The Sustainability Research & Innovation Congress is the premier global sustainability congress and the world’s foremost platform for enacting meaningful solutions to society, transformations at the intersection of research and innovation, and collaborations for change on the ground.

Future Earth, along with its partners, the Future Africa Institute at the University of Pretoria (UP) and the Belmont Forum, is excited to announce that early-bird registration for the annual Sustainability Research & Innovation (SRI) Congress has officially opened.

The SRI Congress 2022 (SRI2022) will be a hybrid event hosted by UP’s Future Africa Institute from 20 to 24 June 2022.

The SRI Congress has been described as one of the foremost sustainability research and innovation events in the world. It is also the only transdisciplinary sustainability event that draws a cross-section of academics, business and government leaders and potential funders who are committed to delivering real action, outcomes and change. SRI2022 will build on the success of the first congress, which took place in June 2021 and featured 700 speakers and 2 000 participants from 100 countries.

A leader in sustainability science and innovation in Africa, South Africa also provides a gateway to the wider continent where some of the most important sustainability work is being done.

“We couldn’t be more pleased to host SRI2022,” said Professor Stephanie Burton of UP’s Future Africa Institute. “The global conversation on sustainability is one of vital importance, and it’s great to see that the African academic, business and government community is getting a chance to play a key leadership role in that discourse.”

“You can feel the excitement for this next congress,” said Dr Erica Key, US Global Hub Director at Future Earth, an international community of scientists that work towards a more sustainable planet. “The programme highlights the deep and diverse sustainability knowledge in Africa, and models a vision for the future that is action-forward and inclusive. The world will come together – both online and in person – at Future Africa this June to collaborate, innovate and achieve our shared goals.”

The hybrid programme will be finalised and released in May 2022. The event will consist of more than 100 sessions and events, including high-level plenaries, workshops and networking events, and will feature more than 700 speakers from all over the world.

“As the largest hybrid congress in sustainability bringing together the global transdisciplinary research community, we offer participants an exclusive opportunity to connect with one another across time zones and across the topics defining sustainability worldwide,” said Dr Nicole Arbour, Executive Director of the Belmont Forum, a partnership that is committed to the advancement of transdisciplinary science. “We truly want this event to become the foremost home of inclusive sustainability research, innovation and practice. We don’t want anyone to miss out on the opportunity to participate.”

Register here to be part of the congress.

SRI2022 offers several registration options to ensure accessibility to the congress. Early-bird tickets are available until 15 April 2022. Please note that the number of hybrid tickets available is limited – register early to ensure an in-person spot. All hybrid registrations can be changed to online registrations free of charge until 15 April 2022 if external circumstances prevent in-person participation. We will record all sessions and make them exclusively available for registered participants.

The call for SRI2022 session proposals closes on 18 February 2022.