This five-year project examines the connections between SDGs and their impact on sustainable development.
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) center at Nazarbayev University (NU) will work on the SDG Nexus Network Project in collaboration with the Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU) Justus Liebig University (Giessen, Germany). The project was made possible thanks to the funding support from DAAD’s ‘Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation – Exceed’ program. This five-year project is dedicated to investigating complex interactions between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their implications for sustainable development pathways. Along with other 6 core partner universities from Latin America, Central Asia, and Germany, Nazarbayev University will receive direct funding to lead research initiatives.
The SDGnexus Network, consisting of partners from Germany, Colombia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, will provide a common research framework related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Following a successful first phase from 2020-2024, the SDGnexus Network will intensify its activities in a second phase 2025-2029. The research concentrates on examining the relationships between individual SDGs, with particular emphasis on Land Use and Water, underpinned by themes of climate change, biodiversity, governance, and gender. A particular focus will be on promoting and connecting the next generation of researchers. Overall, the second project phase will be strengthening the network of people and network of institutions for sustainable development by conducting excellent interdisciplinary research on the SDGs and communicating and transferring knowledge beyond the network.
The announcement of the grant award is a result of a fruitful collaboration between Nazarbayev University and Justus Liebig University, which started in 2022 and continued with the signing of the MoU between the two universities in early 2024. Since then, the universities facilitated faculty exchanges, while researchers jointly organized conferences, and participated in various collaborative initiatives. For the SDG Nexus Network project, SDSN Co-Chair and NU GSPP Associate Professor Serik Orazgaliyev will be a co-PI from the Kazakhstani side. To assemble a research team for the project, SDSN Kazakhstan already announced two job openings: Postdoctoral Researcher and Research Staff. Details can be found here.
For reference: Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Kazakhstan is a national chapter of the UN SDSN, established in June 2022 at the Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University. SDSN is a global initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012 to mobilize scientific and technological expertise to address sustainable development challenges and advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, SDSN Kazakhstan includes 24 members from leading universities and research centers across the country. Together, these members aim to promote sustainable development solutions, support education and research collaborations on the SDGs, and offer research-based policy recommendations to tackle sustainability challenges in Kazakhstan. The network’s research priorities include: Energy and Climate; Education and Partnerships; and Water, Land, and Communities. More information about SDSN Kazakhstan can be found at www.sdsnkz.nu.edu.kz.
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) center at Nazarbayev University (NU) will work on the SDG Nexus Network Project in collaboration with the Centre for International Development and Environmental Research (ZEU) Justus Liebig University (Giessen, Germany). The project was made possible thanks to the funding support from DAAD’s ‘Higher Education Excellence in Development Cooperation – Exceed’ program. This five-year project is dedicated to investigating complex interactions between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their implications for sustainable development pathways. Along with other 6 core partner universities from Latin America, Central Asia, and Germany, Nazarbayev University will receive direct funding to lead research initiatives.
The SDGnexus Network, consisting of partners from Germany, Colombia, Ecuador, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan, will provide a common research framework related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Following a successful first phase from 2020-2024, the SDGnexus Network will intensify its activities in a second phase 2025-2029. The research concentrates on examining the relationships between individual SDGs, with particular emphasis on Land Use and Water, underpinned by themes of climate change, biodiversity, governance, and gender. A particular focus will be on promoting and connecting the next generation of researchers. Overall, the second project phase will be strengthening the network of people and network of institutions for sustainable development by conducting excellent interdisciplinary research on the SDGs and communicating and transferring knowledge beyond the network.
The announcement of the grant award is a result of a fruitful collaboration between Nazarbayev University and Justus Liebig University, which started in 2022 and continued with the signing of the MoU between the two universities in early 2024. Since then, the universities facilitated faculty exchanges, while researchers jointly organized conferences, and participated in various collaborative initiatives. For the SDG Nexus Network project, SDSN Co-Chair and NU GSPP Associate Professor Serik Orazgaliyev will be a co-PI from the Kazakhstani side. To assemble a research team for the project, SDSN Kazakhstan already announced two job openings: Postdoctoral Researcher and Research Staff. Details can be found here.
For reference: Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Kazakhstan is a national chapter of the UN SDSN, established in June 2022 at the Graduate School of Public Policy, Nazarbayev University. SDSN is a global initiative launched by the United Nations in 2012 to mobilize scientific and technological expertise to address sustainable development challenges and advance the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, SDSN Kazakhstan includes 24 members from leading universities and research centers across the country. Together, these members aim to promote sustainable development solutions, support education and research collaborations on the SDGs, and offer research-based policy recommendations to tackle sustainability challenges in Kazakhstan. The network’s research priorities include: Energy and Climate; Education and Partnerships; and Water, Land, and Communities. More information about SDSN Kazakhstan can be found at www.sdsnkz.nu.edu.kz.