Last March, the International Science Council launched a global call for Pilot Science Missions for Sustainability to collectively empower science for fast-tracking the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and accelerating societal transformation toward sustainability.
The call for pilot missions received over 250 expressions of interest, most of which are based in the Global South. We are delighted to see this strong interest and willingness of the global community to practice science differently and to elevate the collaboration between science, policy, and society to new heights when dealing with complex challenges.
The Selection Committee has carefully assessed each expression of interest and made recommendations to the Oversight Committee regarding potential shortlisted applications. The Oversight Committee has reviewed the proposed list and identified 23 shortlisted expressions of interest, taking into account geographical, gender and thematic balance.
The shortlisted consortia include:
| Proposed Pilot Science Mission title | Lead applicant | Institution of the lead applicant | Region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Transformative adaptation of rural landscapes across the food-water-biodiversity-health nexus: towards a just transition | Pablo Imbach | Tropical Agricultural Research and Education Center | Latin America and the Caribbean and Vietnam |
| Co-Designing of Multiple Intensification Strategies in Smallholder Farming Systems: Overcoming Institutional and Gender Barriers of Sustainable Rural Development | Tibebu Nigussie Kassawmar | Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC), Addis Abeba University | Africa |
| Operationalizing a ‘Transformative-Futures for Water Security’ Road Map for the Mekong | Mark Dubois | International Water Management Institute | Asia |
| Indian Ocean High-Seas Symphony – a tool for research, collaboration and cumulative impact assessment in the Blue Economy | Anna Silyakova | HUB Ocean | Indian Ocean |
| Sustainable-use protected areas to catalyse enhanced livelihoods in rural Amazonia | Joao Vitor Campos e Silva | Instituto Jurua | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Innovative Actions for Agroecological Transition & Adaptive Climate Governance: Building Communitary Water Monitoring Capacities in Vulnerable Andean Watersheds, Colombia | Dolly Cristina Palacio | University Externado de Colombia – Social Science Faculty | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Big Earth Data and AI for Global Sustainability | Huadong Guo | International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS) | Asia |
| “ZAPI” concept: Innovation and Priority Adaptation Areas dedicated to open and long-term sustainability science partnerships for climate adaptation | Jalludin Mohamed | Centre d’Etudes et de Recherches de Djibouti (CERD) | Africa |
| Citizen-Driven Living Labs for Urban Heat Island Mitigation; a women-led transdisciplinary approach for health, equity and sustainability | Bijal Brahmbhatt | Gujarat Mahila Housing Sewa Trust (MHT) | Asia |
| Strengthening the agroecological stewardship of pollinators by indigenous and rural women in Latin America and the Caribbean | Georgina Catacora-Vargas | SOCLA (Latin American Scientific Society of Agroecology) | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| PRISMS – Plastic Reduction and Innovation Science Mission for Sustainability | Philip Cotton | University of Global Health Equity | Africa |
| Understanding and Integrating Trading Outcomes and the Water-Energy-Food Nexus: Addressing Sustainability and Food Security Challenges in the Global South | Alex Godoy-Faúndez | Sustainability Research Centre, Universidad del Desarrollo | Latin America and the Caribbean, Middle East and North Africa |
| Catalysing Voluntary Market Climate Finance for Sustainable Economic Empowerment of Smallholder Farmers | George Odera Outa | Stockholm Environment Institute-Africa Centre | Africa |
| Beyond the coffee cup: Empowering coffee-production communities | Olga Patricia Vázquez Villegas | Institute for the Future of Education, Tecnologico de Monterrey | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Recognizing and restoring a Stable Climate as a Common Heritage of Humankind | Marcos Silva | UNEB – Universidade do Estado da Bahia (State University of Bahia) | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Science Mission for Adaptation to Climate Impacts on Energy Supply in Southern Africa: Green Energy Solutions for the Climate Emergency | Marja Hinfelaar | The Southern African Institute for Policy & Research (SAIPAR) | Africa |
| Amplifying Innovations in Urban Adaptation to Heat and Water Stress through Novel Approaches to Equitable Science-Society Partnerships | Gina Ziervogel | African Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI), University of Cape Town | Africa |
| Tadra Vanua: a mission for planetary health in the Pacific | Donald Wilson | Fiji National University | Small Island Developing States |
| Meta-Network Hub for SDGs in Asia (Meta Hub Asia) | Kazuo Nadaoka/ Anik Bhaduri | Future Earth Asia Regional Committee | Asia |
| Development of Solar Floating Treatment Wetlands for Diffused Pollution Control and Urban Sustainability | Xuan Thanh Bui | Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology (HCMUT) | Asia |
| Development and Promotion of Underutilized Foods for Improved Nutrition, Health, and Livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa | Kingsley Agbor Etchu | Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) | Africa |
| The SDGs for a Sustainable Mapungubwe: Thriving Cross-border Landscapes and Societies | Maano Ramutsindela | Future Africa, University of Pretoria (UP) | Africa |
| Achieving sustainable structural transformations for mitigating health impacts of climate change | Pamela Jagger | University of Michigan | Global (Bangladesh, Ecuador, Kenya, Malawi, United States, and Vietnam) |
This is an important milestone towards identifying the Pilot Science Missions. The shortlisted consortia will be invited to matchmaking events with funders.
Shortlisted consortia will then be invited to submit full bids, which will once again be thoroughly assessed by the Selection Committee.
The Oversight Committee will make the final decision on which Pilot Science Missions to fund, based on the recommendations of the Selection Committee. This includes final approval of funding disbursements for the 18-month co-design phase.
The ISC together with the Global Commission believes there is an urgency to pilot the new modality for science efforts, particularly as we enter the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development.
We sincerely congratulate the selected consortia for making it through this very competitive process!
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