The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress (SRI) and Finland’s Sustainability Science Days (SSD) will co-host SRI/SSD2024, a premier event in the field of sustainability science and innovation for 2024. Starting on June 10, this week-long program will convene over 2,000 participants from more than 100 countries. Attendees will have the opportunity to participate both virtually and in-person at Aalto University (Espoo) and the University of Helsinki. SRI/SSD2024 reflects a shared commitment to fostering knowledge-based solutions for a more sustainable future. The program is expected to be a catalyst for collaboration and innovation, addressing critical environmental challenges.
Tuesday, June 11th
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Aalto University | Undergraduate Centre | Otakaari 1 | Y228a
IN-PERSON
The ISC will be contributing to the Belmont Forum Interactive Roundtable featuring the Belmont Forum’s Leadership Program, launching at SRI 2024, underscoring the need for a new generation of scientists capable of leading transdisciplinary innovative science in the 21st century. This interactive session will delve into insights from today’s science policy leaders, reflecting on transformative moments in their careers. The objective is to highlight opportunities for all of us interested in taking greater leadership, fostering knowledge exchange, capacity development, and creating a collaborative space for mutual learning and actionable career pathways. The session will start with a series of Ignite style presentations with panelists sharing their journeys to leadership. Following a full group Q&A will all panelists, the group will divide into smaller groups to facilitate conversations around the following topics: Practical tools Strategies Transdisciplinary Skills Collaborative Leadership The session will conclude with a series of reflection activities, facilitating sharing between groups and equipping attendees with concrete steps as they move forward on their leadership journey. Learn more: SRI 2024
Speakers
Tuesday, June 11th
3:30 PM – 5:00 PM
Aalto University | Undergraduate Centre | Otakaari 1 | Y313
HYBRID
The ISC and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is putting in place an institutionalized approach to strategic foresight and horizon scanning with a view to developing an anticipatory and future-oriented culture, and to help navigate current and future uncertainty to strengthen the delivery of its work. This session will bring together a diverse range speakers to reflect on the: 1. Evolution and history of the field of foresight; 2. opportunities to improve our capacity to map and integrate complexity and uncertainty in scenarios; 3. the imperative and challenges of integrating non-Western perspectives on the future; and 4. new frontiers for the enhancement the actions and impact of foresight on decision-making, with an emphasis on collective action problems and green transitions. The two main expected outcomes of the session include an update on UNEP’s approach to Strategic Foresight and reflections on lessons learned from a series of regional consultations; 2. soliciting inputs and feedback on the challenges of integrating diverse voices and non-traditional knowledge systems in foresight and future thinking.
Moderator
Speakers
Thursday, June 13th
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
University of Helsinki | Päärakennus | Fabianinkatu 33 | Karolina Eskelin (3032)
HYBRID
The ISC will be contributing to the Frontiers Planet Prize session highlighting its role as National Representative Body facilitating scientific submissions from around the world for this global science competition recognizing and rewarding scientists whose research contributes to accelerating the solutions needed, to allow humanity to thrive within the nine planetary boundaries. Launched on Earth Day 2022, the prize has engaged with nearly 500 universities in 42 countries, with support from 20 national academies of science and the International Science Council. Join us as we introduce the prize and key members of the Prize’s community including National Champions from the second edition of the prize. We look forward to delving into the mechanisms for how best to mobilize the academic community, to crowdsource breakthrough research, and how the prize advances progress towards a sustainable future.
Speakers
Friday, June 14th
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM
University of Helsinki | Päärakennus | Fabianinkatu 33 | U4062
HYBRID
In light of the fact that the world will fall short of meeting the Sustainable Development Goals and targets set for 2030, we use this session to take a look at what we can do differently in sustainability science. This session focuses on work of early career researchers who work in transdisciplinary sustainability science. It’s an opportunity to share what works and what doesn’t in a number of different societal and geographical contexts. Building from the ISC’s vision of Science Missions for Sustainability, the session also aims to explore a re-imagining of sustainability science from funding, collaboration and career progression perspectives.
The session is co-organized with the Early Career Researcher Network of Networks (ECR NoN) of Future Earth.
Moderator
Speakers
with Michel Spiro, President, International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP)
Monday, June 10th
3:45 PM – 5:15 PM
Aalto University | Undergraduate Centre | Otakaari 1 | Y313
HYBRID
The realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development led to the proclamation of the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development (IDSSD) following the success of the International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). The Earth-Humanity Coalition, functioning under the umbrella of the Decade brings together organisations from all parts of the world and all areas of sciences, arts and humanities, to build upon the foundations laid by IYBSSD and activate the Web of Earth-Humanity Sciences, a worldwide network of thousands of hubs active at the local, national, and global levels in basic, applied, social, and humanistic sciences to address the existential challenges facing humanity in the 21st century, by using approaches that integrate multi-, inter-, and trans-disciplinary research, as well as traditional knowledge and cultural and artistic practices. The ambition is to catalyze transformative changes worldwide by 2033, enhancing the global capacity to address crises and contribute to a sustainable planet.
