The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters has compiled a joint declaration with signatures from 12 universities, 3 foundations and 10 other scientific actors that seek to create a community of scientists and science supporters to act as pioneers of the sustainability transformation. The undersigned invite all scientific organisations and science funding agencies to work together.
Science creates new knowledge and enables innovation that solves global sustainability challenges. However, scientific actors must be able to better consider their activities’ impact on ecological sustainability than before.
“Our objective is to create a community of scientists and their supporters, to act as pioneers of the sustainability transformation and create solutions to global sustainability challenges, such as climate change, the loss of biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources,” says Pekka Aula, Secretary General of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters.
According to the joint declaration, “it is by setting an example that we can communicate the necessity and urgency of this change”.
The undersigning organisations will strive to develop management practices that support sustainability skills and to create incentive systems that encourage sustainable action. It is also the organisations desire to focus on the societal impact of research so that the messages of science are passed on to other sectors of society. They will also try to discover common methods to analyse and monitor the ecological impacts of research and education as well as the achievement of social justice.
It is the objective of this cooperation and joint declaration to reinforce the implementation of existing commitments. It is necessary for universities, foundations and other scientific actors to reinforce and bolster both their mutual cooperation and concrete action to retain a sustainable foundation for their operations, now and in the future. The organisations invite all scientific organisations and science funding agencies to work together.
More on the joint declaration
Read more about the objectives of the declaration:
Joint declaration: Scientific community and science funding agencies call for cooperation to accelerate the sustainability transformation
Do you want to join the declaration:
It is possible to join the declaration at the website of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
The undersigning organisations:
The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters
University of Vaasa
Aalto University
University of Tampere
Young Academy Finland
Kone Foundation
Puistokatu 4
LUT University
University of Turku
The Council of Finnish Academies
University of Helsinki
Federation of Finnish Learned Societies
Sustainability Transformations -doctoral education pilot
TAH Foundation
University of Lapland
University of Eastern Finland
Nessling Foundation
National Defence University
The Council of Rectors of Finnish Universities
University of Oulu
University of Jyväskylä
Svenska tekniska vetenskapsakademien i Finland
The Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters
UniPID, Finnish University Partnership for International Development
Hanken School of Economics
Further information:
Jenni Koistinen Manager, Communications and Public Affairs, UNIFI, 050 5506122
Regarding the joint declaration
This joint declaration was prepared by the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. The declaration is based on a stakeholder event for the stakeholders of the Academy of Science and Letters in 2024 and a member survey conducted of its members.