Booklet Introduction
The UK was the first G7 nation to have met Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 17.2 of providing 0.7% of Gross National Income as official development assistance (ODA), and since 2015 this target has been enshrined in law. The UK also leads the way among donors in spending on research and development – this made up about 10% of UK ODA between 1997 and 2010.
UKCDR has produced a series of success stories to highlight the contribution of UK research to meeting the SDGs.
UK research has had a global impact, be it in terms of direct human development or influence on policy geared towards meeting the SDGs across the spectrum of international development. The success stories presented are a representative, though not exhaustive, showcase of the UK’s engagement with the world through research. In this regard, innovations and breakthroughs in the natural and social sciences are as vital as the UK’s demonstrated political will in setting the global agenda for sustainable development.