International Conference on:

“Strengthening STI Policy Implementation for Achieving the SDGs: Challenges and Pathways to Solutions”

1.      Context

Humanity faces complex challenges: climate change, health crises, food insecurity, and social inequalities, all intensified by environmental degradation and demographic pressures. Addressing these challenges demands coordinated global efforts built upon innovation, scientific knowledge, and sustainable practices. Science, Technology, and Innovation (STI) lie at the heart of transformative solutions needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, the African Union’s Agenda 2063, and the OIC’s Agenda 2026. However, despite significant progress in policy formulation, STI policy implementation across many developing countries remains constrained by:

• Weak inter-sectoral coordination;
• Limited monitoring and evaluation frameworks;
• Short-term political priorities overshadowing long-term development goals; and
• Insufficient inclusion of youth, women, and marginalized groups.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts made to define STI policies here and there, it must be recognized that implementation mechanisms face constraints such as a lack of coordination, sometimes counterproductive political measures, the difficulty of measuring policy performance and the potential mismatch between short-term political interests and long-term societal objectives. Therefore, it becomes urgent to conduct a detailed analysis of the various bottlenecks for the implementation of STI policies in countries and to propose solutions that can ensure their effectiveness and alignment with the SDGs; notably the “Leave No One Behind” principle, which is a fundamental commitment to end poverty and reduce all inequalities, giving priority to the most vulnerable and marginalized people.

Faced with these persistent obstacles, COMSTECH and COMSATS University in Islamabad took the initiative to jointly organize this international conference, which aims to strengthen the capacity of policymakers, researchers and practitioners to design and implement mechanisms for the implementation of inclusive and evidence-based STI policies, in line with the SDGs.

2.      Aim and Objective

The training aim is to strengthen participants’ capacity to develop, implement, and evaluate STI policies that are coherent with national priorities and the SDGs. Participants will analyze implementation challenges, learn from best practices, and identify actionable strategies for transparent, participatory, and inclusive policymaking.

Following are the Objectives of Training:

• To enhance understanding of STI policy design and implementation mechanisms.
• To identify bottlenecks and constraints hindering policy effectiveness.
• To share good practices and innovative solutions from OIC and global contexts.
• To foster networking and collaboration among STI policymakers, researchers, and innovators.
• To draft a technical framework for developing and implementing effective STI policies.

3.      Topics to be covered

a.      Conceptual and Analytical Frameworks

• Methodological approaches for the design and implementation of STI policies and instruments
• Alignment of STI policies and instruments with the SDGs
• Mechanisms for monitoring STI policies and evaluating their performance

b.      Implementation Challenges and Case Analyses

• Constraints in the development and implementation of STI policies
• Governance, Success/Failure
• Gender perspectives and inclusion in STI policymaking

c.       Solutions and Future Directions

• Good practices for SDG-aligned STI policies implemented
• Recommended solutions for a transparent, participatory, inclusive, and evidence-based STI policymaking process capable of addressing challenges.
• Policy tools, Multi-stakeholder collaboration

4.      Training content

The training will be in the form of interactive sessions alternating theoretical presentations and discussions. Two training sessions of two hours each are proposed and structured around the basic elements (1) conceptual framework of STI policies, (2) youth innovation and entrepreneurship to respond to global challenges related to the SDGs, (3) diagnosis of constraints to the implementation of STI policies, (4) solutions and strategies for the development and implementation of effective STI policies, and (5) analysis of cases of success or failure in the implementation of STI policies.

5.      Profile of the speakers

• Senior STI policy experts
• Researchers
• STI policy managers
• Private sector STI policy experts
• Civil society members
• Think Thanks

6.      Target audience

• Scientific community (researchers, teachers, students, etc.)
• Industrialists (including innovators)
• Policymakers and government officials in STI sectors Civil society actors
• Development actors
• Local elected officials
• Learners
• Representatives of industry and innovation ecosystems
• Civil society and youth organizations
• Development partners and local government officials

7.      Invited institutions

• Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF)
• President Academy of Science
• Higher Education Commission (HEC)
• Association of Private Sector Universities of Pakistan (APSUP)
• Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST)
• Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI)
• Islamabad Policy Research Institute
• National Defense University (NDU) Pakistan
• National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST)
• Planning Commission of Pakistan
• Qatar Charity in Pakistan
• TUBITAK, Turkiye
• International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre (ISTIC, Malaysia)
• Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST, Iran)
• National Research Centre (NRC), Egypt
• Academy of Scientific Research and Technology (ASRT, Egypt)
• WUACD, Indonesia
• SESRIC
• OIC-GS, ASG Science & Technology

REGIISTRATION LINK:    https://forms.gle/NCoPfUWsmXzBwWmX9

8.      Agenda