Analyzing the factors affecting university contributions to achieving the sustainable development goals in European Union countries

Abstract The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) represent a set of ambitious and interconnected goals adopted by the United Nations to address the most urgent global challenges. Among various institutions, universities play a vital role in advancing the SDGs, serving as significant catalysts for progress. The challenges associated with universities' engagement in accomplishing the SDGs have captured the attention of scholars. Nevertheless, an area that remains largely unexplored pertains to the factors that could potentially influence universities' contributions to the SDGs. This study, under the lens of legitimacy and stakeholder theories, seeks to address this significant gap by analyzing the factors driving the contributions of universities located in European Union countries towards the achievement of the SDGs. The econometric analysis, conducted on a sample of 210 European Union universities, shows that the size of the universities, the board size and the degree of gender diversity represent factors that positively affect the contribution that these institutions offer to the achievement of the SDGs.