In 2022, Nova SBE invested 3.85 million Euros in 14 new research projects; developed 156 works; published 120 articles and involved a community of 6000 people committed to a project with impact, towards a sustainable future.
The 4th edition of the Nova SBE Road to Impact is now available. The document, which aggregates the annual history of the activity inherent to the school's sustainability journey and includes - for the second consecutive year - the summary of the most relevant research projects and studies developed by the Nova SBE Knowledge Centers and Labs, showcases the school's performance on the path to sustainability and impact on the lives of people and society.
The Road to Impact Report describes the school's contribution towards socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable economic progress and evaluates the community's intervention according to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) defined by the United Nations.
With a structure inspired by the PRME Principles (Principles for Responsible Management Education), the Report is structured according to the four major areas of action of Nova SBE - Continuous Learning; Research & Knowledge; Social Transformation and Organizational Sustainability.
Continuous Learning
In what is one of its founding principles, access to education, Nova SBE has reinforced its conviction that socioeconomic status should not limit the academic potential of any student. Therefore, there was a strong bet in this area - In all, 380 scholarships were awarded in 2022 to Bachelor’s and Master’s students, with a total value of 2,1 Million euros, ensuring unequivocal support in their academic performance.
Within the scope of Continuous Learning, Nova SBE applies the SDGs as a universal language and, with this, has mapped all programs related to the SDGs, assessing how subjects contribute to sustainable development and creating new programs or educational initiatives that are 100% focused on the dissemination of knowledge and results regarding the SDGs.
To form global, responsible citizens with the future skills that the world requires, Nova SBE integrates into its educational offer numerous subjects related to the SDGs:
- Bachelor’s - 21 subjects
- Master's - 96 subjects
- PhD - 9 subjects
- Executive Education - 39 programs
The impact of Continuous Learning at Nova SBE can be read here.
Research & Knowledge
The excellence of Nova SBE's academic programs is invariably related to the quality of the national and international faculty and researchers. They are the ones who provide innovative knowledge on sustainable challenges to the academic community, policy makers, managers and leaders, in 3 key areas: economics, finance and management.
Currently, the Nova SBE Research Unit has 30 full-time Professors, 24 Associate Professors, 41 Assistant Professors, 23 Researchers (Postdoctoral and collaborators) and 82 PhD Students working in Economics (46%), Finance (15%) and Management (39%).
In the field of Research & Knowledge, several projects have been developed by Nova SBE's researchers. Of special mention is the study The global impact of coastal water contamination on economic Development, by Nova SBE professor Alex Armand, which brought to Portugal the first ERC in economics (European Research Council) grant; EQUALNovaERA, Nova SBE's most recent ERA Chair, which positions the school as a European reference in inequality research; and the renewal of the partnership with the "la Caixa" Foundation and BPI, Social Equity Initiative, until 2024.
The complete list of Nova SBE's impact in Research & Knowledge can be read here.
Societal Transformation
Nova SBE's social impact is multiplied through the continuous involvement of its community, which includes the Student Clubs, Staff, Faculty, Academic Institutes, and Corporate and Institutional Partners.
Nova SBE has 36 Student Clubs, of which at least 16 have activities related to the SDGs. This academic community has been responsible for more than 40 pro bono consulting projects developed for non-profit and hybrid organizations. In addition, more than 50 initiatives promoted by Student Clubs were launched to the community - opinion articles, events, and podcasts.
Moving on to the two Nova SBE Institutes, the Nova SBE Haddad Entrepreneurship Institute had more than 120 startups participating in initiatives in 2022. We highlight the inauguration of the Institute's coworking space, which is currently a meeting place for students, startups, mentors, researchers, and investors. The Nova SBE Westmont Institute of Tourism & Hospitality had 59 students enrolled in the Hospitality & Service Management Area of Expertise of the Master's in Management. In the same year, the Institute was a finalist in the Tourism Training Awards in Portugal, in the Best Educational Project category, with the 'Tourism Forum' initiative.
Finally, regarding Academic Partnerships, we highlight the partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, which materialized in the Paradigm Shift program (which encourages leaders from different sectors to bring sustainability to the center of organizational dialogue and action), in the launch of a new Master's in Impact Entrepreneurship & Innovation, in the development of academic research, and in the scholarship offer to students, SMEs, and social organizations.
Learn more about Nova SBE's Societal Transformation process in 2022 here.
Organizational Sustainability
As an organization that seeks to lead, inspire and be an example, Nova SBE believes, above all, that transformation must come from within. Following a 'Walk the Talk’ approach, there were several initiatives that, internally and externally, contributed toward the SDG Journey, which began in 2018, when Nova SBE moved to the Carcavelos Campus.
In 2022, Nova joined the Positive Impact Rating (PIR), an international ranking that classifies business schools according to the students' perspective on the efforts they make to become sustainable schools with a positive impact. In this rating, which evaluates seven relevant dimensions of impact through responses to student surveys, Nova SBE was classified with "Level 4" (out of 5), which indicates it is in the "Transforming School" level.
At the academic level, we highlight the mapping of the syllabus of all academic courses to verify the existence of at least one SDG; as well as the mapping of the research carried out by faculty members regarding the 2030 Agenda and the development of the Nova SBE Impact Model to assess the school's contribution to sustainable development and promote a call to action through Nova SBE Role to Play. In parallel with all these initiatives, several workshops and training sessions on SDGs were developed for Nova SBE staff.
Finally, at the institutional level, the school has strengthened its commitment to numerous partners: renewed the PRME partnership until 2025, initiated partnerships with the Association of Responsible Business (GRACE), for the creation and sharing of knowledge related to volunteering and with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to contribute and improve the circular economy, and carried out, with the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC), an individual assessment to diagnose the current state of Nova SBE according to the four areas that the UNGC most values.
Learn more about Nova SBE's Organizational Sustainability policy here.