WAITRO Secretary-General Highlights Global Innovation and Sustainability at the 7th G-STIC in India
October 22nd – 23rd, 2024, New Delhi, India – The 7th Global Sustainable Technology & Innovation Conference (G-STIC) was organized by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in partnership with VITO and eight other not-for-profit independent technology research institutes, including several WAITRO members such as the Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute (JITRI) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South Africa (CSIR). This year’s theme was “Harmonising Technology, Policy, and Business Pathways for a Sustainable Future and Coexistence.” Dr. Paul E. Burrows, WAITRO Secretary General and Vice President of JITRI, was invited by G-STIC as a panelist in the plenary session themed “Digital Technologies to Achieve the SDGs” and also delivered a speech at the closing ceremony.
During the session on #Digital Technologies, Dr. Burrows highlighted the gap between research in digital technologies and the importance of understanding technology’s value in achieving the SDGs. He stated,
“I think if you ask how digital technology can positively affect the SDGs, you can find many examples, but it is critically important to start with the problem that you want to solve. Turning something digital does not by itself make anything more sustainable… If your solution is a hammer, a lot of problems that you encounter start looking like nails. If the problem is actually different, it is not impossible to make things worse.”
Dr. Burrows also delivered an insightful speech at the closing ceremony, emphasizing the remarkable progress and collaborative spirit witnessed at the 7th G-STIC meeting. He focused on the popular discussions on green hydrogen energy and stressed the need to introduce market perspectives to sustainability researchers early in their careers. Citing studies on the failure of early-stage technology companies, he noted that the absence of market need and funding were the top reasons for their downfall, not technology. He shared a historical quote from 1907, underscoring the importance of creating demand before competition can arise. Using China’s booming electronic vehicle industry as an example, Dr. Burrows highlighted that an important role of governmental policy is to create competitive new markets for technology implementation and commercialization, not to subsidize specific technology solutions. He pointed out that Europe and the US could learn much from the development of China’s technology markets.
With WAITRO’s mission and vision, a global innovation network has been created, nurtured, and expanded since the 1970s, enabling WAITRO to help RTOs connect innovations to diverse market conditions worldwide. Dr. Burrows also stressed the importance of identifying market opportunities and the need for investment to drive sustainability forward, a theme of the upcoming WAITRO Summit 2024 in Nanjing, titled “Innovation to Impact” set to begin in Nanjing on November 13th, 2024.
He expressed his gratitude to the organizers at TERI and G-STIC for the opportunity to participate in the conference and looked forward to future collaborations.
About the Author: Lei Hou
