Mission and goals

Our mission is develop and promote transformative solutions to social and environmental problems that we as a global community are facing. We seek to achieve this by demonstrating and promoting innovative ways to link research, policy, management decisions, and practices environment and development.

Researchers focus on producing knowledge. Partitioners argue direct action is the best way. We believe that knowledge production and action cannot be separated. Just recall what Kurt Lewin said: you cannot understand the system unless you try to change it. We would add: you cannot change the system unless you try to understand it. IFSD believes that innovation occurs only when we are able to integrate processes of research, learning and action.

We are committed to explore, learn, and catalyse new thinking and innovative practice in development, economic management, environmental conservation, and education for the benefit of human communities and the natural environment. We embrace fairness, inclusion and equity as our core philosophy guiding every action and initiative.

Our four strategic goals include:

Goal 1: Generate knowledge for positive impact and transformation

IFSD aims to develop ideas, knowledge and technologies that can lead to equitable prosperity and sustainable development everywhere.

Goal 2: Transform capabilities of people and organisations

IFSD aims to catalyse positive and transformational change by sharing information, conducting trainings and courses, providing coaching and mentoring services to young people, and creating reflective and deliberative forums for cross-cultural learning and sharing.

Goal 3: Nurture impact-oriented and transformative innovations

IFSD works on a range of niche opportunities in various localities and promote these as living examples for policy learning and global change.

Goal 4: Experiment, develop and promote solutions to socio-environmental problems

Many of the current socio-environmental problems – from water pollution and climate change – need experimental work on developing socio-technical and policy solutions. IFSD is committed to mobilise human and other resources to undertake experimental works with the aim to develop solutions that work in different contexts.