Data for Policy Fireside Chat: Digital Innovation for the Sustainability Transition amid Global Competition
How are geopolitics, digital technology, and sustainability policy reshaping our world — and each other? Join us for an in-depth fireside chat drawing on the latest research at the crossroads of innovation, governance, and the green transition.
Our featured speaker, Masaru Yarime (Associate Professor, Division of Public Policy & Division of Environment and Sustainability, HKUST), will explore how bilateral relationships shape research collaboration, how environmental policy can steer innovation toward cleaner technologies, and what the data behind cloud computing, health data sharing, and scientific knowledge flows tells us about our global future.
The conversation will be chaired by Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes, Research Lead at the United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, whose work spans global health governance, digital health, and gender equality in low- and middle-income countries.
Topics include: Geopolitics & innovation · Sustainability transitions · Environmental innovation policy · Cloud computing & GHG emissions · Health data sharing · Scientific knowledge flows in global governance
This session will be recorded and shared on the Data for Policy YouTube channel. Cameras off is welcome — active participation is warmly encouraged.
Relevant Publications:
Asatani, Kimitaka, Yurie Iwata, Yuta Tomokiyo, Basil Mahfouz, Masaru Yarime, and Ichiro Sakata, "Structure of Scientific Knowledge Flows to Intergovernmental Organizations," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 123 (17), e2514861123 (2026). https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2514861123 Khanal, Shaleen and Masaru Yarime, "Exploring Geopolitics and Innovation: The Role of Bilateral Relationships in Shaping Research Collaboration," Science and Public Policy (2026). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/scipol/scag024. https://academic.oup.com/spp/advance-article/doi/10.1093/scipol/scag024/8659325 Gebhardt, Sebastian, Yun Hou, and Masaru Yarime, "Directing environmental innovation toward radical clean technologies for sustainable transitions: Market-based vs. command-and-control policies," Research Policy, 55 (4), 105446 (2026). https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048733326000375 Soares, Ian Varela, Masaru Yarime, and Magdalena M. Klemun, "Estimating GHG Emissions from Cloud Computing: Sources of Inaccuracy, Opportunities and Challenges in Location-based and Use-based Approaches," Climate Policy, 25 (9), 1335-1353 (2025). https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14693062.2025.2450054 Li, Veronica Qin Ting, Masaru Yarime, Vivi Antonopoulou, Henry W. W. Potts, and Carla-Leanne Washbourne, "Behavioural perspectives on personal health data sharing and app design: An international survey study," Data & Policy, 7, e66 (2025). https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/data-and-policy/article/behavioural-perspectives-on-personal-health-data-sharing-and-app-design-an-international-survey-study/4B8DAE28D24BCA07E2D7C4D6EFA993CF ________________________________________
Masaru Yarime is an Associate Professor in the Division of Public Policy (PPOL) and the Division of Environment and Sustainability (ENVR) and the Director of the MPhil and PhD Programs in Public Policy at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He also has appointments as Visiting Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy (GraSPP) at the University of Tokyo and Honorary Associate Professor at the Department of Science, Technology, Engineering and Public Policy (STEaPP) at University College London. His research interests center around science, technology, and innovation policy for energy, environment, and sustainability. For the past years he has been engaged in research and educational activities from interdisciplinary perspectives, with an intention to understand the complex interface between engineering and social sciences and the dynamic interactions between technology and institutions in creating sustainability innovation.
Dr Claudia Abreu Lopes is a Research Lead at the United Nations University’s Global Health Institute. Her work sits at the intersection of global health governance, digital health, and gender equality, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries. She brings over two decades of academic and applied research experience, having held positions at the University of Coimbra, the London School of Economics and Political Science, and the University of Cambridge (POLIS). She has also worked in the non-profit and innovation sectors, including roles at Girl Effect and Africa’s Voices Foundation, leading projects that leverage digital data to design and evaluate public health and social development interventions. She holds a PhD in Social Research Methods from the London School of Economics and Political Science.