Abstract
The theme of this article is cooperation among Higher Educational Institutions and other non-academic partners; it expands upon the theme from a European perspective and with regard to the concept of ‘Regional Centres of Expertise,’(RCEs) that were established under the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development Programme of the United Nations University-IAS in 2003. This concept has received worldwide attention and has been successfully applied in more than 100 cases.
The RCEs are acknowledged in different countries of the world, while there are also many other regional sustainability initiatives not included within this framework. The authors sought to extrapolate generic knowledge associated with overcoming certain types of boundaries (academic, cultural, etc.) and to share their insights with the scientific community for discussion and use to support sustainability changes in academia.
The focus is upon the dynamics of the learning processes that occur between/among different stakeholders. These processes reflect a change in communication practices, which can have impacts upon modes and patterns of knowledge generation and can result in a more systemic transition in education towards sustainability at different levels of academia and of society.
The reflection of experiences and theoretical considerations presented are sought to trigger broader discussions on the roles of scientists and educators as catalytic facilitators in the debates about what type of future societies we are seeking to develop. Key recommendations are made of practical ways to help students, of all ages, to envision and to implement sustainable societal development in cooperative, rational and systematic ways, globally for the short and long-term future of all societies.