DSP Centre of Excellence and Sustainability

DSP Centre of Excellence is partnering with Bangor University’s Sustainability Lab to ensure that our team and all our partners are able to demonstrate that we are giving meaningful consideration to the well-being of current and future generations in all we do.

One Sustainable Development Principle

The one Sustainable Development Principle is our overarching guide:

We must act in a manner which seeks to ensure that the needs of the present are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs

When designing a project we need to consider the possible impact of our decision making on the people living their lives in Wales currently, and in the future.

Four Pillars

While our main motivator for bringing University academics, students and businesses together to the grand challenges is to boost the economy, we recognise that the economy is interdependent with the environment, society and culture. If we want our development initiatives to be sustainable in the long term, it is important that we consider how to improve all four aspects equally.

Five Ways of Working

To achieve this we will be adopting five ways of working, to help us work together better, avoid repeating past mistakes and tackle some of the challenges we are facing:

Long term thinking: We must balance short and long term solutions, meeting the needs of the present whilst safeguarding the needs of the future

Prevention is better than cure: We must consider whether our proposed actions will prevent problems occurring or getting worse – or will they make things better

Integration: We must consider how our objectives impact on each of the well-being goals and on the objectives of others

Collaboration: Our project team must seek to act in collaboration with anyone (internal/external) that could help us meet our well-being objectives

Involvement: It’s extremely important to involve as many relevant people (stakeholders) as possible to help us meet our collective well-being objectives, and to reflect the diversity within the area served

Seven Well-Being Goals

Last but not least we aim to demonstrate that our activities contribute to the following seven well-being goals:

A prosperous Wales/DSP Centre of Excellence/Bangor University/Company partner

Contributing towards an innovative, productive, low-carbon society that uses its resources efficiently and proportionately

A resilient Wales/DSP Centre of Excellence/Bangor University/Company partner

Creating a healthy environment supporting social, economic and ecological resilience, a society that adapts to change

A healthier Wales/ DSP Centre of Excellence /Bangor University/Company partner

Maximising physical and mental well-being by making right choices for the future

A more equal Wales/ DSP Centre of Excellence /Bangor University/Company partner

Enabling people to fulfil their potential regardless of background or circumstances

A Wales/ DSP Centre of Excellence /Bangor University/Company partner of cohesive communities

Creating capable, safe and well-connected communities

A Wales/ DSP Centre of Excellence /Bangor University/Company partner of vibrant culture and thriving Welsh Language

Promoting and protecting culture, heritage and language

A globally responsible Wales/ DSP Centre of Excellence /Bangor University/Company partner

Considering wider impacts of our decisions on global well-being

A new way of working

By adopting this innovative and logical approach to project management and delivery we are promoting the Welsh Government’s Well-being of Future Generations Act (2015) Act which became law in April 2016.

This is a new way of working for us and during the life of Bluefish we plan to engage in an active learning process to improve our understanding of what sustainability and well-being really means to us and our partners. We are enthusiastic about partnering with others who share the same vision and who are on a similar journey.

This way of working has gained global recognition. This is what Nikhil Seth, UN Director of Sustainable Development, says about the Welsh Government’s approach:

“The Wales Future Generations Act captures the spirit and essence of two decades of United Nations work in the area of sustainable development and serves as a model for other regions and countries... We hope that what Wales is doing today the world will do tomorrow. Action, more than words, is the hope for our current and future generations.”

DSP Centre of Excellence is an ERDF funded project and this way of working is the way we have chosen to make a positive contribution to the Horizontal Principles (previously known as the Cross-Cutting Themes).