The 2025 Sustainability Research and Innovation Congress (SRI2025), centered in Chicago, came to a powerful close on June 19, after four days of groundbreaking dialogue, creative expression, and cross-sector collaboration.
Co-convened by Future Earth and the Belmont Forum, and hosted by the University of Illinois System, it was the first time the Congress was held in the United States. SRI2025 brought together more than 1,300 scientists, Indigenous leaders, policy experts, youth voices, and innovators from around the world all united under a shared mission: To accelerate tangible sustainability solutions rooted in equity, creativity, and collective action.
“Now is the time to turn urgency into action,” said Kristie L. Ebi, professor in the University of Washington Center for Health and the Global Environment and co-chair of the Future Earth Assembly. “SRI is where research, innovation, and policy align to improve lives and protect our planet. The collaboration we saw in Chicago reflects the kind of collective momentum needed to enact global change.”
From planetary health and equitable innovation to climate finance, food systems, and Indigenous leadership, SRI2025 underscored the power of working across disciplines, sectors, and geographies.
“SRI2025 was our chance to ask big questions, form new partnerships, and rethink what’s possible,” said Nicole Arbour, Executive Director of the Belmont Forum. “The speed of global change is daunting – but the solutions are already here. What makes SRI special is its ability to connect grassroots organizers, world-leading scientists, youth, and policy makers in the same space, all working toward a shared, just, and sustainable future.”
Hope. Actions. Solutions. Community. Collaboration. Resilience.
Guided by these six shared commitments, SRI2025 opened with a celebration of cultural expression and a deep grounding in justice and inclusion, from the soulful sounds of Brother Jacob to the ancestral perspectives of Indigenous and Afrodescendant leaders from the PICLAs network. Across four days of sessions, participants explored everything from AI and quantum innovation to circular economies, community health, and cross-border climate policy.
Highlights included:
- A powerful One Health plenary on the deep connections between human, animal, and environmental well-being.
- The EnvironMentors International Science Fair, spotlighting bold research from high school students across the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Zambia.
- Sessions on energy, mobility, and ESG innovation, showcasing creative, community-driven solutions for a decarbonized future.
- Performances and excursions across Chicago, celebrating local culture while grounding global ideas in place and people.
- A keynote by economist Jeffrey Sachs reinforcing the message that systems change must be backed by financial systems designed for fairness, accountability, and global inclusion.
A City and a Congress in Celebration
Set against the backdrop of Chicago’s iconic riverfront, the Congress celebrated not just science and policy, but also the creative roots of the host city with performances honoring its legacy of blues, jazz, gospel, house music, and Indigenous cultures.
Juneteenth’s closing plenary offered a resonant finale, centering Black resilience and environmental justice through a dialogue featuring Tonika Johnson, José López, Chancellor Marie Lynn Miranda, and Kristol Simms. Climate communicator Dr. Katharine Hayhoe closed the Congress with a charge to move forward with clarity and courage.
“The work we initiated this week must continue – across every discipline and
around the world,” said Tim Killeen, President of the University of Illinois System. “As was evident throughout the congress, SRI 2025 served as a forum for making meaningful and strategic connections. Now it’s up to us to keep rolling with what we started this week.”
As SRI2025 comes to a close, what remains is a renewed global community ready to translate knowledge into action and insight into sustained transformation.
Thank you to the attendees who brought the Congress to life, and to our partners: Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Chicago Innovation, EPIC-N, I-GUIDE, Global Sustainability Scholars, CLEETS, Global Council for Science and the Environment, and Great Lakes Higher Education Consortium for their collaboration.
Thank you also to our sponsors for their support, without which SRI2025 would not have been possible: ComEd, Richard H Driehaus Foundation, Walder Foundation, American Family Insurance, Google LLC/Alphabet, World Business Chicago, Northern Trust, Ameren Illinois, CNH, Ernst and Young (EY), CSX/USX, Intersect Illinois, LanzaJet, SC Johnson, Ferrero, and PwC.