A novel tool for translating Research and Innovation project outputs into measurable contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals

This study presents the application of a novel evaluation SDG-Tool to assess the contributions of 25 research and innovation projects funded by the PRIMA Partnership to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Designed for systematic and replicable assessment, the tool overcomes the current lack of suitable Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) tools with this specific aim, by combining a Key Performance Indicators questionnaire with a dual-matrix framework weight, and relevance matrices aligned with SDG targets. It enables the normalization of scores and comparative analysis across five thematic areas, considering the economic, environmental, social, governance, and scientific-technological dimensions. The results reveal strong contributions by 25 studied projects to SDG2, SDG6, SDG9, SDG 12 SDG 13 and SDG15, with scientific-technological performance scoring highest (44.2/100), while governance impacts remain underdeveloped (17.5/100). The integration of evidence from the IPBES Nexus Assessment within the tool allows the exploration of interlinkages across biodiversity, food, water, health, climate, and energy, confirming climate and food systems as central to SDG synergies. The tool enhances transparency, strategic alignment, and orientation towards the UN 2030 Agenda. The proposed interface is user-friendly and the overall flexible structure allows adaptation and fine-tuning of the matrices. These features make the tool suitable for further refinements and reuse across various Research & Innovation programmes. Nevertheless, the study is limited by its reliance on expert-based weighting procedures and its application to a single portfolio of projects; further validation with larger datasets and use cases will be essential to strengthen its robustness and generalizability.

RHOUMAA Ali;  AUTINO Antonella;  MONTAGNINO Fabio Maria;  MALAGO' Anna;  DALLERA Davide;  BIDOGLIO Giovanni;  GILL Jose Maria; 

2025-12-01

ELSEVIER BV

JRC144018

1873-6416 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1462901125003004,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC144018,   

10.1016/j.envsci.2025.104284 (online),