9:05 AM - 9:20 AM
[U07-01] Connecting the Resource Ecosystem to Advance Transformations to Sustainability
★Invited Papers
Keywords:transformation, sustainability, funding, stakeholder, systems
Systemic transformations to meet the Sustainable Development Goals requires a collaborative approach, respectful of both expert knowledge and lived experience as well as joint action and management. To initiate and foster this work from the ideation phase through to delivery, evaluation, and subsequent redesigns requires the concerted effort and support of many forms of investment. This presentation will explore the innovative approaches being made to achieve transitions to informed, sustainable systems.
International funding consortia like the Belmont Forum have approached these complex sustainability questions at a nexus of sciences, engineering, medicine, information technology and society by establishing a flexible platform to align diverse resources to enable teams of experts and stakeholders to advance understanding, policy, and practice. Not only does the Belmont Forum require this transdisciplinary approach, but it also requires transnational collaboration to spur the exchange of lessons learned and information as well as emerging solutions. Once funded, awardees receive training in critical skills to increase the effectiveness of interaction across disciplines and career paths, propel the work beyond traditional scientific outputs, and communicate progress towards environmental, social, economic, and other goals.
One challenge facing funding of transdisciplinary projects is support for stakeholders who bring context, experience, and access and serve as the implementation and management legacy for research efforts. Organizations like Future Earth are one such conduit for stakeholder funding, providing some compensation for the time away from work, subsistence, management, or other livelihoods to participate in a co-developed effort as a supported member of the team. The balance of remuneration is not yet equitable, creating an uneven power dynamic. With greater engagement from the breadth of resource providers financing sustainable transformations – deep impact investors, high net worth individuals, philanthropy, aid and development agencies, and donor groups – there is the potential to expand the flexible platform of the Belmont Forum and inclusivity of organizations like Future Earth to approach these collaborative efforts in a truly transformative manner.
Marshalling this resource ecosystem requires a deeper understanding of the motivations of financiers, expected added value for their investment, familiarity with their culture, workflows, delivery timelines, and language, and clearer articulation of outcomes, progress towards transformation, and other potential applications. Boundary organizations like Transformations Finance, Bounce Beyond, and Catalyst 2030 are moderating discussions amongst resource providers from broad backgrounds and remits to develop not only increased understanding and cross-platform partnership but the potential for a wider scale transformation of financial systems, in itself a Sustainable Development Goal (17).
International funding consortia like the Belmont Forum have approached these complex sustainability questions at a nexus of sciences, engineering, medicine, information technology and society by establishing a flexible platform to align diverse resources to enable teams of experts and stakeholders to advance understanding, policy, and practice. Not only does the Belmont Forum require this transdisciplinary approach, but it also requires transnational collaboration to spur the exchange of lessons learned and information as well as emerging solutions. Once funded, awardees receive training in critical skills to increase the effectiveness of interaction across disciplines and career paths, propel the work beyond traditional scientific outputs, and communicate progress towards environmental, social, economic, and other goals.
One challenge facing funding of transdisciplinary projects is support for stakeholders who bring context, experience, and access and serve as the implementation and management legacy for research efforts. Organizations like Future Earth are one such conduit for stakeholder funding, providing some compensation for the time away from work, subsistence, management, or other livelihoods to participate in a co-developed effort as a supported member of the team. The balance of remuneration is not yet equitable, creating an uneven power dynamic. With greater engagement from the breadth of resource providers financing sustainable transformations – deep impact investors, high net worth individuals, philanthropy, aid and development agencies, and donor groups – there is the potential to expand the flexible platform of the Belmont Forum and inclusivity of organizations like Future Earth to approach these collaborative efforts in a truly transformative manner.
Marshalling this resource ecosystem requires a deeper understanding of the motivations of financiers, expected added value for their investment, familiarity with their culture, workflows, delivery timelines, and language, and clearer articulation of outcomes, progress towards transformation, and other potential applications. Boundary organizations like Transformations Finance, Bounce Beyond, and Catalyst 2030 are moderating discussions amongst resource providers from broad backgrounds and remits to develop not only increased understanding and cross-platform partnership but the potential for a wider scale transformation of financial systems, in itself a Sustainable Development Goal (17).