Acquire practical skills and experience advising businesses and organisations to achieve their social, environmental, and economic sustainability ambitions aligned with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs are a framework defined by the United Nations to end poverty and inequality, protect the planet, and ensure that all people enjoy health, justice, and prosperity. This minor opens the doors of organisations championing the SDG agenda in South Holland, including the United Nations Global Compact, IKEA, Fair Trade associations, the Port of Rotterdam, Neighbourhood Entrepreneurs, and others driving systemic change in their business operations. Take a look at the video and learn what you will get and contribute to real businesses and organisations taking part in this minor.
The joint Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minors are multidisciplinary and open to all students of Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
The minor adopts a challenge-based learning approach. You will learn actionable skills for engaging with real businesses and organisations facing complex issues that interlink social, economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, define their ambitions for sustainable impact and use legal and business model tools to materialise them in concrete actions. In the previous cohort 2024-2025, our students engaged with the following practical challenges, scoping opportunities, defining legal solutions and sustainable business models for sustainable across the 17 Sustainable Development Goals:
- IKEA for SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities)
- UN Global Compact for SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
- Fairtrade Gemeente Bodegraven-Reeuwijk for SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production)
- Afrikaanderwijk Cooperative for SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities), and SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities)
- KnowledgeXY for SDG 4 (Quality of Education) and SDG 11 (Sustainable cities and communities)
The new cohort 2025-2026 will continue with these organisations and expand to others, including the Port of Rotterdam. Take a look at the video and learn what you will get and contribute to real businesses and organisations taking part in this minor:
Reasons to choose a Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minor:
1. Joint education by three top-class universities.
2. Important societal challenges and new solutions.
3. Educators and students from different academic fields.
4. Cases by companies, governments and NGOs.
5. Expand your network in Leiden, Den Haag, Delft and Rotterdam.
More Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minors
Additionally, you will learn theory on Social Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Entrepreneurship and the state-of-the-art instruments for reporting Environmental, Sustainability and Governance for corporate governance and compliance.
Q1: September 2025 – November 2025
- Sustainable Development Goals and Businesses - Rotterdam School of Management
- Organisations and Societal Partnerships - Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship
- Diagnosing Challenges and Opportunities with System Thinking (Project Module 1 - Practical) - Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship
Q2: November 2025 – January 2026
- Sustainability in Action: legal frameworks for Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) & SDGs - Department of Corporate Law (Leiden University)
- Integrating Legal Solutions for Impact-Driven Development (Project Module 2 - Practical) - Department of Corporate Law (Leiden University)
- Sustainable Business Model and Entrepreneurship (Project Module 3 - Practical) - Delft Centre for Entrepreneurship
- Admission requirements: This Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minor is open to all students of Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam. A small number also require prior knowledge or involve a selection process.
- Number of places: 100 students can participate (see the link below for numbers for each minor). Students from each of the universities are equally likely to be placed.
- Language: All Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minors are taught in English.
- Credits: All minors have a coherent program of 30 EC. It is possible to only follow the first block of 15 EC. Attending the full length of this minor (30 ECTS) is recommended.
- Location: The lectures and seminars are held in one or more of the following cities: Leiden, Delft, The Hague, Rotterdam.
- Applications: You apply for a Leiden-Delft-Erasmus minor via eduXchange.
- Selection: Not a selection minor.
Lecturers about this minor:
Camilo Benitez Avila is one of the teachers in this minor. From TU Delft's Faculty of Technology, Governance and Management, he worked with colleagues from Rotterdam and Leiden during the past few years to shape the minor. Benitez Avila: ‘Students have to think for themselves which SDGs are relevant to the case they are working on. Is it about democracy, climate, education, health, prosperity? Practices such as transparent reporting according to ESG (environmental, social, governance data) are also taught. We focus on South Holland because we find it important that students can relate what they learn to their daily life and environment. It also contributes to an understanding of their own role in society. I especially hope to produce engaged citizens who want to work together to make their environment better.' Read full interview