The European Center of Sustainable Development (ECSDEV) – a cross-disciplinary, international research center originated from Italy – organizes the 5th International Conference on Sustainable Development (ICSD) in collaboration with the Canadian Institute of Technology (CIT). The Conference is hosted in Rome from September 6th – 7th with the theme “Creating a unified foundation for the Sustainable Development: research, practice and education.” Researchers and scientists across the world come together to discuss topics surrounding economic sustainability, environmental sustainability, and socio-cultural sustainability, and the Tang Prize is also taking part in this event.
Dr. Jenn-Chuan Chern, CEO of the Tang Prize Foundation, participated in the discussion and delivered a lecture in the early afternoon on the first day of the Conference. Responding to the three topics, Dr. Chern’s lecture, titled “Social-Cultural Sustainability of Typhoon Morakot Post-Disaster Reconstruction in Taiwan,” focused on the coordination of post-disaster reconstruction of indigenous tribes in Taiwan, linking considerations of unpredictable natural disasters, humanitarian, and socio-cultural factors. This year, the Conference theme was inspired from “the critical challenge of human, environmental, and economic sustainability concerning the present and future generations in a global-scale context,” which can be connected to the philosophy and value of the Tang Prize.
As one of the endeavors to promote the Tang Prize, Dr. Chern took the opportunity during the second day of the Conference to meet and talk with Dr. Aranit Shkurti, a member of the ECSDEV and the Faculty of the Engineering at the CIT. According to Dr. Shkurti, Sustainable Development is one of the most pressing issues facing the world today. There are many young and promising researchers in the field, and designating an honorable award in Sustainable Development is indeed an encouraging gesture.
During the conversation, Dr. Chern and Dr. Shkurti discussed on forming an international network between the Tang Prize and the ECSDEV by signing a Memorandum of Agreement – a partnership agreement between the two organizations. Dr. Shkurti also talked about providing opportunities to the Tang Prize laureates in Sustainable Development to deliver lectures during future conferences hosted by the ECSDEV. With the common goal of promoting research and education in the field, Dr. Shkurti is glad to see that the awareness of the Prize is spreading to Europe and beyond, inspiring more researchers around the globe. The Tang Prize’s participation in the ICSD has facilitated the forming of another international partnership, and additional cooperation between the Tang Prize and the ECSDEV can be foreseen.
