SRI2023 CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS

The call for the SRI2023 Congress in Panama has closed. You may still submit contributions for the Asia Spotlight Event and Africa Satellite Event until February 6, 2023 (23:59 EST / UTC-5)

Translations are available in: Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, French, Portuguese

The Sustainability Research & Innovation (SRI) Congress is the world’s largest transdisciplinary gathering for the global sustainability community. The third edition of the SRI Congress, SRI2023, will be held in Panama City, Panama, from June 26-30, 2023, hosted by the National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Republic of Panama (SENACYT) and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) bringing this global event to the Latin American and Caribbean Region. More than 1500 experts from around the world are expected to join us for this event.

SRI2023 invites contributions to the 2023 Congress program. Submit your contributions for an interactive and engaging session or event by December 21, 2022 (23:59 EST / UTC -5) for the main Congress, and February 6, 2023 (23:59 EST / UTC-5) for the Asia Spotlight event and Africa Satellite event. Any group of people working in sustainability science and practice, including the research sector, government, business, philanthropy, art, and civil society is welcome to submit contributions.

Explore SRI2023 Themes and Contribution Types, and also make sure to review the instructions below before submitting your proposal. If you have any questions, please contact Team SRI (sri@futureearth.org). 

Table of Contents
SRI2023 Themes
SRI2023 Contribution Types
Criteria for Selection
Guidelines for contributions in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and French
General information to All Contribution Organizers
Sponsoring Sessions and Events at SRI2023

SRI2023 Themes 

There are four Congress themes for SRI2023. Please choose the theme that best meets the goals of your session or event. 

These themes are:

1. Turning the Tide for Climate: Collaborative Action for Institutional Transformation

Climate change requires urgent action that engages all sectors of society and transforms fundamental institutions and systems that underpinning our societies. But how to build these new impact coalitions and how to make them fair and effective and equitable? How can these new and diverse collaborations accelerate a rapid, sustainable and positive change that doesn’t deepen but rather reduce existing inequalities? What are the tradeoffs and how do we manage them? SRI2023 will explore pathways to informed and just changes in critical systems, such as political/governance, financial, legal, tax, energy and production, transport, research, education and value systems through the lenses of:

• Environmental and social justice
• New concepts and measurements of wealth, value, merit and well-being
• Sustainable consumption and production (including clean energy)
• Opportunities and ethics of technological innovation, including carbon mitigation and drawdown 
• Cohesive legal frameworks for addressing interrelated climate / environmental challenges and disasters and advancing climate action
• Evidence uptake and informed decision-making
• North-north and south-south collaboration for systems change

2. Healthy and Inclusive Communities

Health and well-being are a foundation for thriving and sustainable societies. Yet changes to natural life support systems are already impacting our health, risking recent public health and development gains. The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed and deepened health inequalities while highlighting the importance of public health and international cooperation. What were the lessons learned and how does that drive health systems transformation? SRI2023 will explore diverse ways of improving health and well-being around the world. This includes:

• Medical, public health and social research and innovation, including knowledge from traditional medicine practitioners and south-south collaboration
• Mental health and wellness during and after Covid-19, climate anxiety
• Planetary health: adaptation and mitigation responses to triple threat (pollution, biodiversity loss, climate change), such as development of urban blue/green spaces
• Pandemic preparedness and one health
• Water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH)
• Equity and community-led adaptation
• Participatory and citizen science

3. A Peaceful Planetary Mind

Our cultural and social environments play a critical role in shaping the ways we observe the world, behave, set expectations and define priorities. Sustainability transformations will require adapting many behaviors and social conventions, and developing new social narratives and shared visions of the future. Fundamentally, building new bridges and resolving conflicts arising from tradeoffs and inequality will also be needed for achieving a way to live sustainably within the boundaries of a stable Earth system. How can we achieve planetary solidarity and accept the joint stewardship of planet Earth? SRI2023 invites novel perspectives to:

• Environmental peace building
• Science diplomacy
• Culture, heritage, art and spirituality as resources for sustainability transitions
• Indigenous and local leadership
• Futures literacy and leadership
• Access to knowledge and ways to reconcile diverse perspectives in an increasingly polarized world (open science, journalism, media, etc.)

4. Latin America and the Caribbean Science and Innovation for Sustainability

One of the key objectives of SRI2023 is to showcase the richness of Latin American and Caribbean science and innovation in sustainability. From tested local solutions to advanced academic research, the LAC region has a wealth of knowledge and innovation to offer to the wider world. In addition, SRI2023 is hoping to strengthen the regional dialogue and networks by offering an inclusive platform for increased visibility and collaboration. We will emphasize the following approaches:

• Biodiversity / water co-management strategies
• Approaches to sustainable mining and agricultural practices
• Sustainable tourism in vulnerable regions
• Latin American and Caribbean diaspora as a resource for innovative transformation

SRI2023 Contribution Types

For this call, we are accepting contributions in one of four types: 

1. Transformation Collaboratory
2. Training Workshops
3. Innovation Demonstrations
4. Interactive Dialogues

Please consult the “SRI2023 Contribution Types” section below for additional information on the types of contributions SRI2023 is inviting. 

1. Transformation Collaboratory

Format:  

Transformation Collaboratory is an inclusive exploration space dedicated to finding knowledge-based solutions to real-world sustainability problems. The organizers of a Transformation Collaboratory will present a real-world problem and solicit solutions from the audience. This is an opportunity for engaging diverse expertise for transformative action through transdisciplinary co-design and imagination.

Transformation Collaboratory Requirements:

• Transformation Collaboratory must not exceed 90 minutes. For online sessions, we strongly recommend keeping your session to 60 minutes.
• Transformation Collaboratory must be open to all Congress attendees.
• Each Transformation Collaboratory must have at least two facilitators presenting the problem to which they solicit solutions and facilitate the discussion.
• Transformation Collaboratory will be recorded and the recordings will be made available on the SRI2023 online Congress platform. 

2. Training Workshop

Format:  

Training workshops will be run by a diverse group on a topic relevant to the SRI2023 themes, with specified, action-oriented outcomes to be generated as a result of the workshop for both the group delivering the training and the participants.

Workshop proposals should include a set of strengths that will be taught throughout, along with a number of knowledge or practice gaps that the delivering group would like to work through as part of the workshop. This is designed to encourage two-way, iterative learning on the part of all trainers and participants.

Training Workshop  Requirements:

• Workshops must not exceed 2 hours. For online workshops, we strongly recommend shorter duration times.
• Workshops must be open to all Congress attendees.
• Each workshop must have at least two speakers or facilitators.
• Each workshop proposal must clearly outline the desired outcomes of the workshop.
• All workshops will be recorded and the recordings will be made available on the SRI2023 online Congress platform. 

3. Innovation Demonstration

Format:

Innovation Demonstrations will offer a platform for showcasing innovations, ranging from new products and processes to social innovations. Demonstration teams (no more than 2 people/team) will be allocated a 60-minute period, during which multiple demonstrations or exhibits can be scheduled, or run on a rolling basis, to make up one session.

Onsite demonstrations will each receive a display table area within a high-traffic corridor, adjacent to meeting rooms in which concurrent sessions will be taking place. 

Demonstration proposals are encouraged to include interactive and innovative designs that increase audience participation, such as live audience polling, social media input, and other forms of audience participation.  

Innovation Demonstration Requirements:

• Onsite demonstration presenters have the flexibility to decide the length of their presentation during their designated time (two 30-minute slots), while also allocating time for audience interaction and participation. 
• The duration of online demonstrations is two 30-minute time slots.
• Demonstrations must be open to all Congress attendees, and amenable to this ‘pop-up’ style, whereby attendees may come and go in the open floor plan.
• All Demonstrations will be recorded and the recordings will be made available on the SRI2023 online Congress platform. 

4. Interactive Dialogues

Format:

A moderated conversation and/or series of short presentations aiming to tackle a specific global sustainability challenge on a common topic. The Dialogue will be followed by a moderated discussion and questions from the audience. The maximum duration of each Dialogue must be 90 minutes, but we encourage all online Dialogue organizers to limit their Dialogues to 60 minutes. Interactive and innovative designs are required to increase audience participation. 

Dialogue Requirements:

• Presentations must not exceed 7 minutes/speaker, with a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 speakers/Dialogue and with at least 30 minutes of a panel discussion. 
• The duration of each Dialogue must be 60-90 minutes - 60 minutes is encouraged for online Dialogue.
• All Interactive Dialogue proposals are required to have a clearly stated goal and expected outcomes.
• All Dialogues are required to have a moderator or facilitator.
• All Dialogues must be open to all Congress attendees.
• All Dialogues will be recorded and the recordings will be made available on the SRI2023 online Congress platform. 

Criteria for Selection

Proposals need to demonstrate consistency with the main themes of SRI2023.

Additionally, we ask each contribution to include multiple frames, communities, or knowledge streams. For example, a proposal exploring sustainable supply chains might include perspectives from academia, business, policy, and law. Preference will be given to proposals with speakers from at least two different sectors and proposals with the potential to inspire new transdisciplinary collaborations.

SRI is particularly interested in supporting contributions from young and early career professionals and researchers, Indigenous groups, as well as participants from low and middle-income countries (please see definitions below).*

Please note that in the case of similar proposals being submitted, program organizers may ask you to team up with others who have suggested similar contributions to create a combined session.

To increase the probability that your proposal will be selected, please consider the following criteria carefully:

Content criteria:

1. Solution-oriented, inspirational, cutting edge, and high-quality
2. A clear focus on any of the articulated SRI2023 themes (including the cross-cutting theme), or a coherent linkage among these areas
3. Novelty and creativity of the approaches and solutions proposed
4. Expected impact, and the robustness and feasibility of the outlined pathway to achieving that impact

Structure and speaker criteria:

1. Clarity and innovativeness of the contribution structure and alignment with the recommendations in the “SRI2023 Contribution Types” section above
2. Level of detail as for the contribution plan and number of confirmed speakers
3. Innovativeness of audience engagement
4. Diversity among invited speakers and organizers. This can include a number of the following characteristics:
   • Intergenerational
   • International
   • Interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral
   • Multi-gender

Please note that the room for hybrid contributions will be limited. If we are unable to accommodate your request for a hybrid contribution, but your proposal ranks high in all the other evaluation criteria, you will be offered the opportunity to host an online-only contribution.

The hybrid contribution proposals will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

• At least half of the speakers are attending the onsite meeting 
• The contribution is particularly relevant for the Latin America and the Caribbean audience
• The contribution design is well-suited for a hybrid experience
• The contribution ranks high in all the other SRI2023 contribution proposal criteria

Guidelines for contributions in Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Japanese and French

SRI2023 is committed to delivering an inclusive and diverse meeting. With this in mind, Team SRI is excited to announce that we are accepting proposals for contributions in French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish in our current call for contributions. 
 
If you are interested in submitting a proposal in French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, or Spanish, please indicate it clearly when you submit your proposal. Contributions in languages other than English might require special accommodations (such as pre-recording). Team SRI will contact the organizers with more details if your contribution is accepted to the SRI2023 program.
 
Please note that proposals in French, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese and Spanish will be exempted from the evaluation criteria that participants are of multiple nationalities. 

General information to All Organizers

• All contributions are required to have an organizer/single contact point who is responsible for confirming the speakers and corresponding with them between the proposal submission and the Congress.
• All session organizers and speakers must register for the Congress by March 6, 2023 unless they receive an SRI2023 scholarship. Please note that contributions whose participants fail to meet the registration deadline will not be included in the Congress program. 
• All speakers must be confirmed by March 6, 2023.
• When you submit your proposal, please indicate whether you wish to organize your contribution onsite (which includes speakers both onsite and online) or an online-only contribution. For online contributions, please indicate your preferred time (morning/evening) depending on your time zone. You will be updated on the status of your proposal in January 2023. 
• All contributions will be recorded and the recordings will be made available via the SRI2023 online congress platform.
• All organizers can share material on their session page on the SRI2023 online congress platform before and after the session. 
• All organizers will be invited for a 30-minute SRI2023 online congress platform training session or Q&A session one or two weeks before the SRI2023 congress in June 2023. 
• There will be an SRI2023 staff member providing support in each room - virtual or physical.
• Further information will be available soon on the SRI2023 website.
• For additional questions, please contact: sri@futureearth.org

Sponsoring Sessions and Events at SRI2023

• If you are interested in sponsoring an open access session or event, please contact sri@futureearth.org. 
• SRI2023 offers various sponsorship opportunities. Explore our package here. 

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*Early career:
We define an early career as anyone whose career has started within the last 10 years. This includes researchers who have received their Bachelor’s or Master’s qualification within the last 10 years or their PhD within the last six years, as well as professionals working at the interface of society, policy, practice, and research.

Low and middle-income countries:
Low and middle-income countries are defined according to the OECD DAC list of ODA recipients. 

Indigenous groups:
Indigenous groups are defined according to Article 1 (1b) of the International Labour Organisation’s Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples (ILO No. 169 ). This convention applies to: 
a) tribal peoples in independent countries whose social, cultural and economic conditions distinguish them from other sections of the national community, and whose status is regulated wholly or partially by their own customs or traditions or by special laws or regulations;
(b) peoples in independent countries who are regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belongs, at the time of conquest or colonization or the establishment of present state boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retain some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions.