Fabio Iannone, Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies, is chair of track 6.6 of the R&D Management Conference. He hopes that this track will push management researchers to explore how sustainable innovation can address challenges and unlock opportunities in the Global South.

“We are inviting submissions on themes such as policy and institutional impacts, social enterprises, public-private partnerships, community-driven sustainable innovation approaches, frugal innovations and SDGs.

“Managing sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity, particularly where socio-economic growth is frequently constrained by limited resources, infrastructure challenges, socio-political pressures and environmental issues.

“In Africa, as in Latin America or South-East Asia, clean energy access, hunger, deforestation, among the others, are daily challenges. GS’s ecosystems are teeming with abundant wildlife, but are adversely affected by man-made environmental degradation.

“We have seen how the rapid adoption of mobile technology, AI, and digital finance by these countries have enabled them to skip certain development stages and adopt sustainable practices, creating hope that disruptive technology will enable sustainable innovation.”

Track 6.6 Driving Sustainable Innovation in the Global South: Challenges and Opportunities

In the Global South, issues like lack of clean energy access, deforestation, and pollution are threatening fragile ecosystems that host abundant wildlife.

Although ‘sustainable innovation’ – developing eco-friendly products, services, and technologies – has gained momentum, driven by policies supporting green practices and rapid adoption of technologies such as mobile tech, AI, and digital finance, to be effective it needs to integrate local knowledge and engage with communities. The debate on best practices and incentives is far from over.

This track explores research on Sustainable Innovation’s drivers, challenges, and the roles of policies, local communities, and partnerships in promoting sustainable growth across the Global South.