Turning interest into institutional change: teaching advocacy for sustainable research

Addressing the environmental impact of digital research requires systemic change, but many motivated professionals lack the skills to drive lasting organizational transformation. A new open-access course, grounded in the UNICEF five-step advocacy cycle, aims to equip researchers and technical professionals with the necessary advocacy and organizational change skills, including stakeholder analysis, power mapping, and coalition building, to translate their interest into institutional action for sustainable research practices.

Why it matters

This initiative addresses a critical gap in translating individual motivation into collective action for environmental sustainability within digital research. By empowering professionals with advocacy skills, it aims to foster systemic change, which is vital for long-term operational efficiency and responsible resource management across various sectors relying on digital research.

Key insights

• Systemic change is required across the digital research landscape to reduce its environmental impact.
• Many researchers and technical professionals are motivated to act but often lack the skills for organizational change.
• An open-access course has been developed to teach advocacy and organizational change foundations.
• The course is structured around the UNICEF five-step advocacy cycle.
• Key topics covered include stakeholder analysis, power mapping, coalition building, storytelling, framing, messaging, and evaluation.
• The course is grounded in the UK policy landscape, specifically referencing the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.18601