4 opportunities for science, technology and innovation in Small Island Developing States

The challenges of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are well-known: their relatively small size, undiversified economies, distance from large markets and trade routes, as well as extreme vulnerability to external shocks. 

In the world of science, technology and innovation (STI), SIDS also face low levels of investment in research and development, inadequate access to financing, underdeveloped STI infrastructure, lack of high-quality disaggregated data and limited budgetary resources for education. 

But these vulnerabilities have a flip side. Here are four STI-related challenges that can become opportunities for SIDS:

1. The lack of “legacy” infrastructure can be a benefit when countries are seeking investment in new, green infrastructure.
2. The small size of SIDS governments and populations can make forging new partnerships and collaborations relatively simple, and awareness of new initiatives and approaches can spread relatively easily. The Union Island Environmental Alliance in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, for instance, is mobilizing local communities to co-create strategies that build environmental and social resilience.
3. SIDS innovation — inspired by necessity, developed over generations, and rooted in local and indigenous knowledge — can provide homegrown solutions. In Vanuatu, for example, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme links local and traditional knowledge with technology, inviting communities to track indicator species on their smart phones and monitor climate change and biodiversity loss.
4. Citizen science initiatives can fill gaps left by international research and data sets. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Maua app by SkyEye Pacific Limited, allowed local artisans and farmers to participate in the global market.

Partners can support organizations that are already capitalizing on these strengths. These are just four stars in a constellation of efforts. 

Opportunities for collaboration, support and investment in STI in SIDS will be addressed in the upcoming Fourth International Conference on SIDS (SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda in May 2024. In addition, the upcoming STI Forum from 9 to 10 May 2024 with its focus on AI, climate and the SDGs, presents a critical opportunity to look toward the future and align global efforts towards sustainable development.

Learn more about the STI Forum.

Learn more about the SIDS4 Conference.

Photo credit: Unsplash/Ano Tome