Inter-American Organization for Higher Education

1. Introduction

As part of its 2023-2030 Strategic Plan, the Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) has committed to supporting Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in achieving their Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-related targets. This commitment focuses on three key areas:

• Promoting collaborative training and research activities on shared priorities.
• Developing regional initiatives to advance the SDGs.
• Creating forums to reflect on higher education’s critical role in SDG implementation.

During the October 2024 IOHE General Assembly, members approved a new institutional SDG project to launch targeted initiatives. Key among these is IOHE’s pledge to:

• Build HEI capacity for SDG achievement (including a training needs assessment completed in April 2025).
• Issue this open call to members for SDG-focused training programs.
• Promote priority opportunities through its Collaborative Classroom platform

In this context, IOHE calls on all its members to share training activities aimed at:

• Targets HEIs’ most pressing SDG training needs.
• Seeks proven programs (courses/workshops) ready for delivery.
• Offers IOHE-wide visibility for selected offerings.
• Encourages cross-institutional collaboration.

HEIs are invited to submit existing training programs that address the identified SDG capacity gaps. Selected programs will be featured across OUI communication channels.

Why Participate?

• Amplify your institution’s SDG contributions
• Connect with 400+ HEIs across the Americas
• Strengthen regional impact through shared learning

Deadline: September 28, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (UTC -4)]

2. Scope of the Call for Proposals

Consistent with OUI’s mission to strengthen HEIs by building collaborative educational spaces with its members and strategic partners, this call has three main objectives:

• Support capacity building among member institutions to contribute to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• Promote dissemination and access to training activities on SDGs in areas of common interest.
• Encourage collaboration among members by sharing training activities that facilitate the exchange of approaches and experiences for SDG implementation.

3. Eligibility Criteria

3.1 The call is open to all regular IOHE members.^[1].

3.2 Training activities must address at least one of the capacity-building needs identified in IOHE’s survey on SDG implementation support, specifically:

• Strategies for institutional SDG integration
• Sustainability innovation in higher education
• Design, evaluation and monitoring of SDG progress indicators
• University social responsibility
• Ethical leadership and governance for sustainable development
• Financial management for sustainability projects
• Sustainability communication strategies and tools
• Change management for sustainability implementation

3.3 The training activities may be delivered in virtual, in-person, or hybrid format, under the following categories:

• Courses or modules
• Seminars or workshops

3.4 Experience requirement:

• Activities must have been delivered at least once prior to application
• Activities still in design phase or never delivered are ineligible

3.5 Activities may be delivered in any IOHE official language (Spanish, Portuguese, French, English)

3.6 Training activities may be offered free of charge or require participant fees. Paid activities must provide discounted rates for IOHE members.

3.7 Registration and delivery will be managed through the offering institution’s standard channels.

3.8 IOHE will coordinate dissemination of all selected training offerings.

[1] To find out if your higher education institution is a member of the IOHE, please visit: https://oui-iohe.org/en/members-oui/

4. Application Process

The call will be conducted in two stages:

4.1 Submission of Training Activity Description (Stage 1)

This stage will select activities addressing identified training needs and themes:

• Interested HEIs must submit their training activity description through the online form below, including:
  • Activity name
  • Schedule
  • Competencies developed
  • Specific SDG-related issues addressed
  • Contributions to SDG advancement

• Applications must be submitted via this electronic form by September 28 at 11:59 PM EST (UTC-4):
  https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeD32kP97NMm1e1jA3D3zaztrF3X2cZ75ZLwIV1D92v4vKB6w/viewform?usp=dialogv

Submissions after this deadline will not be accepted.

4.2 Publication of Training Activities (Stage 2)

This stage will select a limited number of activities for IOHE-wide promotion:

• Offering HEIs must complete all required activity information.
• IOHE will publish and promote selected activities through its various platforms.
• Activities must begin by Q1 2026 at the latest.

5. Institutional Requirements

• Proposals may be submitted by a single IOHE member or a team (the lead applicant must be an IOHE member). Multiple submissions per institution permitted.
• Applications must be submitted electronically by administrative, academic, or teaching staff from an OUI member higher education institution (HEI).
• Applying HEIs must be current with IOHE membership obligations as stipulated in Article 12 of its Statement of Principles and Bylaws.

6. Call Timeline

The process will follow this schedule:

For questions or information, please contact: cursos@oui-iohe.org