TU Dublin secures place in Top 100 globally for SDG 7 and 13 in THE Impact Rankings 2025
As part of The Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2025, TU Dublin has ranked in the Top 100 universities globally for contribution on two of the 17 United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The (THE) Impact Rankings ranks universities around the world based on their progress towards the UN SDGs.
Participation in the rankings saw an increase of 17% up from 2024, widening the global league table. TU Dublin maintained their overall Impact Ranking rank in the top 201-300 category against 2,526 universities from 130 countries or territories with 79.5 points - a score that is ranked from an average of the last two years’ total scores. TU Dublin ranks in 6th place nationally against eight participating Irish universities.
- Rank 52 globally and 1st place in Ireland - SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
- Rank 57 globally and 1st place in Ireland - SDG 13: Climate Action
The (THE) Impact Rankings
The THE Impact Rankings measure the contribution of participating universities to the UN SDGs using calibrated indicators to provide comparisons across four broad areas: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching. The methodology for the overall Impact Rankings integrates scores across multiple SDGs to reflect the overall performance and impact from a university. Each participating university is scored on SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, to assess efforts in fostering robust international partnerships and cooperation for achieving all SDGs. The rankings consider the three top scoring SDGs for each university, acknowledging areas of strongest impact and contribution to sustainable development.
Review the results in full detail
TU Dublin pioneers a transition to affordable clean energy with innovative decarbonisation projects
Entering in the top 100 position for the first time, TU Dublin came in at an impressive 52nd place globally for Affordable and Clean Energy, reflecting the University's commitment to developing several major innovative decarbonisation projects. This score was ranked against 1181 other universities from 130 countries or territories - a 20% increase in participation from other universities for this category. This impressive score is a significant increase from the Universities 2024 ranking where TU Dublin had previous scored within the top 200-300 out of 987 other universities.
In a bold step towards a carbon-neutral future, TU Dublin has invested in three major decarbonisation projects.
The district heating (DH) system at the Tallaght campus is Ireland's first low-carbon sourced DH system, and is part of an innovative, low-carbon initiative led by South Dublin County Council (SDCC) with the assistance of the Dublin energy agency, Codema. In 2023, the DH system is connected to the HeatWorks district heating system, an innovative network that captures waste heat from a nearby Amazon data centre. This first-of-its-kind initiative in Ireland prevented over 800 tonnes of carbon emissions in 2023 alone and is setting the stage for similar transformations across all TU Dublin campuses.
Building on this momentum, the university secured over €5.4 million in funding in 2024 to drill Ireland’s first deep geothermal exploratory borehole at the Grangegorman campus, as part of the visionary cross-border GEMINI project funded by the PEACEPLUS programme.
Launched in January 2024, the HEA-funded project 'Towards a Sustainable University Campus' is driving transformative change across TU Dublin. From smart metering and digital twins to a digital living laboratory, the Sustainability Intelligence team is pioneering a scalable, intelligent infrastructure that supports sustainability in education, research, and daily operations.
TU Dublin’s leadership in clean energy was further recognised with a Highly Commended award at the prestigious The Alliance for Leadership in Education (EAUC) Green Gown Awards for its pioneering approach to district heating.
With funding secured to design geothermal and retrofit solutions in Grangegorman and Blanchardstown campuses, and a growing culture of sustainability through initiatives like My Green Lab, now with ten accreditations, the university is not just reducing emissions; it’s reimagining what a sustainable campus can be.
Fostering responsible global citizenship among our people.
TU Dublin is leading the charge on climate action through a bold, community-driven approach that empowers students, staff, and partners to shape a more sustainable future. For a fourth year running TU Dublin secures its place in the top 100 for Climate action. Ranking 57th place globally, this steadfast achievement reflects TU Dublin's commitment to taking urgent climate action towards achieving carbon neutrality across the University and its operations, and for its efforts to foster responsible global citizenship among our people. This score was ranked against 1093 other universities from 130 countries or territories - with the category seeing an increase of 18% in participation from other universities.
From launching the first Green-Campus Open Call and hosting two national climate summits, to embedding sustainability in teaching, research, and operations, the University has mobilised over €7 million in external funding and engaged more than 14,000 participants in 145+ events in 2024 alone. With pioneering initiatives like Climate Action Leadership Training, micro-grants for Green-Campus projects, and an engaging annual Green Week and Climate Action Week, TU Dublin is working to develop responsible global citizens.
Performance on the SDGs
TU Dublin also performed well on SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG 1: No Poverty, each of which ranked within the top 101-200 universities globally.
Continuing our commitment to sustainability
TU Dublin commits to take urgent climate action to achieve carbon neutrality across its operations, foster societal resilience through an inclusive and inspiring education model, develop open research and innovation, and enhance citizen agency at all levels for positive change.
In September 2025, TU Dublin published its fourth iteration of their Climate Action Roadmap, which sets out a timeline to reduce the Universities greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 and to increase energy efficiency by 50% by 2030.
TU Dublin welcomes the 2026 phase of the THE Impact Rankings where we will continue to advance our strongest performing goals and aspire to perform higher across more SDG categories.