Our Mission

Our mission is to serve the public good, providing solutions to meet the challenges of our time.

Our College is for the public good

We serve our community. We will graduate students with the skill sets, knowledge and values to make an impactful contribution to our society’s sustainable development. Our research will meet the grand challenges of our day as described in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Our College provides solutions for the challenges of our time

The UN Sustainable Development Goals focus attention on the key challenges facing our community. Our research seeks to provide innovative and sustainable solutions to those challenges. Our students will graduate with a value set that inspires them to use their skills and knowledge in innovative and entrepreneurial ways to promote a sustainable world.


Our College has a global impact

Our location on the Atlantic edge of Europe gives us a unique perspective on issues of concern to our community. We will provide thought leadership to meet the needs of our community and contribute to global debates on issues of concern. Our graduates and staff will appreciate the sustainability needs of their societies and think globally to provide solutions to the grand challenges of our time

Our Vision

Our College will foster excellence built on a values-based culture driven by a desire to be open and respectful

We welcome students and staff into a community that values diversity and promotes inclusion and wellbeing. Our respectful, supportive and collegiate environment allows students and staff to excel.

We will provide thought leadership

Our staff will be at the forefront of debates on the grand challenges of our time. They will be recognised as thought leaders and NUI Galway will be known around the world as a centre of excellence. Our innovative programmes will graduate global citizens with strong skill sets, relevant knowledge and values that ensure they can contribute to the sustainable development of communities throughout the world.

We will work with our partners to address the grand challenges of our time

Our culture is open: we will work with others to achieve our research goals. Our alumni and friends can support us by mentoring our students and sharing their insights in our classrooms. We will partner with governments, regional and international bodies, NGOs and leading academic institutions, combining our strengths to produce innovative solutions to the grand challenges of our time.

We will build on our varied research communities within the College and the University

Few of the challenges facing us can be solved by researchers in one discipline alone, and the intersections between law, public policy and business have yet to be fully exploited by the research community. We will lead in promoting interdisciplinary research in these fields and turning this research into distinctive learning opportunities.