Charles University, as an important research institution, can greatly contribute to sustainable development through its research activities. The university aims for the strategic application of advances in research and innovation, the rapid and successful implementation of research findings, as well as fostering interdisciplinary academic discussion on current topics and challenges both within and outside the Czech Republic.

There are numerous topics across all faculties and institutes, ranging from nanomaterials, biodiversity, drought, space, the impacts of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, to healthy lifestyles, ecological education, quality education, medical care, and legal issues concerning the environment. The wide range of disciplines cultivated at the university offers immense potential for interdisciplinary research. Sustainable development has its place in both basic and applied research and is supported by university, national, European, and international grant schemes. The university also promotes open access to research results and data, as evidenced by the recently established Centre for the Support of Open Science.

For example, the potential of interdisciplinarity is leveraged by the Progres Q16 Programme – Environmental Research. This is one of 50 projects supported by the university's Progres grant scheme, which provides basic institutional support for research at Charles University. Six faculties and one institute (the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Law, the Third Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, the Faculty of Education, the Faculty of Humanities, and the Environment Centre) are involved in its implementation. The unique combination of natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences promotes a better understanding of the functionality and structure of the environment and the use of the latest approaches and methodologies. Over 100 academic and scientific staff and approximately ten PhD students participate in this research project each year.

The topic of sustainable development is an integral part of modern economics: from issues of resource allocation to recommendations for government and economic policies. Therefore, CERGE-EI at Charles University addresses many problems that at least indirectly relate to sustainable development and has great potential to develop this area, provided that appropriate resources are allocated. Among the recent research topics are studies focused on the relationships between environmental pollution, climate change, migration, and deforestation in developing countries.

For example, at the Faculty of Pharmacy, research is conducted on the over-prescription, purchase, and improper use of pharmaceuticals, which can lead to excessive accumulation and often incorrect disposal. Besides the direct impact on the environment, the research also addresses the unjustified overproduction of pharmaceuticals by manufacturers.