Harnessing Science for a Sustainable Future: Narrowing the Policy, Research, and Community Divide

A White Paper by TReNDS’ Senior Advisor, Cameron Allen, Expert Member, Jessica Espey, and Communications Manager, Alyson Marks

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about mass global disruption – devastating our health systems, bringing many economies to a near standstill, and upending our ways of living and working. It has also presented a significant setback to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet, it has also paved the way for more science-informed decision-making, enabling the research, scientific, and policy communities to join together like never before, and proving the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to combating the crisis, developing effective policies, and accelerating innovation. The pandemic has also demonstrated that the often siloed policy and scientific communities can work together in integrating scientific knowledge into the policymaking agenda to achieve real change and impact. This white paper presents recommendations for how to encourage more collaboration between the research, scientific, and policy communities and how to foster inclusive problem-solving to accelerate innovation on sustainable development challenges.