Panama will host SRI2023, the largest global meeting for research and innovation in sustainability

Panama, 24 June 2022. Panama has been selected to host the third edition of the Sustainability Research and Innovation (SRI) Congress, the world’s largest transdisciplinary meeting for the global sustainability community, to be held in June 2023.

The official announcement of Panama as the host of SRI2023 was made today, June 24 2022 during the second edition of the congress held in Pretoria, South Africa.

The National Secretariat for Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt) will host the congress in collaboration with its co-host, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), a collaboration that is welcomed given the exhaustive process carried out by the organizers to define the venue for the 2023 congress.

“Senacyt, on behalf of the Government of Panama and the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation, is pleased that our country has been selected to host the next congress of this prestigious organization. Scientists believe that the formation of the Isthmus of Panama is one of the most important geological events that occurred on Earth in the last 60 million years, because it had an enormous impact on the planet’s climate, its environment and played a key role in the biodiversity of our continent, in addition to being considered today as a center of tropical biology and public health sciences that includes multiple renowned scientific organizations. It will be an honor for us to host such a relevant congress in our country,” said Dr. Eduardo Ortega-Barría, National Secretary of Science, Technology and Innovation.

SRI brings together more than 2,000 world leaders in sustainability research, government and civil society experts, as well as funders and innovators, to inspire action and promote sustainability transformation.

Dr. Marcos Regis da Silva, IAI Executive Director, stated: “As one of the co-organizers to this important event, representing 19 governments in the Americas, the IAI would like to applaud Panama for its generous offer to host SRI2023. The number of inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations in Panama is extensive and the hosting of the meeting in Panama will seed many new collaborations among our organizations. Moreover, holding SRI2023 in the Latin American and Caribbean region will offer our researchers many opportunities to meet colleagues from other regions and to establish new networks for collaborative transdisciplinary projects”.

This joint global initiative of Future Earth and the Belmont Forum aims to generate meaningful conversations, provide a platform for sharing innovative ideas, and create an inspiring and inclusive space for collaboration and action. In that sense, SRI2023 will offer a program of interactive sessions, workshops, trainings, networking events, innovation demonstrations, satellite events and much more.

ABOUT SENACYT: The National Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation (Senacyt) is an autonomous institution, whose mission is to turn science and technology into tools for the sustainable development of Panama. Our projects and programs are focused on enhancing the scientific and technological development of the country and thus, closing the inequality gap and promoting equitable development that improves the quality of life of Panamanians.