Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

Human activities are disrupting our planet in ways that threaten the stability of our climate and ecosystems. World leaders have committed to address this accelerating crisis through the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the climate goals of the Paris Agreement. In parallel, the digital revolution is driving an unprecedented level of societal innovation and change, and there is considerable potential for digital innovation to be mobilized in support of the challenge of achieving sustainability goals. Tomorrow's sustainability leaders will require interdisciplinary and systems-based thinking as well as the ability to make changes at a pace and scale that will enable global transformations to correct current environmental trajectories. In partnership with Future Earth, we propose a training program to mobilize the scientific understanding of the current sustainability crisis, and identify opportunities for digital tools and technologies to be used to accelerate the transition to global sustainability. Training would seek to develop the skills required for interdisciplinary collaborations, systems thinking, collective leadership, and policy communication, and to further sharpen essential soft skills required for future leaders. Trainees will have the opportunity to participate in internships with Future Earth to work either on Canadian-led or international global sustainability projects. International mobility will be enabled through Future Earth's extensive global network, as well as access to delegations in international science-policy forums. Thematic components of the program will include 1) climate change mitigation and resilience, 2) advancing systems-based approaches to SDGs, and 3) enabling the transformative power of sustainability in the digital age. Achieving the transition to sustainable societies is an essential priority for humanity. Our training program aims to equip the next generation of researchers with the skills, knowledge and experience required to rise to this challenge.