STRENGTHENING SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION FOR MORE INCLUSIVE AND SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE
Declaration of the BRICS Academies of Sciences
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – June 2025
The BRICS Academies of Sciences recognize the critical importance of establishing a more equitable framework for global governance that amplifies the perspectives, needs, and innovative capacities of emerging and developing economies. In today’s fragmented world, characterized by trade barriers, geopolitical instability, and environmental degradation challenges, strengthening solidarity among nations is essential to accelerate progress in health, human development, economic prosperity, social justice, cultural well-being, peace, and planetary resilience.
We reaffirm that BRICS cooperation represents both a pragmatic strategy and an urgent challenge – also considering support for South-South science and technology dialogue and building upon our well-established collaborations with developing countries. This approach provides a viable alternative to traditional development models marked by imbalance, fostering reciprocal knowledge exchange, promoting mutual respect, and collective accountability. Through stronger partnerships, BRICS and other developing nations can jointly address systemic disparities, foster broad-based economic and social advancements, and facilitate the shift toward climate-resilient, inclusive and innovation-driven societies.
The BRICS bloc embodies this vision both ambitiously and practically. Our nations collectively represent significant demographic power, regional leadership, and critical ecological resources. While diverse in economic structures and cultural traditions, we share fundamental commitments to sustainable progress, fair technology distribution, and regional stability. With BRICS’ recent expansion and the growing influence of partner countries, this platform possesses extraordinary potential to cultivate a more inclusive, multipolar international order that addresses internal disparities and upholds shared values.
However, we must confront the current significant gap in scientific and technological collaboration within the BRICS. Current levels of joint research publications and innovations reveal untapped potential. Without deliberate, coordinated efforts, we risk missing transformative opportunities where science (including social sciences and humanities) and technology could address socioeconomic development differences, reduce inequalities, and enhance environmental sustainability.
Thus, we, the BRICS Academies of Sciences, propose the following joint commitments:
- Strengthen Scientific Cooperation
Establish a BRICS Scientific Cooperation Framework to promote long-term partnerships among universities, research institutions, and innovation networks, which fosters joint mission-oriented research within the BRICS. This framework should include dedicated funding mechanisms, mobility programs for early-career researchers, and support for co-authored publications, patent development, and other intellectual outputs that can inform policy and practice.
- Leverage Biodiversity and Knowledge Systems
Commit to developing joint initiatives that integrate traditional knowledge systems with cutting-edge science, especially in areas such as bioeconomy, public health, diagnostics, therapeutics, renewable energy, and food security. Shared unique biodiversity and cultural diversity across BRICS countries must be leveraged as innovation drivers, strengthening resilience and sustainable solutions in these critical sectors. This commitment includes creating mechanisms to protect intellectual property and ensure equitable distribution of benefits arising from these collaborations.
- Coordinate Innovation for Energy and Climate Solutions
Create a BRICS Climate Solutions Network, focusing on technologies for energy transition, such as sustainable biofuels, green hydrogen, multifunctional machines, circular economy practices, besides greenhouse gas mitigation technologies, due to the global climate emergency. These efforts should align with the COP30 agenda and accelerate compliance with global climate goals through joint investments, policy coordination, and technological collaboration.
- Promote Inclusive Digital Development
Create joint programs in artificial intelligence, robotization of industry and agriculture, unmanned systems, data governance, digital health, and open science, ensuring that the Global South does not remain a passive consumer of new technologies, but an active producer and innovator. Digital transformation must be inclusive and oriented towards sustainable development.
- Promote Youth Talent Development
Through joint doctoral programs and visiting scholar programs, strengthen talent exchange and joint training to develop young talents. The BRICS should establish specialized youth talent development programs in fields like energy transition, agricultural modernization, health, among others.
- Encourage Enterprise Investment and Technological Cooperation
In areas such as clean energy, water-saving agriculture, food and water security, health, among others, encourage S&T enterprises and innovative small and medium-sized companies to participate in investment and technological cooperation.
- Reduce Knowledge Gap through Inclusive Collaboration
Work in partnership with civil society institutions to bridge knowledge gaps across social classes, genders, regions, and between the Global North and South, guided by the principle of “leaving no one behind”, using interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, transdisciplinary, and participatory approaches.
- Strengthen the Role of the Academies and Empower their Scientific Advisory Role
We reaffirm the role of our Academies as strategic scientific advisors to our governments and key enablers of regional and interregional collaboration. We commit to institutionalizing the Forum of BRICS Academies of Sciences as a permanent mechanism for fostering dialogue, driving foresight, and supporting evidence-based policymaking. As part of this role, we also propose greater collaboration in the development of regional standards, particularly in critical sectors such as healthcare, through the establishment of common frameworks for the manufacturing and validation of diagnostics and therapeutics.
Conclusion
The BRICS countries, through the leadership and commitment of their Academies of Sciences, must seize this historic opportunity to expand scientific cooperation and provide global leadership in building a fairer and more sustainable world.
We urge our governments, multilateral institutions and organizations, and societal stakeholders to work together with the scientific community to ensure that knowledge, innovation, and cooperation become the pillars of a revitalized Global South partnership both among themselves and with the BRICS countries from other regions for sustainable and inclusive governance aiming at the collective well-being of our societies and the mutual benefit of our nations.
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