Priority themes
We are identifying thematic priorities for science, oriented toward the need for action by society and the UN Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. These research priorities are supposed to provide researchers and research funders with inspiration and guidance for their work.
Scientific contributions on transformations towards living together in equitable and sustainable ways do not simply consist of building knowledge on cause-effect relationships. They must deal with societal goals and value positions and illustrate how and by which means change can be brought about.
An agenda for sustainability research
Our work focuses on identifying cross-cutting societal priority topics that need to be set on the Swiss scientific agenda. We are developing them based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and their mutual interdependencies. Working groups summarise the state of knowledge and formulate key questions for research.
Using these six priority themes, the "Whitepaper on Sustainability Research" outlines the most urgent research needs. It was launched by the steering group on 8 December 2020.
The following six priority themes were identified:
The final chapter of the "White Paper on Sustainability Research" proposes ways for creating an enabling environment for transdisciplinary sustainability research:
Contact
SCNAT
Steering Committee Sustainability Research
House of Academies
PO Box
3001 Bern
Switzerland
Watch the highlights and most important statements of the discussion round on the launch of the "White Paper on Sustainability Research" here in this short video: