The University of Helsinki and Aalto University will be co-organizing a major international conference on sustainability sciences in June 2024. The event organized in Helsinki and Espoo combines the international SRI congress and Sustainability Science Days.
The international conference will take place from 10 to 15 June 2024 at the City Centre Campus of the University of Helsinki and the campus of Aalto University in Otaniemi.
Sustainability Science Days is Finland's largest sustainability science conference, and it will be organized next year for the seventh time, now in collaboration with the Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress (SRI). The SRI Congress is the world's largest inclusive global event for co-produced research and innovation action to advance sustainability. More than 2,000 international sustainable development experts and researchers are expected in Finland, joining an even larger online audience around the world.
"The urgency and complexity of the current sustainability crisis challenges us all. At the University of Helsinki we believe passionately that with the power of scientific knowledge and boundary breaking collaboration, we create a fairer, healthier and more sustainable world. We look forward to building a transformative SRI event that has a real, global impact on the future," says Tom Böhling, vice-rector for sustainability and responsibility at the University of Helsinki.
"Building a sustainable future is at the core of all activities. We are very happy that we can join forces and bring together researchers and different stakeholders for Finland's largest sustainability science conference. We need sustainability science, research and innovations now more than ever," says Ossi Naukkarinen, vice president responsible for research at Aalto University.
The SRI Congress provides a platform for accelerating innovation, engages with both public and private actors to inspire positive sustainable futures, and fosters an inclusive space for collaboration and transformation - within academia and beyond.
"We gather together a large group of experts to consider difficult questions - how can we secure the future of humans and other species, and how do we react to the climate crises, nature loss and other serious environmental problems. We challenge all actors in society to come together, so that societies can make wise decisions," says Susanna Lehvävirta, director at the Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS).
The SRI congress is organized by the Future Earth and Belmont Forum, together with the parties of the host country, which changes every year. In the past, the event has been organized in Australia, South Africa and Panama.
"We are excited to bring the Congress to Finland, which is one of the world leaders in sustainability and innovation. The 2024 Congress will also be the first SRI in Europe and in a Nordic country. By bringing the event and its global community to different regions, SRI seeks to initiate new conversations, connections and collaborations, and accelerate an informed sustainability transformation worldwide," say the SRI Conveners, Erica Key, Future Earth US Global Hub Director, Nicole Arbour, Executive Director of the Belmont Forum, and Veera Mitzner, Future Earth US Hub Associate Director.
