EGI Co-Authors Strategic Paper on Science, Tech & Innovation Driving UN SDGs
The EGI Foundation announces the publication of the joint article "From Knowledge to Solutions: Science, Technology and Innovation in Support of the UN SDGs", in the Rio Journal by Pensoft Publishers.
This comprehensive white paper presents the collective vision of a diverse network of European-based legal entities with global interests, spanning biodiversity, ecology, and engineering communities. Its core aim is to strengthen Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) efforts crucial for achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The article details how European initiatives – including Research Infrastructures, e-Infrastructures, the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC), research projects (such as ENVRI-Hub NEXT), and academic publishers – provide a powerful foundation for collaboration. This collaborative framework is strategically positioned to support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (K-M GBF) targets. Furthermore, the paper advocates for forging an international alliance to integrate biodiversity conservation more deeply into the priorities of the upcoming UN Summit of the Future and the post-2030 development agenda.
EGI's Role and Perspective
EGI Foundation's Senior Strategy and Innovation Officer, Montserrat González Ferreiro, played a key role in representing EGI and contributing to the development of this important work. Commenting on the publication and EGI's involvement, Montserrat stated:
"Contributing to this collaborative effort underscores EGI's vital role in enabling the large-scale, data-driven science required to address global sustainability challenges and drives positive societal impact. Our expertise in federated computing and data infrastructures, exemplified by our contributions to the European Open Science Cloud, provides the essential backbone for the interdisciplinary research and innovation called for in this paper. EGI is committed to ensuring that robust digital capabilities underpin the science-policy interface, accelerating progress from knowledge towards tangible solutions for the SDGs and beyond."
Key Focus Areas
The paper emphasises that addressing the interconnected planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution requires unprecedented collaboration. Key areas highlighted include:
- The central role of STI in achieving the unfinished SDG agenda and building a resilient, equitable, and sustainable future.
- The necessity of data-driven decision-making, cross-sectoral collaboration, and multidisciplinary research frameworks.
- The foundational importance of biodiversity for climate resilience, public health, food security, and economic stability.
- The critical enabling role of federated data infrastructures, virtual research environments (like those EGI supports), and digital twins for ecosystem monitoring, restoration, and sustainability.
- The urgent need to integrate science and policy more deeply, supported by open, interoperable digital ecosystems, as the world transitions to the post-2030 agenda.
A Call for Integrated Action
Emerging from discussions at the 79th United Nations General Assembly Science Summit (SSUNGA79) and coordinated by LifeWatch ERIC, this white paper serves as a call to action. It urges a decisive shift from fragmented responses towards holistic, integrated, and future-oriented science systems capable of meeting humanity's most urgent planetary needs.