The best solutions are those developed with people, not just for them, says Research Ireland’s Dr Ruth Freeman.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a set of 17 objectives laid out by the UN that aim to improve peace, prosperity and sustainability for the world. Each SDG tackles a different global issue, with the deadline for achieving the goals set for 2030.
Next Tuesday (4 November), Research Ireland will be holding a showcase event at Clayton Hotel Ballsbridge in Dublin highlighting the achievements of those participating in the SDG Challenge, a partnership between Research Ireland and Irish Aid that aims to support teams in developing transformative, sustainable solutions to SDGs in Irish Aid’s partner countries.
“We’ve run this partnership for a number of years now, we’ve seen some really exciting teams and ideas come out of it,” said Dr Ruth Freeman, Research Ireland’s director of research for society.
“And really what we wanted to do was mark the work that’s been done, give teams who are working on these a chance to meet each other, but also a chance for other stakeholders to come in and see what’s been achieved, but also potentially contribute to the next steps.
“Because with challenge funding, it’s all about having new ideas in the room, the right people in the room, people from different disciplines, people from different backgrounds.”
Speaking to SiliconRepublic.com, Freeman said that the main goal of the SDG Challenge programme is to support research and innovation to “create meaningful impact, trying to move towards a world that is more sustainable, more equitable and can focus on those UN Sustainable Development Goals”.
To date, the SDG Challenge programme has supported teams working towards three SDGS – SDG 2, Zero Hunger; SDG 3, Good Health and Wellbeing; and SDG 13, Climate Action.
Freeman highlights that these teams are not just made up of people from the same country or just academic researchers, that they include other important stakeholders such as those with “intimate knowledge” of the issue being addressed. “These teams aren’t just multi-disciplinary, they’re multi-country.
“So, we’re trying to build and support relationships between researchers in Ireland and researchers in the countries where Irish Aid works,” she said. “And I think, you know, as we go through call after call, we’re trying to tackle a range of areas. So, whether that be a health challenge or a food challenge, we’re trying to recognise all of these big issues that are part of the SDGs.”
She explained that to tackle some of these major global issues, you need a wide range of stakeholders to get involved – from governments and researchers to businesses and NGOs.
“It’s very rare that a solution arrives neatly packaged in a bow and it can just be rolled out and used,” said Freeman. “So, you know, when you’re talking about working in Malawi, or you’re talking about working in Monaghan, solutions don’t just pop out of the box and work. You really need buy-in and support from a wide range of people.”
Freeman said that a major point of the showcase event is to celebrate the achievements of these multi-country teams and some of the incredible work being done.
“There are projects like the SURG water solution looking at solar disinfection for rainwater that’s been trialled in maternal health clinics across Malawi, in rural spaces where it’s absolutely critical,” she said. “I think people in Ireland should also be proud. There’s a long history of aid, and this is like the next generation of aid, working with people to actually innovate together.
“It’s not just giving, it’s collaborating and potentially having real impact for people on the ground.”
An approaching deadline
When it comes to the issues holding back SDG implementation, Freeman says a critical area that needs focus is the support that the teams need to keep going and the issue of scaling.
“In exactly the same way a great, small company that gets set up in Ireland may have challenges in scaling, these kinds of social enterprises also need to scale if we really want to see them have significant impact,” she said.
Awareness of the gaps to SDG implementation may be more focused especially as the 2030 deadline approaches. But Freeman emphasised that “we need to keep doing what we’re doing”.
She pointed out that in can be disheartening to see the increasing number of troubling news stories regarding global system strain and worrying climate records. But Freeman stated that we need to gather ourselves to try and push through what’s going right.
“I think what we need to try and get to is, how do we create positive tipping points?” she said.
“You know, an example of a positive tipping point is when we are mostly powered by non-fossil fuels, and we are seeing rapid growth in the rise of solar power, and where we see things like clean cook stoves initiatives being the norm rather than the exception in the global sense.
“I think we need to focus on, what are these kinds of solutions that will work and can be rolled out quite quickly locally, but can be rolled out in lots and lots of places? So that means keeping the focus on accessibility, sustainability [and] low-cost, scalable solutions.”
But most important of all, according to Freeman, is hope.
“I do feel that science always brings a ray of hope,” she said. “You know, what if we could solve this? And I think that’s kind of the question that gets me to work every day.
“Maybe we can solve this. If we understand more, we can solve more, and we can come up with better solutions. And that doesn’t always mean just more advanced tech, but it means solutions that will actually work for people and improve lives, and solutions that are developed with people, not just for them.”
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