On March 10, Okayama University held the President Award Ceremony at the 50th Anniversary Hall. The President Award was established by the SDGs Promotion Headquarters to honor on-campus initiatives that contribute to the advancement of the SDGs and recognizes four categories: education, research, improving workplace environment and student groups. After receiving a total of 25 applications, 4 groups were awarded the top prize in each category and 12 groups received consolation prizes in recognition of their work.

The top prizes were awarded to the following groups: the Faculty of Agriculture for their practice-based SDGs-orientated educational program focusing on “glocal” development and regional cooperation, Okayama prefecture’s COVID-19 cluster Intervention Team (OCIT) for their prevention measures against infection, Okayama University’s Table For Two (TFT) for their ongoing food initiatives and SHARE&CHILL!! for supporting Japanese language education and cultural exchange among Vietnamese technical intern trainees. At the ceremony, President MAKINO Hirofumi briefly outlined the work that has been done on campus over the past 4 years to promote the SDGs and commented that he hoped this award would raise awareness of the various initiatives so that they could act as catalysts for future activities.

After the ceremony, the winning groups participated in a round-table conference with President Makino, Executive Director for Planning and General Affairs TAKAHASHI Kayo and Vice Executive Director in charge of SDGs promotion KANO Mitsunobu, among others, to discuss their relative projects in more detail, including what inspired them to establish their initiatives and how they planned to expand their activities in the future. Many noted the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced them to promote their activities in unconventional ways by holding online events or other creative methods. The conference allowed not only the members of the winning groups but also members of the university and surrounding community to participate in a meaningful discussion on how to further promote the SDGs. In conclusion, Vice Executive Director Kano expressed his strong desire for the groups to expand their projects, remarking that he hoped the various initiatives would continue to reflect the unique characteristics of Okayama even as they spread across the country.

As a research university promoting the SDGs, Okayama University will continue to support the growth of on-campus initiatives with goals in line with the SDGs in order to increase awareness of and enthusiasm for sustainable lifestyles.

○Click here for an outline of the awarding groups and their efforts.