Research program: ERASMUS+
The urgent need for action on climate change and other societal challenges has shown that knowledge alone does not lead to transformation. The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) have highlighted this gap between understanding a problem and taking meaningful steps to address it. Investing in policy tools and new technologies will not be enough without addressing the internal barriers that prevent individuals and societies from acting decisively. In response, a deeper awareness of inner-psychological, emotional, and cultural dimensions and values strengthens the capacity to work together toward sustainable solutions. Education that integrates these perspectives would enable students to connect what they learn with real-world challenges, ensuring that knowledge translates into meaningful action.
The IDG, established as a complement to the United Nations' SDGs, emphasizes the importance of developing transformative skills and capacities such as self-awareness, critical thinking, empathy, collaboration, and communication to complement external strategies and interventions on sustainable development and societal transformation. While previous frameworks prioritized structural solutions, policies, and measurable outcomes, they often overlooked the inner dimensions of sustainability and transformation for sustaining progress effectively. These inner dimensions include our individual and collective values, beliefs, worldviews and associated inner capacities.
ALIGN seeks to transform higher education by integrating inner development and associated frameworks (e.g., IDGs), principles, and tools into academic curricula, ensuring that students develop both technical expertise and essential transformative capacities and skills. The project aims to accelerate the adoption of future-ready capacities by aligning inner development goals with established academic frameworks, thus linking personal growth and educational objectives. Through pilot programs across partner institutions, hundreds of students will directly benefit, while interdisciplinary learning pathways and digital tools will ensure scalable, cost-effective implementation. A comprehensive training program will further equip educators with the skills to embed the goals & principles into teaching practices, strengthening institutional capacity. Beyond partner universities, ALIGN aspires to forge collaborative networks among educators, ensuring the long-term sustainability and replication of inner development aligned education and its lasting impact on both students and society across Europe.
Project Objectives:
- Align Inner Development Goals with Academic Frameworks: The project will integrate inner development goals into higher education by mapping relevant frameworks (e.g., IDGs) against academic models and sustainability competency standards.
- Course Pilots & Digital Learning Guide: A 9-unit digital guide will demonstrate how to embed inner development goals in academic courses, based on 7 pilots across partner institutions.
- Train Educators and Build Capacity: Educators will participate in workshops and mentorship circles, gaining hands-on experience in embedding inner development in curricula.
- Reach Thousands of Students: Inner development will be integrated into existing academic programs, impacting thousands of students.
- Ensure Wide Outreach and Impact: Dissemination events, podcasts, and visual materials will engage hundreds of educators and policymakers.
Partnership:
- Lund University (Sweden)
- University of Amsterdam (The Netherlands)
- ESADE – University Ramon Llull (Spain)
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Norway)
- Nyenrode Business University (The Netherlands)
- Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences (Germany)
- Syncnify (France)
- Alba Graduate Business School (Greece)
