Media Invitation to the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2023 (SRI2023) Africa Satellite Event

The National Research Foundation (NRF), in collaboration with Nelson Mandela University, invites members of the media to the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress 2023 (SRI2023) Africa satellite event. The event will take place from 20 to 23 June 2023 in Gqeberha (formerly known as Port Elizabeth), in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. 

More than 200 people, including global sustainability research leaders, Government and civil society experts, funders, entrepreneurs, and innovators in Africa will participate in the SRI2023 Africa satellite event, which is a prelude to the third edition of the Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress (SRI2023) which will be held from 26 to 30 June, 2023 in Panama City, Panama. Established by the Belmont Forum and Future Earth, the SRI Congress is the world’s largest annual transdisciplinary gathering for the global sustainability research community. It hosts more than 2 000 global sustainability research leaders, Government and civil society experts, funders and innovators.

Says Dr Fulufhelo Nelwamondo, CEO of the NRF, “The SRI2023 Africa Satellite Event is key to the consolidation of Africa’s outlook on impactful research ahead of the global gathering in Panama City. In line with the spirit of the SRI to unite different communities necessary for making sustainability possible, there is a need to bring together voices of African researchers, scholars, innovators and other stakeholders to share ideas, information and leadership to feed into the expansion of sustainability science and policy. The African perspective is critical to transformation and inclusivity in the global sustainability science arena”.

The event will host local-to-regional sessions that showcase the richness of African perspectives in sustainability science and innovation, with a regional-to-global audience to explore action-forward approaches to sustainability research and innovation, and to integrate these insights into the SRI2023 Congress program. The SRI2023 Africa satellite event will be a mixture of cross-cutting plenary sessions, parallel thematic sessions, and live discussion tables.

The sessions during the event will focus on the following SRI23 thematic areas:

1. Turning the Tide for Climate: Collaborative action for institutional transformation
2. Healthy and Inclusive Communities
3. A Peaceful Planetary Mind
4. Science and Innovation for Sustainability

This Africa satellite event will also provide a platform for engagement and collaboration, and will create opportunities for early career researchers, established researchers, research managers, policymakers, and industry experts to share their ideas, relevant knowledge, and information to strengthen the next generation of researchers in Africa.

The programme can be downloaded HERE!

Event details:
Date: 20 – 22 June 2023
Time: Programme will run from 08:45 daily (with registration and tea proceeding from 08:15)
Venue: Nelson Mandela University (Ocean Sciences Campus), Gqeberha

For media attendance, please contact NRF Media Relations Officer, Bongani Nkosi, on b.nkosi@nrf.ac.za or 061 477 3064.