Our Clients & Strategic Engagements

The International Science Council's Centre for Science Futures runs a three-year project (2024–2027) called Science Systems Futures, funded by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC). The project examines how emerging technologies are reshaping science systems globally, with a particular focus on the Global South — where the benefits of technological change remain unevenly distributed, and where institutions face structural barriers including limited infrastructure, underfunded research ecosystems, and inequitable access to resources.

As part of this program, the ISC commissioned a set of technology profiles: short analytical briefs designed to help science, technology, and innovation actors better understand selected emerging technologies and their potential impact on Global South science systems. These profiles were developed following a strategic retreat co-hosted with the African Academy of Sciences in Nairobi in May 2025.

Societās Partnerships authored two of the four profiles published by the ISC in 2026:

• Extended Reality Technologies and their Implications for Science Systems in the Global South
• New Connectivity Technologies and their Implications for Scientific Discovery and Digital Sovereignty in the Global South

Each profile provides a structured analysis covering the technology landscape, current adoption levels across Global South regions, research and innovation opportunities, barriers to equitable uptake, and the enabling conditions required for effective deployment. Both profiles underwent formal peer review coordinated by the ISC Secretariat before publication.

Societās Partnerships conducted an independent evaluation of the CALAREO International Research Mobility Experience (IRME), a Canadian undergraduate mobility program that placed 133 students at universities across Latin America and the Caribbean between 2022 and 2024, funded by the Global Skills Opportunity grant and Mitacs.

The engagement included 51 in-person and virtual interviews with stakeholders across eight host universities in Colombia and Mexico, analysis of program outcomes against the funder's logic model, and documentation of best practices and lessons learned. Deliverables included a full program evaluation report and two partner guides for future mobility deployments in Mexico and Colombia.