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For Sargis Asatryants, a local, values-based approach to sustainability rooted in education, research and institutional identity is needed to train the next generation of innovators in sustainable transformation.
Sustainability cannot be another policy that universities simply add on, it must be a mindset for the entire institution.
In an age where climate responsibility and innovation drive transformation across higher education, aligning institutional missions with sustainability is no longer optional – it is essential. At the National Polytechnic University of Armenia (NPUA), this alignment is not a reaction to international trends but a deeply embedded principle.
This journey is not about ticking boxes on a ranking scorecard. It is about impact, and recognising early on that technology should not serve only economic growth, but also environmental balance and societal wellbeing. At our university, this understanding has shaped every strategic choice: from integrating sustainability across our curriculum to becoming fully powered by solar energy.
Long before sustainability became mainstream in higher education discourse, NPUA had begun to embed it across teaching, research and governance. As a university with deep roots in engineering and energy studies, we had both a responsibility and a unique capacity to take meaningful action.
Today, sustainability is a core institutional value in NPUA’s strategic plan, prioritising independent research, public policy engagement, awareness-raising and capacity-building across the university. All high-level decision makers are engaged in the sustainability framework, and efforts span the academic, operational and social spheres of the university. Moreover, the recently established Climate Change and Sustainable Development Basic Research Laboratory is now a central hub that unites energy systems, environmental engineering and social innovation to drive forward sustainable solutions grounded in science and local relevance.
While sustainability metrics in international rankings are increasingly prominent, strong performance on paper does not necessarily reflect real-world progress. Such metrics are useful only if they reinforce, rather than replace, authentic institutional values.
Each university’s approach to transformation must begin with a commitment to institutional self-awareness. Before designing any strategy, we must ask ourselves: Who are we? What do we know? What can we do?
For NPUA, this meant recognising our core strengths of expertise in energy research, a strong engineering foundation and an active alumni network. With these clearly in mind, the university was then able to focus on leveraging these assets to drive meaningful action. Rather than pursuing broad or generalised ambitions, we concentrated on the areas most relevant to our local context: solar energy, technical capacity and human capital development.
Responsibility for sustainable transformation cannot be confined to a single office. It must be a shared culture, deeply embedded in the university’s operations, strategic planning and institutional identity.
This is the basis of NPUA’s comprehensive approach, which allows the university to nurture future professionals who not only understand sustainability, but live it. Our goal is to prepare engineers, scientists and citizens who are equipped not just for their careers, but for the challenges and opportunities of the future. This is why on our campus vocational students are trained in solar technology, student-led initiatives are actively encouraged, sustainability principles are integrated into doctoral research and community partners are engaged in practical implementation.
Among the most concrete achievements of NPUA’s sustainable transformation has been making our campus fully solar-powered. Located in a country with one of the highest solar potentials in Europe, we recognised that this natural advantage could be turned into a living example of sustainability in action.
Through the ‘Polytechnic Energy Solutions’ initiative, students, researchers and technical staff collaborated to analyse rooftop capacity, design and install solar stations and develop a real-time monitoring system for energy output. Every part of the system was developed in-house. This wasn’t just a sustainability project, it was an educational transformation. Students don’t just study clean energy at our university – they build and manage it.
In 2021, this effort culminated in the full transition of the university’s energy needs to solar power. Today, NPUA a 100% energy-sustainable institution. Beyond that, its classrooms and laboratories have been transformed into training grounds for Armenia’s next generation of clean energy specialists.
The university’s sustainability efforts did not there. The next phase of the transition shifted focus toward sustainable transport solutions.
NPUA has adopted a policy to gradually transition to a fully electric vehicle fleet. Petrol and diesel-powered vehicles are being systematically replaced with electric alternatives. To support this shift, incentive programmes have been introduced for staff, along with free on-campus charging powered by solar energy. This transition is ongoing, with steady progress toward the goal of achieving full electrification.
The university’s successful model is now being extended beyond its own campus. It provides consulting and technical support to other institutions, including embassies and municipalities. One notable project was the design and implementation of a solar energy system for the Embassy of Bulgaria in Armenia; a collaboration that stands out as a point of pride.
This story illustrates what becomes possible when a university aligns its mission with both local realities and global needs. By building on its institutional identity and acting with clear purpose, the National Polytechnic University of Armenia has emerged as a driver of national change and a model for sustainable higher education in the region.
Transformation is not about perfection or prestige. It’s about progress, commitment and learning to lead by doing.
Note: This article is based on the author’s contribution to a session on ‘Leading sustainable transformation’ at the 2025 EUA Annual Conference.
