“Accelerating the transition to sustainable development”
Launched in March 2019 as part of the I-SITE Excellence Program "Montpellier University of Excellence" (MUSE), the Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute on Transitions (MAK'IT) is a newcomer among the Institutes for Advanced Studies (IEA).
A place for knowledge development, encounters, and interaction between the local ecosystem and international science, MAK'IT aims to stimulate the contribution of scientific communities to the analysis, support, and acceleration of the transitions necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the fields of agriculture and food, the environment, and health.
As a collective intelligence tool, the Institute encourages interdisciplinary exchanges and the development of new approaches and innovative research methodologies, in close collaboration with policymakers and citizens.
Vision
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as adopted under the auspices of the United Nations, call for a profound transformation of our societies towards more innovative, inclusive, and adaptive models. This transformation is based on a series of major transitions to be orchestrated at the intersection of health, environment and climate, agriculture, and food. From the local to the global level, these transitions represent challenges that research must address. MAK'IT's goal is to renew the places and forms of scientific knowledge mobilization and to invent new forums for addressing the many controversies raised by these changes.
Functions
Programming: contributing to the programming of research on transitions and strengthening the establishment of a school of thought at the local, national, and international levels.
Looking ahead: identifying and encouraging the implementation of relevant foresight exercises, and strengthening the scientific expertise and capacities needed to implement transitions.
Influencer: fueling debates within national and international bodies where transitions are conceived and implemented, acting as an interface between science and society and science and politics.
Activities
Hosting international researchers
MAK’IT offers international researchers from all geographical and disciplinary backgrounds the opportunity to spend several months conducting research in Montpellier. The Institute facilitates exchanges and supports their interactions with Montpellier's scientific community and the non-academic world.
Freed from their daily obligations, these researchers conduct, individually or in groups, the scientific project of their choice, in collaboration with Montpellier-based research organizations. These projects are characterized by a strong interdisciplinary approach focused on the analysis of controversies, innovative methodologies and research areas, real science-society interactions, and an impact on the transition to sustainable development.
Applications for a stay at the Institute are subject to a selective evaluation process by the MAK'IT Scientific Council, composed of independent international experts. The Council meets twice a year to evaluate applications submitted in response to the Institute's main calls for applications: "GUEST SCIENTISTS," "COHORT," "French Institutes for Advanced Study" (FIAS), and "Constructive Advanced Thinking" (CAT).
Organization of international events in Montpellier
In order to strengthen the involvement of scientific communities in public debate, MAK'IT organizes a whole program of events around the hosting of international researchers. Weekly meetings between resident researchers allow them to discuss the impact of their work beyond disciplinary and sectoral boundaries. Monthly discussions, known as "MAK'IT Talks," bring together academics and researchers, policy makers, and representatives of civil society and the private sector to encourage reflection on issues related to current and future societal challenges.
Partnerships and development of European and international initiatives related to the SDGs
MAK'IT collaborates with other organizations, spaces, and think tanks of a similar nature or with similar interests, with a particular focus on accelerating the transition to sustainable development and strengthening scientific capacities in countries in the Global South. In particular, the Institute has forged special partnerships with French (RFIEA), European (NetIAS), and international (UBIAS) networks of Institutes of Advanced Studies.
A true laboratory for change, MAK'IT is committed to ensuring that the findings of its work are useful to future generations and stimulate their commitment to sustainable development. In addition to widely distributing its publications, the institute encourages the deployment of educational content and innovative teaching programs.
Specific features
- Registration within the overall framework of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Three priority areas of action: agriculture and food, environment, and health
- Enhanced dialogue between life sciences and social sciences
- Interface between science, politics, and society, and an original approach through the handling of societal controversies
- Geographic focus on the "South" ("Leaving no scientific community behind")
- Anchored in a local scientific network and within a dense network of international academic and institutional partners
News
MAK’IT celebrates five years of activity
Published on: April 5 , 2024
To mark its fifth anniversary, the Montpellier Advanced Knowledge Institute...
