UCL to tackle UN SDGs as part of global Reach Alliance

UCL has joined the Reach Alliance, a research initiative based at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy aimed at addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Along with Tecnológico de Monterrey, Mexico and University of Oxford, UCL is one of the first three international partners to join the Alliance, which will eventually expand to a total of six top universities around the world by 2022. 

The Reach Alliance is a student-driven, faculty-mentored research and leadership initiative examining how critical interventions and innovations affect those who are the hardest to reach: those living in extreme poverty, the geographically remote, administratively invisible and marginalised. 

The three UCL mentors are Dr Sara Hillman (Population Health Sciences), Dr Sarah-Louise Quinnell (Engineering), and Dr Kate Roll (Bartlett). They will work together with top student researchers to investigate pressing global challenges and draw actionable insights on how to achieve the SDGs.

Professor Joseph Wong, U of T’s Vice-President, International and founder of the Reach Alliance, said: “We have much to learn from our colleagues at the University of Oxford, Tecnológico de Monterrey and UCL. This appetite for collaboration will guide us as we continue to scale the Reach Alliance internationally.”

U of T will serve as the global headquarters of the Alliance, which was awarded a multi-year grant in 2020 from the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth to build the network and expand Reach’s model internationally.  

UCL and the University of Toronto have worked in close partnership for several years. Earlier this year, in the fourth annual seed funding call from the two institutions, six joint projects were awarded funding for collaborative activities that address COVID-19 challenges.

Clément Leroy, UCL's Senior Partnership Manager (Americas), said: "At UCL and U of T, we aim to solve global challenges together through our strategic partnership. The Reach Alliance is an amazing opportunity for our students to participate in this endeavour and will bring even closer our academic communities.”

More information

• The Reach Alliance
• Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth
• Reach Alliance, first launched at U of T, expands to three universities outside Canada (U of T News)
• Saïd Business School joins the Reach Alliance (Saïd Business School, Oxford University News)
• Dr Sara Hillman academic profile
• Dr Sarah-Louise Quinnell academic profile
• Dr Kate Roll academic profile
• UCL-University of Toronto Strategic Partner Funds 2020/21 recipients

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