Two TMCD research projects, the Inclusive Digital Model (IDMODEL) project and the Green Windows of Opportunity research were recently featured in a report by the Interagency Task Team on Science, Technology and Innovation for the Sustainable Development Goals for the United Nations. The report titled 'Emerging science, frontier technologies, and the SDGs Perspectives from the UN system and science and technology communities' presents the updated 2021 Technology Facilitation Mechanism (TFM) findings on the impact of rapid technology change on the achievement of the SDGs, together with science-policy briefs, updates and other materials upon which the findings are based.

The Inclusive Digital Model (IDMODEL) Project  by Xiaolan Fu, and Elvis Korku Avenyo (University of Oxford), Pervez Ghauri (University of Birmingham), Xiaoqiang Xing, (University of International Business & Economics, China) was included as a specific application for sustainable development. The project aims to research into a new business model that seeks to enable marginalized people in developing countries to generate income and empower themselves by sharing their skills and experiences using a digital platform. The findings of this pioneering research have so far provided insightful policy implications for technology-based business models in developing countries. The accessibility and affordability of technology, however, warrant further actions from local and national governments, local NGOs, and multinational enterprises (MNEs). This poverty alleviating policy action can only be achieved through effective collaborations between business, society, and politics.

The Green Windows of Opportunity project by Rasmus Lema (University of Aalborg); Xiaolan Fu (University of Oxford); Roberta Rabellotti (University of Pavia) was featured as one of the big picture- science and technology policy issues. The project  used insights from China to explorer how opportunities emerge and vary in different renewable energy sectors. They argue that a worldwide and profound techno-economic paradigm transition is currently under way: this is the restructuring towards a greener global economy, which has important implications for latecomer development. More so than earlier, transition is driven by deliberate changes in polices, strategies and institutions. These changes may create ‘green windows of opportunity’ because mission-guided technical change and market development influence the conditions for economic development.

You can download the report here.