Forskningens roll för att förverkliga den nya hållbarhetsagendan

The document argues that achieving the 2030 Agenda requires a shift from 'business as usual' to a transformative approach where research serves as a key driver. It identifies three primary roles for research: providing diagnostics (identifying problems and monitoring goals), providing solutions (accelerating technical and social innovation), and acting as a societal institution (serving as a platform for multi-stakeholder dialogue). The author emphasizes the need for transdisciplinary approaches, increased involvement of humanities and behavioral sciences, and a move away from short-term funding to support long-term sustainable environments. For Sweden, the paper suggests aligning national research priorities with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to maintain industrial leadership while transitioning to climate neutrality.

• The 2030 Agenda is characterized by principles of integration and universality, viewing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as an indivisible whole that requires a 'transformative' change in society rather than continuing with 'business as usual'.
• Research contributes to the 2030 Agenda through three distinct roles: as a diagnostic tool for identifying problems and monitoring goal fulfillment; as a provider of technical and social innovations to accelerate transition; and as a societal institution that provides a neutral platform for dialogue between academia, business, and government.
• To effectively support the SDGs, research must expand beyond traditional natural sciences to include greater contributions from the humanities and behavioral sciences, particularly regarding ethics, justice, and human behavior.
• There is a critical need for research to address 'synergies and goal conflicts' between different SDGs to ensure that policy measures are coherent and do not inadvertently undermine other sustainability targets.
• The author argues that large-scale system innovations do not occur spontaneously in market economies and require active policy steering, including risk-sharing and public procurement, to overcome the 'valley of death'.
• International research cooperation should shift from purely project-based aid toward long-term capacity building and the creation of research environments in low-income countries to enable them to diagnose and solve their own sustainability challenges.
• For Sweden, the 2030 Agenda provides a strategic framework to transition its base industry to be climate-neutral while maintaining its position as a leading industrial nation through innovations in circular and bio-based economies.

APA

Nilsson, M. (n.d.). Forskningens roll för att förverkliga den nya hållbarhetsagendan. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-Paper-MansNilsson-ForskningensRoll-VetenskapligaRadet-20160304.pdf

Chicago

Nilsson, Måns. Forskningens roll för att förverkliga den nya hållbarhetsagendan. Stockholm Environment Institute, n.d. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-Paper-MansNilsson-ForskningensRoll-VetenskapligaRadet-20160304.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nilsson |first1=Måns |title=Forskningens roll för att förverkliga den nya hållbarhetsagendan |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-Paper-MansNilsson-ForskningensRoll-VetenskapligaRadet-20160304.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nilssonndforskningens, author = {Nilsson, Måns}, title = {{Forskningens roll för att förverkliga den nya hållbarhetsagendan}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-2016-Paper-MansNilsson-ForskningensRoll-VetenskapligaRadet-20160304.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }