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ICRI 2024 - A call to action

Communiqué / ENVRI community

On December 5, 2024

ICRI24 fisheye
ICRI 2024 participants. Photo: © ICRI24

The International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI) 2024 served as a key event for the global research infrastructure (RI) community to discuss the role of RIs in tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges. This year’s conference, held in Brisbane, was especially significant in framing climate change and sustainability as central themes in the global research agenda. Throughout the conference, the ENVRI community played a vital role in shaping the discourse, presenting new insights, and reinforcing the value of environmental RIs in addressing climate risks and advancing global sustainability.

ENVRI Community highly contributing to inspiring conversations

The IRISCC project side event at ICRI 2024 focused on climate risks, showcasing how environmental RIs are directly contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, presented by Janne Rinne, project co-coordinator (Luke/AnaEE-ERIC). IRISCC highlighted the importance of international collaboration among RIs, with the aim of building resilience through data sharing and integrated climate services.

The event provided a platform for discussions on the role of RIs in addressing climate risks, emphasising their impact on global policymaking and environmental strategies. The side event featured talks from ICOS (Werner Kutsch), eLTER (Michael Mirtl), and IRISCC (Janne Rinne).

In addition to the side events, the ENVRI community was well-represented in the main ICRI 2024 programme. Several leading environmental RIs contributed to the discussions on the role of RIs in global science and climate action:

The Brisbane Statement: A Call to Action

Research Infrastructures are the backbone of scientific discovery and innovation, addressing critical global challenges such as climate change, food security, and public health. The Brisbane Statement, emerging from the 2024 International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI 2024), underscores the importance of long-term investment, international collaboration, and inclusive approaches to harness RIs’ potential.

By uniting policymakers, funders, and RI managers, the statement highlights the need for governance models that foster trust, sustainability, and adaptability. It calls for leveraging cutting-edge technologies like AI and big data, integrating Indigenous Knowledge systems, and ensuring equitable global participation to maximize RIs’ societal impact.

Through ongoing support and strategic planning, RIs will continue to expand the frontiers of knowledge, empower interdisciplinary research, and address the world's most pressing challenges.

The Brisbane Statement can be downloaded here.

Date

On December 5, 2024

Submitted on December 12, 2024

Updated on December 12, 2024