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The report outlines the critical role of geospatial least-cost modelling in achieving universal energy access, while highlighting significant data gaps in demand-side considerations, grid infrastructure, and clean cooking patterns. It argues for a shift from static to dynamic data inputs and suggests that integrating electrification and clean cooking planning can double the viability of electric cookstoves. The document provides frameworks for key data inputs and proposes cost-effective methods for filling gaps, such as AI-driven remote sensing and cell phone-based surveys.

The report argues that transdisciplinary (TD) research—which integrates diverse scientific disciplines and non-academic societal actors to solve real-world problems—is often hindered by a lack of formal coordination. Based on a 2024 workshop, the authors propose a framework for improving TD coordination centered on three goals: shifting scientific culture toward societal impact, transforming funding mechanisms to be more inclusive and flexible, and building specialized capacities in facilitation and communication. The document emphasizes the need to elevate Southern perspectives to correct power imbalances between the Global North and South in scientific collaboration.