SOR4D Solution-oriented Research for Development

📣 Call for Contributions – SOR4D Research Conference 2026 31 August – 1 September 2026 | 📍 Bern, Switzerland How can transdisciplinary research help tackle today’s overlapping crises — from climate shocks to inequality — and co-create solutions for a more sustainable and just world? The SOR4D Solution-oriented Research for Development programme, jointly funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, invites researchers and non-academic actors to contribute to the SOR4D Research Conference 2026 under the theme: "Advancing Transdisciplinary Research for Global Development: Crisis, Collaboration, and Change". Share your insights, tools, and lessons through: • Presentations • Roundtables • Workshops Conference subthemes: 1️⃣ Converging Knowledge Systems – bridging science, tradition, and practice 2️⃣ Transformative Research – from analysis to action in times of crisis 3️⃣ Scaling Solutions – from local innovation to global impact The conference is expected to draw a large audience from researchers and development actors familiar with transdisciplinary research, North-South partnerships and international development. There is no registration fee, and a limited number of travel scholarships are available for participants from least-developed, low- and middle-income countries. 📝 Submit your proposal by 19 January 2026 (17:00 CET) via the online form: 👉 https://lnkd.in/gymWayrX 👉 Call document: https://lnkd.in/dqDms6eB Learn more: www.sor4d.ch Questions? Contact: [email protected] Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF ETH NADEL - Global Cooperation and Sustainable Development Centre for Development and Environment (CDE), University of Bern Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute ETH for Development - ETH4D EssentialTech Tech4Dev Leading House Asia Pacific, University of Zurich (UZH) Swiss Network for International Studies (SNIS) Swiss Leading House for Africa Swiss Leading House MENA Swiss Leading House South Asia Sandec-Eawag Geneva Graduate Institute swisspeace Wyss Academy for Nature EADI European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes

Over the past 6 months, 12 inspiring startups from across Sub-Saharan Africa have been shaping the future of carbon removal through the African Carbon Removal Accelerator (ACRA). From biochar and agroforestry to innovative biomass and rock weathering solutions, their work shows how science, entrepreneurship and local knowledge can come together to tackle the climate crisis. We’re proud that ACRA is part of the SOR4D – Solution-oriented Research for Development programme, supported by Direktion für Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit and Schweizerischer Nationalfonds SNF. The initiative reflects our mission: advancing sustainable development through transdisciplinary collaboration, innovation, and South–North partnerships. 🌍✨ Congratulations to all startups on this milestone! We look forward to following your journey and seeing your contribution to continental climate action and global carbon removal. #ClimateAction #Innovation #SOR4D

🌐𝗙𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 – 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗹𝗲𝘀 (DE unten) Climate change, biodiversity loss, inequalities, and wars are putting pressure on the world's food systems – and conversely, these systems are contributing to these crises. The current WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA) is not equipped to deal with these issues. In a 3-year project, an international group of experts from the Global North and South is working on how agricultural trade could be re-imagined to effectively promote sustainable food systems worldwide. They have now published two foundational papers: ✅ Underlying principles for re-imagined sustainable trade rules 👉 https://t.ly/Hn1nB ✅ Background paper highlighting the challenges with the current AoA 👉 https://t.ly/tw6xd ➡️ Both papers will inform an upcoming Draft Model Treaty, which will then be consulted with food systems and trade stakeholders in Switzerland and internationally. More about the project “Agreement on Agriculture Re-Imagined” coordinated by CDE (Universität Bern) and supported by Schweizerischer Nationalfonds SNF 👉 https://lnkd.in/gvsrbxgm Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Caroline Dommen, ETH Zürich, Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung, Biswajit Dhar (India), Jikun Huang (China), Diogo Rosenthal Coutinho (Brazil) 🌐 𝗘𝗿𝗻𝗮̈𝗵𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗴𝘀𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗸 – 𝗭𝗲𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝘂̈𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗹𝗻 𝗶𝗺 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗹 Klimaerwärmung, Biodiversitätsverlust, Ungleichheiten und Kriege setzen unsere Ernährungssysteme weltweit unter Druck – und umgekehrt trägt die Lebensmittelproduktion selbst zu diesen Herausforderungen bei. Das derzeitige WTO-Agrarabkommen (Agreement on Agriculture, AoA) ist nicht geeignet, um diese Probleme zu lösen. In einem dreijährigen Projekt untersucht eine internationale Expert*innengruppe aus dem globalen Norden und Süden die Frage, wie der Agrarhandel neu geregelt werden könnte, um nachhaltige Ernährungssysteme weltweit wirksam zu fördern. Jetzt haben sie zwei Grundlagendokumente vorgelegt: ✅ Leitprinzipien für nachhaltige Handelsregeln 👉 https://t.ly/Hn1nB ✅ Hintergrund-Papier, das die Schwachstellen des heutigen Agrarabkommens aufzeigt 👉 https://t.ly/tw6xd ➡️ Diese Dokumente bilden die Basis für den Entwurf eines Musterübereinkommens, das in den kommenden Monaten mit Fachkreisen in der Schweiz und auf internationaler Ebene konsultiert wird. Mehr zum Projekt «Agreement on Agriculture Re-Imagined», das vom CDE koordiniert und vom SNF unterstützt wird👉 https://lnkd.in/exGJbduj

⚠️ New #paper out: "Agroecological interventions increase biodiversity and the potential for climate change mitigation in Europe" 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e6z_6XwB In this meta-analysis, scientists from several institutions assessed the effects of agroecological interventions on biodiversity, as well as on #carbon storage and some greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) at the field scale in Europe. Key findings of the study: 🔸Agroecological interventions increased biodiversity of all studied functional groups. 🔸Effects on biodiversity were positive for all agricultural land-use types except horticulture. 🔸Soil C storage and N2O mitigation increased, but not CH4 and CO2 mitigation. 🔸The majority of studies with both biodiversity and climate change mitigation data showed a synergy between the two objectives. These findings demonstrate the multiple environmental benefits that can be obtained from adopting an agroecological approach to farming, and highlight the value of this approach for achieving European Union targets in relation to both #ClimateChange mitigation and #biodiversity. #agroecology #farming #CabonStorage #GreenhouseGas #GHG #sustainability #MetaAnalysis

Acting is a difficult skill to master. Eclose is teaming up with Dr. Daniela A. Peguero from Sandec-Eawag and rowland watipaso mhone with the SFHC team here in Mzuzu, Malawi to develop a training of trainer (ToT) guide for SIMBA - the Simplified BSF Approach. Although the BSF team at SFHC already masters the operation as well as training of trainers, they are currently acting as participants. The team members are challenging each other with questions such as: Why is it important to add only pupae in a love cage when not using dark cages?" Once the content of the ToT guide is refined with comments from the team, it will be used for the satellite operations around Mzuzu. Check the website of SWIFT for more information about this project: https://lnkd.in/eB6S55c7 Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation SNSF and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation under the SOR4D Solution-oriented Research for Development.

📚🪰 Let’s Talk About the #BUGBOOK Initiative! 📚🪰 Have you combed through the literature trying to figure out how best to set up a BSF experiment? Or tried to figure out how to maintain your lab colony? We've been there too! A big group of researchers (myself included!) teamed up together to launch the #BUGBOOK—an open-access series aimed at harmonizing standard methods and protocols for insect research. I’m thrilled to have co-authored two of the newly released chapters in this series: 📘 "BugBook: Basic information and good practices on how to maintain stock populations for Tenebrio molitor and Hermetia illucens" 👉 https://lnkd.in/e7iQ2Z-u 📘 "BugBook: Considerations for designing and performing insect larvae production experiments" 👉 https://lnkd.in/eJd_8wBB Each article is designed to be practical, accessible, and directly useful to researchers, students, and anyone working with insects in food and feed. There are several other chapters of the #BUGBOOK series, and all will be published as a full collection in the Journal of Insects as Food and Feed. So keep a look out! Thanks to David Deruytter and Carl Coudron for taking the lead of these two chapters. And to all the great co-authors whose work I admire Wael Yakti Viktoria Wiklicky Somaya Naser El Deen @christoph sandrock Teun Veldkamp Christina Adamaki-Sotiraki Juan José Pascual Amorós Meggie Van Peer Rumbos Christos @Christos Athanassiou María Cambra-López Thank you also to the SOR4D Solution-oriented Research for Development! Sandec-Eawag