Achieving sustainable development is one of the most pressing challenges of the 21st century. However, this requires a new generation of professionals and experts who possess the knowledge and skills to tackle the complex global challenges that our society is facing. Unfortunately, the current education system is illequipped to meet this demand due to numerous challenges, including inadequate support and grooming for the new generation of professionals, lack of strong global networking among sustainability scholars and leaders, limited emphasis on global sustainability, leadership, and scholarship, and insufficient opportunities for sustainability actors to think creatively and propose innovative solutions to global challenges. To address these challenges, there is an urgent need for enhancing education systems with a culture of transdisciplinary collaboration, creative thinking, cross-border partnerships and international support network among educational institutions across countries in the global continents. Global sustainability requires a sustained effort from all disciplines and sectors. Therefore, this project will bring together sustainability experts from diverse fields, and educators to develop and implement sustainable initiatives. This project would cost an estimate sum of 1 million Euro with the potential to benefit millions of people globally, ultimately contributing to building sustainable knowledge economies worldwide.

As the world becomes increasingly interconnected, it is essential to build a global network of experts who can work together to solve the most pressing challenges that our society is facing. The project aims to challenge the status quo which includes laying emphasis will be on sustainability, leadership, and scholarship through education. Creating a nurturing environment for the next generation of scholars and leaders to think creatively and innovatively is the hallmark of this project. Bringing together sustainability scholars and leaders, experts from different fields, and educators will ensure that the program's implementation is comprehensive and sustainable. The impact of this project will be to strengthen education systems, promote cross-cultural collaborations, and foster the development of a global support network for addressing complex global challenges related to SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work), SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure) and SDG 17 (Global Partnerships). The central research question of the project is how cross-border collaboration between different countries can lead to the betterment of education systems and address complex global challenges. The project will seek to answer this research question through various activities, including joint research projects, collaborative workshops, international conferences, and online learning resources.

The project will facilitate the development of transdisciplinary networks through a comprehensive program that emphasises cross-border collaborations and innovative thinking that spans beyond geographical boundaries. The program will be modelled to achieve this by integrating various disciplines, including science, social sciences, and humanities, to ensure a holistic approach to global sustainability. The project's emphasis on global sustainability, leadership, and scholarship through education is crucial in promoting a sustainable world. The development of future professionals and experts who understand the urgency of sustainability and possess the knowledge and skills to address global challenges will be a milestone in realising a sustainable world. In this regard, the project will work to create opportunities for sustainability actors to share their experiences and knowledge across various sectors and disciplines. Cross-border collaborations among scholars and educators have been recognised as important in enhancing education systems and promoting sustainable development. The reviewed literature highlighted the need for the global universities to collectively reimagine their societal role by working together and sharing their complementary strengths to attain the critical mass required to drive sustainable development (Carrilio and Mathiesen, 2006; Knight, 2010; Sakamoto and David, 2010; Chapman et al., 2014; Nyerere et al., 2014; Ziguras and McBurnie, 2014). The incorporation of a whole-institution collaborative approach that extends to building a society that values peace, equality, human rights, gender, environment, and cultural diversity, would help further SDGs (Fadairo and Ogundele, 2009; Ziguras and McBurnie, 2014; Thakore et al., 2020). However, there are challenges such as inadequate funding, a lack of creative thinking, outdated teaching strategies, narrow emphasis on research without servicing resources, all of which hinder progress (Njuguna and Itegi, 2013; Thakore et al., 2022). In light of this, this research project, seeks to develop strategies for cross-border collaborations among scholars and leaders beyond educational institutions, build an international support network and facilitate the sharing of knowledge, expertise, and resources in addressing complex global challenges. This will also contribute to the development of an international support network for enhancing education systems and institutions globally.