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Universities are not only the engine of thought and solutions for sustainable development - their activities shaping current and future societal approaches to social and environmental sustainability - but also arenas to experiment in complex social transitions. The polycrises of our time demand that we transition the complex structure of higher education towards future-proof education, practice, operation and societal inclusion. This transition poses many questions, such as: 

What action needs to be taken by the university now to avoid ‘unsustainability lock-in’?  

How can existing examples and visions of sustainable, visionary and innovative approaches taken by other institutes guide the realization of a future-proof university? 

The Universities for Sustainable Futures project seeks to form a global inventory of innovative institutional formats for sustainability, in order to inspire and inform sustainability transition decision making at Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ and beyond. Innovative institutes will be disseminated in the Universities for Sustainable Futures web atlas, to be launched in early 2024. This will be a browsable, interactive and co-developing atlas of global practices in sustainability in higher education. The project was explored in a Pathways to Sustainability Dialogue on the 7^th of December which showcased these institutional models and engaged the university community in a participatory visioning session around the sustainable future of Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ.