led studies, and conferences centered on measuring SDG progress, GUST helps bridge the gap between research and real-world implementation.
Through its international partnerships, GUST not only enhances the quality and accessibility of sustainability-related data but also contributes to building global capacity for SDG monitoring and evaluation. This ongoing commitment reflects the University’s belief that accurate, transparent, and shared data is essential for driving sustainable change and ensuring accountability in achieving the SDGs.
Sustainability and Economic Development Conference
As part of GUST’s ongoing strategic commitment to advancing sustainability research and data-driven dialogue, the University hosted the “Sustainability and Economic Development: Pathways to a Sustainable Future” conference in February 2024, sponsored by Porsche Centre Kuwait. The event brought together local and international experts, economists, and sustainability advocates to discuss how nations can achieve economic growth while ensuring environmental preservation and social well-being.
Through multiple sessions, keynote presentations, and expert panels, participants explored evidence-based approaches to sustainable economic development, sharing insights and data on global and regional progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The conference fostered a collaborative platform for knowledge exchange, research dissemination, and policy-oriented discussion, strengthening GUST’s role as a national hub for international cooperation on sustainability research and SDG data analysis.
By uniting academia, industry, and international stakeholders, this initiative directly supports SDG 17.2.3 by promoting the collection, sharing, and application of sustainability data to inform real-world policies and drive meaningful progress toward a more resilient and sustainable future.
Seminar on Digital Transformation and Climate Strategies
The Center for Sustainable Development (CSD) at Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) was honored to host Professor Effie Kesidou, Chair in Economics of Innovation and Sustainability at the University of Leeds Business School, for an engaging seminar in 2025 titled “Digital Capabilities for Firms’ Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Responses: Evidence from an International Study.”
This seminar directly contributed to SDG 17.2.3, as it represented a meaningful international academic collaboration focused on the use of global datasets and research evidence to analyze how digital transformation enhances firms’ ability to respond to climate challenges. Drawing on cross-country data, Professor Kesidou’s research demonstrated how innovation and technological capacity play vital roles in supporting climate mitigation and adaptation strategies worldwide.
The event fostered research dialogue and data exchange between GUST and the University of Leeds, reinforcing GUST’s commitment to advancing sustainability-focused research and global academic cooperation. By facilitating discussions on the intersection of technology, climate resilience, and sustainable development, this collaboration strengthened GUST’s position as an active contributor to the international exchange of knowledge and data supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
International collaboration on gathering & measuring SDG data
The collaboration map highlights GUST’s international academic partnerships that directly support SDG 17.2.3 by facilitating shared research, exchange of scientific data, and global collaboration on SDG-related measurement. Through MoUs with institutions such as the University of Paris-Saclay, University of Jena, UC San Diego, University of Liverpool, NTUT Taiwan, and German Jordanian University, GUST engages in joint research projects, co-authored studies, and scientific knowledge exchange across borders. Many of these agreements include explicit commitments to collaborative research facilities, joint conferences, and shared data resources, enabling GUST faculty and students to participate in global efforts to collect, analyze, and utilize data related to the Sustainable Development Goals. These partnerships strengthen GUST’s capacity for international SDG research, comparative analysis, and evidence-based sustainability innovations, fulfilling the intent of SDG 17.2.3.
GUST and Northwestern Collaborate in New Scientific Breakthrough
In a scientific collaboration between Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST) and Northwestern University, one of the top private research institutions in the US, research teams from both universities have reached a new scientific breakthrough in the fields of surface science and nanotechnology. This unprecedented breakthrough holds promise for numerous applications, including energy storage.
This partnership, which came through GUST’s Functional Materials Group Research Center, led by Vice President of Academic Affairs Prof. Bassam Alameddine, and Northwestern University’s International Institute for Nanotechnology, directed by Prof. Omar Farha, resulted in the discovery of new materials for environmental remediation and separation of gases. Their research paper on the synthesis of new porous materials with serendipitous properties was published by the American Chemical Society and found international attention and recognition.
GUST’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Prof. Bassam Alameddine, who has made the building blocks in his research laboratory at GUST, said, “Not only are these new materials promising but they are also made from cost-effective reagents and abundant elements, such as, copper, zinc, iron, and carbon. The idea stemmed in February 2020 – right before the COVID-19 pandemic – during Prof. Omar’s visit to Kuwait, and despite the severe disruptions, curfew, and travel bans resulting from the pandemic, we were able to achieve these results.”
GUST’s Prof. Alameddine also expressed his ambitions in taking this research collaboration as a foundation for the establishment of a national initiative that would allow for further technological developments and increased knowledge transfer in the field of nanotechnology locally. This would be achieved through the creation of a research center in the state of Kuwait which would include several institutes and stakeholders that would place the country at the forefront of the international efforts in tackling modern environmental and sustainable energy challenges. This comes in line with Kuwait Vision 2035 'New Kuwait’, specifically in terms of promoting the concept of knowledge economy, which aims at creating a diversified and sustainable economy through scientific research that provides successful solutions to various problems and challenges.
GUST Signs an Agreement with PAAET to Organize Cybersecurity Forum
The Center of Applied Mathematics and Bioinformatics (CAMB) at Gulf University for Science and Technology has signed a cooperation agreement with the College of Technological studies at the Public Authority for Applied Education and Training (PAAET). The agreement aimed to organize a joint forum under the title, “Cybersecurity: Challenges and solutions”, during 15th and 16th February 2023.
The event will be patronized by the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Hamad Al Adwani, and will be held at the main building of the PAAET campus in Shuwaikh.
The signing ceremony of the agreement was attended by GUST’s Acting President and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Professor Bassam Alameddine, GUST’s Chair of CAMB, Dr. Israa Omran, Director General of PAAET, Dr. Hassan Al-Fajaam, and several officials from both institutions.
Professor Bassam Alameddine, said, “we are happy to sign this agreement with the PAAET to organize this important event which will shed the light on one of the most important issue in the world of technology”. Alameddine adding that this forum is a good opportunity to share and exchange knowledge between scholars and professionals in Cybersecurity field.
The forum will discuss how to strengthen the awareness of information security among people, and encourage those interested in this field to discover the latest technologies and skills used in Cybersecurity. It will also focus on exploring new Cyber-attacks that threaten organization’s systems, and will also show how to take advantage of resources and programs to provide protection in different workplace environments.
The forum will include a technology exhibition for sponsors and public and private sector participants to show the new trends that they use to protect their systems. As well as, the event will be coupled with a student competition aiming to demonstrate their projects and ideas that provide solutions to the Cybersecurity issues.
GUST Signs Cooperation Agreement with Audencia Nantes Management School in France
As a part of the visit of H.E. the Prime Minister of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah to France to strengthen Franco-Kuwaiti projects, Dr. Salah Al-Sharhan, Vice President for Academic Affairs at GUST, signed a Cooperation Agreement with Audencia Nantes Management School (ANMS)*, represented by its Dean and Director General, Dr. Frank Vidal. Present at the signing were H.E. the Finance Minister of Kuwait, Mr. Anas Al-Saleh, and H.E. the Finance Minister of France, Mr. Michel Sapin, and the Kuwaiti Ambassador to France, H.E. Sami Al-Suleiman, and the French Ambassador to Kuwait, H.E. Christian Nakhlah.
The agreement forges close academic ties between the two institutions to enhance collaborative research, encourage faculty and student exchange, and to cooperate together in organizing courses and conferences between GUST and ANMS in the future.
GUST and UCSD sign MOU
Gulf University for Science and Technology (GUST), Kuwait’s
premier private university today announced an agreement with the University of
California San Diego (UCSD) that will offer students a third university to
choose from when electing to go on a summer scholarship, offer student exchange
opportunities, and allow GUST professors to explore international research
collaborations. The new agreement comes
into effect immediately, with the first batch of GUST students expected to head
to San Diego next summer.
The newly forged
partnership comes to fruition after months of negotiation, and the decision to
work closely together will prove to be mutually beneficial, as GUST moves
closer to its goal of increasing its academic research output and footprint
locally and internationally. Currently, UCSD is ranked as the 17th best
university in the world by U.S. News and World Report, and the 5th best public
university in the United States for research, global and regional reputation,
international collaboration, number of highly-cited papers, and doctorate
degrees awarded.
GUST’s Vice President of Academic Affairs, Professor Ali Ansari, said, “GUST’s international footprint is impressive for its age and stature. We were founded in 2002, and currently rank 49th in the Arab region according to, Quacquarelli Symonds (QS), out of almost 1000 institutions. What’s more, we maintain a number of professional relationships with universities across the globe such as the National University of Singapore, Swansea University, ESC Rennes in France, and Sun Yat Sen University in Guangzhou, China. With this new agreement, our portfolio of collaboration not only grows, but we become better equipped to improve, offer curricula of a higher standard, and make GUST a more well-rounded place to study and work.”
This new agreement expands the choices available to GUST students to experience university life abroad. Each year, the university offers its students a limited number of competitive summer scholarships to enrich their academic experience through international study. GUST’s summer scholarships are open to all students from both the College of Arts & Sciences and the College of Business Administration that fulfill the eligibility requirements. The scholarships include tuition, a round trip economy class ticket to the United States, and a support allowance. Since 2006, a total of 105 students were granted a Summer Scholarship to attend the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and George Washington University, and previously Florida International University, and University of Dubai.
Further to this, GUST provides a limited number of faculty fellowships for research and development during the summer. They are available to all GUST faculty on an equal opportunity basis. Since 2006, a total of 63 faculty members were granted fellowships to conduct collaborative research projects with their peer researchers; 45 to the University of Missouri - St. Louis, 11 to Florida International University, two to the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, and one to each of Cambridge University, Oxford University, Derby University, London School of Economics, and the University of Queensland.
