Background
As global sustainable development enters a critical implementation phase, advancements in science, technology, and innovation (STI) have enhanced the potential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). A world of sustainable development requires all societal actors to advance science and ensure that everyone benefits equally from it，thus further promoting scientific progress. Science popularization, serving as a “bridge” connecting the public with cutting-edge science and technology, fosters a favorable social environment for scientific and technological innovation and the application of its outcomes.
Objectives
Against this backdrop, in line with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the theme of the STI Forum 2026, this side event takes “science popularization driving scientific and technological innovation” as the underlying logic, focuses on the five SDGs under key review this year, brings together multiple stakeholders to explore pathways for science popularization to empower STI, and provides solutions for the global advancement of SDGs and the building of a equitable and coordinated innovation ecosystem.
Time
20:00—21:15 (UTC+8, Beijing Time)，May 6, 2026
8:00—9:15 (UTC-4, Eastern Time)，May 6, 2026
Organizers
China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP)
CAST UN Consultative Committee on Scientific Literacy (CAST-CCSL)
Chinese Care and Compassion Society（CCCS）
Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice, University of Kent (GSEJ)
Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology (ARCST)
Join us
Register in advance for this meeting:
Meeting ID：895 0174 5341
Passcode：634178
Program (UTC+8, Beijing Time)
Opening Remarks by the Moderator(20:00—20:05)
Lin Yin
Deputy Director-General, China Science and Technology Museum
Address(20:05–20:10)
Xiaodong Pang
Executive Director-General of China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP), Vice President of CAST UN Consultative Committee on Scientific Literacy (CAST-CCSL)
Speeches
●Synergy between Science Popularization and Scientific & Technological Innovation under the Vision of the “International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development”: Global Policy Framework and Implementation Path(20:10–20:18)
Shaofeng Hu
Director, Division of Science Policy and Basic Sciences, Natural Sciences Sector, UNESCO
●Logic and Evidence of Science Popularization Driving Scientific and Technological Innovation(20:18–20:26)
Zhimin Zhang
Director & Researcher, Division of International Cooperation, China Research Institute for Science Popularization (CRISP)
●From Cooperation to Uptake: A New ODESSI for Global Genomic Science (20:26–20:34)
Joy Y. Zhang
Professor, University of Kent; Founding Director, Centre for Global Science and Epistemic Justice (GSEJ)
●Countering Science Misinformation: Reducing Social Costs for the Implementation of Technological Innovation(20:34–20:42)
Natalia Pasternak
President of Institute Question of Science, Brazil; Adjunct Professor of Science Communication and Policy, Columbia University, US
●Citizen Science: From Energy Data Foundation to Engine of Technological Innovation(20:42–20:50)
Romain Murenzi
Former Executive Director of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
●From Evidence to Impact: Why Science Culture Matters for a Sustainable Future(20:50–20:58)
Marco A. Cabero Z
Chairman of the Andean Road Countries for Science and Technology (ARCST), Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Latin American Sciences and Culture (JLASC)
Q&A(20:58–21:15)