The race against time for smarter development

Abstract

Global development priorities have converged on a dual transition toward digital and green economies, driven by the urgency of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. While global research and development (R&D) expenditure increased by nearly 20% between 2014 and 2018, significant disparities in capacity remain; 80% of countries still invest less than 1% of their GDP in research, leaving them largely as recipients of foreign technology. The COVID-19 pandemic catalyzed digital transformation and international scientific collaboration, yet it also highlighted vulnerabilities in global value chains and threatened socio-economic progress in developing regions. Governments are increasingly adopting mission-oriented policies and Industry 4.0 strategies to foster innovation, particularly in artificial intelligence, robotics, and renewable energy. However, sustainability science has not yet achieved mainstream status in academic publishing, and the rapid shift toward automation risks exacerbating social inequalities and gender imbalances in technical fields. Achieving a successful dual transition requires the strategic alignment of economic, industrial, and environmental policies alongside substantial investment in infrastructure and human capital to ensure long-term resilience and sovereignty. – AI-generated abstract.