DWIH Focus Topic 2022: Sustainable innovations
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The German Centers for Research and Innovation (DWIH) have chosen “Sustainable innovations” as their focus topic for 2022 and will be highlighting how these are being driven forward in a process of international exchange.
Are there “limits to growth” as far as innovations are concerned? Published by the Club of Rome 50 years ago, this was the title of a widely read study of the dangers involved in rampant economic growth. It concluded that wanting “evermore” growth and production could not be the answer and that more sustainable and environmentally friendly approaches were needed. Increasingly, it is also no longer enough for innovations simply to be new or more productive.
As drivers of innovation, science and research-based industry need to work sustainably. Innovations can foster sustainability in a very concrete sense, for example when new solutions are found in the fight against climate change, or when resource-efficient methods of production are developed. At the same time, the question arises as to how politics, business and science can create a climate for innovation that will continue to produce ground-breaking developments in the long term.
A network for long-term exchange
“Sustainable innovations” is the 2022 focus topic of the German Centers for Research and Innovation (DWIH) in New York, São Paulo, Moscow, New Delhi, Tokyo, and San Francisco. In their programmers, the DWIH demonstrate the value of international exchange for innovation drivers in Germany and the respective host countries.
Further information about the choice of the DWIH focus topic for 2022 can be found on the DWIH network website.
The USA are undergoing a transformation. Far-reaching investments in infrastructure, in the growth of sustainable industry to create jobs, but also in basic and applied research are intended to prepare the country for the future. The political and social agenda includes major energy issues such as reducing C02 emissions through innovative approaches to energy generation and storage and increasing energy efficiency in mobility. Climate change is also a challenge, as is achieving resilience and sustainable, social justice.
Transatlantic partnership for sustainability
In keeping with the plans of governments on both sides of the Atlantic, and with a view out the window of the United Nations headquarters, the theme of sustainable innovation is very timely for the DWIH team’s work in New York this year. All events will also focus on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Green hydrogen as the fuel of the future, the sustainable future of megacities, new materials, global climate justice and circular economy processes are key topics, as are sustainable business models in the fields of venture capital and slow fashion.