In a new FT50/ABS 4* publication, Hugo Confraria and co-authors propose a new method to compare countries’ research priorities and the SDG challenges.
The authors analyse bibliometric data from the Web of Science and use the indicators to create a new score to assess the performance of countries in SDGs in relation to the top performers.
The results at the global level reveals a substantial misalignment, as countries do not prioritise research on their most pressing SDG challenges, namely countries with unsustainable consumption patterns don’t prioritise SDG12 research.
In fact, lower income countries contribute little to SDG research, revealing global misalignment.
The conclusions underscore the need for research priorities to be more aligned with national SDG challenges, and advocate for more research funds to be directed towards low and lower-middle income countries.
