“Grand challenges are formulations of global problems that can be plausibly addressed through coordinated and collaborative effort”
Contributing to this coordinated and collaborative effort is the reason why the Grand Challenges Blog @ HEC Lausanne has been created. Our aim is to disseminate research and promote an informed public debate around a wide spectrum of grand challenges that we are so urgently called upon to face and resolve.
Solutions to such complex and interconnected problems are, however, not easy to find or implement. The lack of sufficient progress on achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) demonstrates the much greater need and urgency to mobilize governments, businesses, and civil society at large. So, what can we, as researchers and academics do?
As the Editorial Team we believe our role lies in disseminating and making societally relevant research more accessible to wider audiences, also outside academia. As such, we encourage you to:
Embrace interdisciplinarity and think critically
We welcome interdisciplinarity both in terms of theories and methods. Furthermore, we particularly value content with a critical and reflective spirit also including perspectives from the Global South. Future contributions to the Blog may relate, among others, to the 17 SDGs, the planetary boundaries, circular economy framework, or may address alternative development pathways or challenge traditional forms of knowledge. We are looking for blog posts that contribute to a better conceptual understanding and/or provide practical resolutions to Grand Challenges in any significant manner.
Use alternative outreach formats to connect with broader audiences
As most researchers know and fear, oftentimes scientific articles struggle in reaching wider audiences and when they do, it is usually after a long publication process. A first step is therefore to transpose research findings into some more accessible formats and language e.g., via social media platforms, in a timely manner. However, social media offer rather limited space to present more developed ideas. Our Blog aims at closing these gaps by offering a space for students, researchers, and professors to discuss research findings and ideas, even if not yet published in academic journals. The ultimate goal is to enlarge our horizons of thinking and bring the best ideas closer to people inside and outside of academia, including our peers, but also practitioners, governments, NGOs and many more.
Because knowledge is like happiness: It grows only when shared!
Submit your contribution
If the above resonates with your interests, we encourage you to submit your contribution to the Grand Challenges Blog @ HEC Lausanne.
To do that, you can send content via our submission form, either in the form of a research highlight or a commentary. Research highlights are designed to summarize one of your recent papers or ongoing projects, while with commentaries you can discuss topical ideas in an opinionated but informed way. You can check out all information about submitting content here. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to write us at: grandchallengesblog@unil.ch.
We are looking forward to receiving your contribution!
