CHICAGO, IL – April 22, 2025 – The Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress (SRI) and Chicago Innovation today announced their partnership to host the Chicago Innovation Climate Summit at the Sheraton Hotel in Chicago on June 18, 2025. The summit will be a key regional component of the larger SRI Congress 2025, a 2,000- person, four-day international conference focused on sustainability research and innovation taking place June 16-19.
The Chicago Innovation Climate Summit will feature four session topics with 20 speakers who are leading pioneers in sustainability-focused innovation across agriculture, energy, manufacturing and infrastructure, litigation, confrontation, and collaboration. This event continues Chicago Innovation’s series of successful Climate Innovation Summits, which typically attract 300-400 attendees passionate about using innovation to combat climate change.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the University of Illinois System and SRI Congress to show this influential global audience that Chicago is a thriving hub of climate innovation,” said Luke Tanen, President and CEO of Chicago Innovation. “From our region’s world-class universities, talented workforce that cuts across industries, and rich natural resources, Chicago continues to be well-positioned to innovate the new products and services needed to tackle climate challenges head-on.”
The SRI Congress, celebrating its fifth anniversary in 2025, is being held in the United States for the first time. Hosted by the University of Illinois System at the Sheraton Grand Chicago Riverwalk, SRI2025 will spotlight “Pathways to Sustainability Solutions,” sharing implementation strategies and successful approaches to critical sustainability challenges facing Chicago, the United States, and the globe.
“This collaboration highlights the power of connecting academic insight with entrepreneurial energy and civic commitment,” said Don Wuebbles, Professor Emeritus, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “By bringing one of the world’s premier sustainability events to Chicago and partnering with Chicago Innovation, we’re ensuring that our brightest minds, changemakers, and startups are front and center on the global stage, and that SRI2025 serves as a way to find solutions that matter and putting them into practice to for people and communities who need them most.”
Future Earth, a founding convener of the SRI Congress alongside the Belmont Forum, emphasized the value of combining global science with local innovation. “SRI2025 will demonstrate how local action can inspire and drive systemic global change,” said Dr. Maria Uhle, Co-Chair of the Future Earth Governing Council. “Our partnership with Chicago Innovation amplifies the Congress’s mission to turn knowledge into action. We are building a more sustainable and equitable future by bridging research and innovation in a city known for its resilience and creativity.”
SRI2025 is open to the public and welcomes participation from Chicago Innovation’s extensive community and sustainability leaders worldwide. The Congress is expected to bring together over 2,000 participants from more than 80 countries, including prominent sustainability leaders like Katharine Hayhoe, Chief Scientist at The Nature Conservancy; Timothy L. Killeen, President of the University of Illinois System; Jeffrey Sachs, President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network; and Jeremy Rifkin, Economic Philosopher and President of TIR Consulting Group LLC.
The Chicago Innovation Climate Summit will showcase local and regional leaders who have launched innovative products, services, and organizations combating climate change. Speakers include experts from Urban Growers Collective, Rheaply, Mycocycle, Illinois State Climatologist’s office, the Environmental Law & Policy Center, S2G Investments, and many others. For more information about the Chicago Innovation Climate Summit and SRI Congress 2025, please visit www.sricongress.org
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About SRI Congress
The Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress (SRI) is an annual convening focused on action-forward, knowledge-based, and inclusive approaches to sustainability. It unites global leaders in research, government, civil society, and business to meaningfully advance progress toward sustainability. The SRI Congress series is co-convened by the Belmont Forum and Future Earth. The global gathering has been held in Oceania, Africa, Latin America, Europe, and this year is coming to the United States for the first time. For more information, visit www.sricongress.org.
About Chicago Innovation
Chicago Innovation, established in 2002 as the Chicago Innovation Awards, has grown from a single awards ceremony to a year-long series of events and activities with a mission to educate, connect and celebrate all innovators in the Chicago region. The organization’s expansion has included the Chicago Innovation Women’s Mentoring Co-op to support female innovators, the Illinois Student Invention Convention to teach innovation to K-8 th grade students, Ageless Innovators to combat ageism through intergenerational comentorship, The Ladder to support Black and Latine innovators in Chicago, the Climate Change Initiative to support innovators who are combating climate change, and Chicago Innovation Fellows, a leadership development program for innovators at mid to large organizations. For more information, visit www.chicagoinnovation.com. To follow on social media, visit Twitter (@Chi_Innovation) and Facebook sites.
About Future Earth
Future Earth is a global network of researchers developing and synthesizing knowledge to support transformations towards sustainability. With a strong focus on systems-based approaches, Future Earth seeks to deepen our understanding of complex Earth systems and human dynamics across different disciplines and leverage this understanding to underpin evidence-based policies and strategies for sustainable development. Learn more at futureearth.org.
About Belmont Forum
The Belmont Forum is a partnership of funding organizations, international science councils, and regional consortia committed to the advancement of transdisciplinary science. Since its establishment, the Forum has successfully led 22 calls for proposals, supporting 181 projects and more than 1000 scientists and stakeholders, representing over 90 countries. For more information, visit belmontforum.org.
Media Contacts:
SRI Congress:
Bob Spoerl
bob@bearicebox.com
773.453.2444
Chicago Innovation:
Emilio Balderas
Emilio.balderas@mercuryllc.com
312-925-9122