Sultan Qaboos University participated in the Times Higher Education Global Sustainable Development Congress 2025, held in Istanbul, Türkiye, from 16 to 19 June 2025. The event, titled “Convening the Global Sustainability Community” was held under the patronage of His Excellency Dr. Erol Özvar, President of the Turkish Council of Higher Education, and attended by senior Turkish dignitaries and vice-chancellors of leading global universities.

Representing the University at this prestigious event were members of the SQU Global Rankings Enhancement Team: Basma bint Yahya Al-Shibibi, Director of Academic Publication & Outreach at the Deanship of Research; Dhiyab bin Mohammed Al-Waail, Head of Institutional Development at the International Cooperation Office; and Shahad bint Barik Al-Rawas, International Cooperation Specialist.

SQU’s participation aimed to build bridges of collaboration with top-ranked universities featured in the Times Higher Education rankings, explore effective strategies and practices in sustainability and global university rankings, and stay abreast of the latest changes in ranking criteria. As part of this effort, the university team analysed SQU’s performance in reputation and institutional identity indicators, holding a dedicated meeting with the Regional Director for the Middle East at Times Higher Education to support the university’s strategic positioning and adapt to the rapid shifts in global academic performance metrics.

On the sidelines of the congress, a series of specialised workshops were held, addressing best practices in environmental and social sustainability, governance, and the challenges of blended and distance learning in the context of the global drive towards sustainable education. The congress also emphasised the importance of aligning higher education institutions with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and showcased leading universities’ strategies for achieving these goals.

The event also featured a university exhibition, with participation from over 170 academic institutions representing more than 90 countries. It served as a global platform for dialogue, knowledge exchange, and the strengthening of international cooperation between higher education institutions and various sectors.

During the congress, Times Higher Education announced the results of the seventh edition of the “THE Impact Rankings”. Data from 2,526 universities across 130 countries were analysed, with 2,318 institutions officially included in the rankings. This year’s edition featured 251 metrics and assessed over 220,000 documents and more than 3.7 million research outputs linked to the SDGs, reflecting a marked increase in global universities’ engagement with sustainability issues.

SQU’s participation reaffirms its ongoing commitment to supporting the SDGs, enhancing its global standing, and fostering partnerships and knowledge exchange with top international universities to advance its academic and research systems to a world-class level.