This lens assesses the impact of the research being done in area aligned to specific UN SDG’s, giving an indication of the relative research environment and attention being given to these crucial topics. It combines research data on the relevant SDG's. It also brings in national-level data on research spend as a proportion of GDP. The data is aggregated to form a final score.
Weights of metrics for Sustainable Research:
| Metric | Weight (In the lens / Overall) |
| Research Impact on SDGs for Sustainable Research | 80.0% / 10% |
| Sustainable Research National Statistics | 20.0% / 2.5% |
Research Impact on SDGs for Sustainable Research
We analyse research output produced by institutions, classified by Elsevier as research in SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life Below Water), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). A score from 0 to 100 per SDG is produced using this methodology, and then averaged into an overall score, subject to at least three of the six mentioned SDG scores being 5 or higher.
Sustainable Research National Statistics
In this metric, we normalise and scale the Global spending on R&D from 1-100.