Presentation at DIE/DAAD Joint expert workshop on “Digital Transformation – Higher Education and Research for Sustainable Development” (8-9 November 2018, DAAD Bonn). This paper defines sustainable development in reference to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. It sees the role of higher education in both harnessing digital technology to ensure access to higher quality learning for all and in using the potential of digital networks for expanding and intensifying exchange and sharing of new knowledge and for working together on the grand challenges affecting our interconnected world.