Co-development of technologies of the future

The report critiques the historical failure of technology transfer in clean energy, agriculture, and health, proposing a 'co-development' model to bridge the gap between developed and developing nations.

• The author argues that the traditional 'technology transfer' model is insufficient and should be replaced by 'technology co-development' to ensure the Global South are partners rather than just recipients, promoting transparency and equity in access.
• An analysis of 36 multilateral clean energy initiatives (2010–2021) reveals a heavy bias toward 'soft transfer' (capacity building and information sharing) with almost no focus on joint international research, design, and development (RD&D) partnerships involving developing countries.
• In the agricultural sector, a review of 30 multilateral initiatives (2010–2021) found that despite claims of supporting local people, no initiative focused on utilizing indigenous knowledge for technology transfer.
• Vaccine distribution exhibits extreme spatial inequality; as of January 11, 2022, over 72% of Covid-19 vaccines were administered in high and upper-middle income countries, while low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) received only 0.9%.
• Significant financial and legal barriers hinder technology diffusion, including intellectual property rights (IPRs) and higher costs of finance in developing nations; for example, renewable energy financing costs in some least developed countries are 6–7 times higher than in rich countries.
• The report proposes a Global Green Hydrogen Partnership/Network (G2H2) to design affordable green hydrogen technologies and prevent the gap between where hydrogen potential exists and where investment is currently directed.
• For high-risk 'breakthrough' technologies like Solar Radiation Modification (SRM), the document emphasizes the need for international multi-stakeholder networks to govern research and prevent unilateral, risky behavior.

APA

Ghosh, A., Harihar, N., & Jain, P. (2022). Co-development of technologies of the future. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/co-development-technologies-stockholm50backgroundpaper.pdf

Chicago

Ghosh, Arunabha, Nandini Harihar, and Prayank Jain. Co-development of technologies of the future. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2022. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/co-development-technologies-stockholm50backgroundpaper.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ghosh |first1=Arunabha |last2=Harihar |first2=Nandini |last3=Jain |first3=Prayank |title=Co-development of technologies of the future |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=May 2022 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/co-development-technologies-stockholm50backgroundpaper.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ghosh2022codevelopment, author = {Ghosh, Arunabha and Harihar, Nandini and Jain, Prayank}, title = {{Co-development of technologies of the future}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2022}, month = may, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/co-development-technologies-stockholm50backgroundpaper.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }