Universities for Goal 13
Sponsored by Siemens Energy, a global leader in renewable energy, and in collaboration with the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), ‘Universities for Goal 13’ is an annual competition and award to recognize students’ talent and their critical role in the quest of new technology and innovative solutions to combat climate change and its impacts. We aim to foster practical solutions for achieving SDG 13 on Climate Action, from multi-disciplinary perspectives and in a collaborative way.
4th Edition (2024)
The competition's 4th edition empowers students to develop multidisciplinary, practical solutions to address the global issue of the energy transition. Selected SDSN member institutions include: Tsinghua University in China; Case Western Reserve University in the U.S.A., Monash University in Australia; the Bucharest University of Economic Studies in Romania; Euskampus Fundazioa in Spain, University of Hamburg in Germany; and the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) in Brazil, winners of the last edition.
Read the Competition Brief 2024-2025
Read the Rules and Guidelines (4th Edition)
3rd Edition (2023)
For the third edition, students were challenged to propose solutions that addressed the environmental, social, and economic aspects on the deployment of renewable energy infrastructures. Selected SDSN member institutions were: Tsinghua University in China, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Case Western Reserve University in the U.S.A., Monash University in Australia and the University of Southampton in the UK. Read about the finalists' projects.
The winner of the 2024 competition was announced on September 21, 2024. Watch the 2024 solutions.
2nd Edition (2022)
In the second edition, six universities from SDSN’s Network around the world were selected to participate: Tsinghua University, China jointly with the Chinese University of Hong Kong; the Nelson Mandela University, South Africa; University of Göttingen, Germany; the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Case Western Reserve University, United States. The winner of the 2023 competition was E-Gora: The Energy Marketplace by students from CWRU led by prof. Grant Goodrich.
1st edition (2021)
For the first edition, five institutions selected from SDSN’s network and 15 teams participated in the competition: the Institute for SDGs of Tsinghua University (host institution of SDSN China Hub), the University of Pretoria in South Africa (host of SDSN South Africa), the University of Göttingen in Germany, the Pontifical University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, and Arizona State University in the United States of America. The winning solution of the 2021 edition was “Byte Rainforest: A new pathway to realize the intangible value of tropical rainforest” developed by students from Tsinghua University. Read more about this solution and the finalists’ projects.
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FAQ
What is Universities for Goal 13?
An annual competition and award to recognize students’ talent and their critical role in creating solutions for achieving SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Who can participate?
Open to undergraduate and graduate students from universities of the SDSN global network who have been selected to participate. You can check if your university has been selected in the information about the ongoing edition.
How can I join?
If your university has been selected to participate in the competition, you will need to submit the Application Forms to the university focal point by mid December. If you wish to contact your university’s focal point, you can see their contact in the information about the ongoing edition.
What are the benefits for the students?
Selected teams will benefit from mentorship given by staff from Siemens Energy, with experience in engineering, finance, compliance or project management. The winner will be awarded with a USD 10,000 cash prize, and opportunities for further development and networking. All teams receive a certificate of participation.
What is the timeline of the competition?
The competition runs from the end of September in one year and concludes in September of the following year.
Do I get a certificate?
Yes, all participants receive a certificate upon completion of the competition and upon demand.