RD4SD – European research for sustainable development

The RD4SD exercise aimed at discussing how European research can be harnessed for sustainability. This structured dialogue has been developed around a background paper, prepared by an expert group chaired by Luke Georghiou from the Institute of Innovation Research at Manchester Business School.

The mandate required the expert group to explore the three following questions:

To what extent does sustainable development require changes in the way we carry out research?
To what extent does sustainable development require changes in the way we elaborate research policies?
Which indicators do we need to grasp the contribution of research to sustainable development?

Contributions to this exercise from other interested stakeholders were open through a web-based consultation held in early 2009.
Members States and FP7 Associated Countries were also invited to contribute.
Take a look at an overview of the process. The final results of this exercise were presented and discussed at the conference, "Sustainable development: a challenge for European Research", held on May 26-28 2009, in Brussels, with more than 1 200 participants registered.
You can find the final version of the expert group report here: Gearing European Research towards sustainability. RD4SD Exercise ( 3.7 MB) or order a printed version (free of charge) from the EU bookshop.