YNOVA INNOVATION PARTNERS

Open invitation to scientists, practitioners, and policy makers

The United Nations (UN) (GSDR, advanced, unedited version 14 June 2023, p. 68) clustered the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in six ‘entry points’ and five ‘levers’ to engage in the realization of the global goals. These are entry points and levers for necessary systemic change to stay within the planetary boundaries and work towards optimal safety and stability. The main idea behind this clustering is that the goals are interlinked and levers should reinforce each other. The UN also stresses that transformation towards responsible economic systems needs management through policy coherence for development. Therefore, the UN underlines the need to strengthen the science-policy interface in order to support the emergence and stabilization of new systems that facilitate the process of achieving Sustainable Development Goals.

This conference will create value for society through the design of the conference, addressing the science-policy-practice interface. How can initiatives for responsible development of the region be nourished by scientific dialogue on ethics and systems? How can the policy-practice feed-back loop be restored? These are core-concerns for this conference. The science-policy interface may play a crucial role in connecting the dots.

The objective of the conference is to identify the necessary conditions under which regional development can move from GDP-oriented growth towards responsible economic growth, enabling both human well-being and regenerative area development. This objective entails a focus on the governance of regions, using a Penta helix perspective (identifying the role and interplay of knowledge institutes, the private sector, the public sector, and civil society – also known as the ‘plural sector’ – investors, as well as artists, in relation to the natural environment).

In the region ‘everything’ comes together. There is a need for general ‘policy beacons’ in order to facilitate collaboration between all actors in each region so that efforts in all regions are mutually reinforcing. This is also referred to as ‘policy coherence’ and ‘scalability’. The focus on concrete cases draws attention to the applicability of models in practice.

The core question of the conference is:

How can regions, through using a Penta helix perspective, embrace responsible economic growth - as opposed to national GDP-oriented growth -, and how can the transition be governed and sustained?

The essence of responsible economic growth may be captured by an amalgamation or conflation of the following concepts (non-exhaustive):

·       Economy for the Common Good
·       Commons
·       Degrowth/post growth
·       Doughnut Economics
·       Circular economy
·       Biobased economy​
·       Landscape approach
·       Basic needs approach / human security
·       Well-being economy / Care Economy

The lead topic of the conference:

Governance and Leadership for Emerging Common Good Regions

Contributing topics include, but are not limited to:

a)     Fair and sustainable water & energy systems

b)     Circular  and Biobased Economy (intensive and circular use of raw materials)

c)     Regenerative natural systems (water, soil, air in balance for improved biodiversity)

d)     Positive health, care & agri-food systems

e)     Fair and sustainable rural-urban relationships

f)      Sustainable Finance and Ethical Smart Technologies

g)     Leadership and spirituality