Our vision reiterates that the production and sharing of knowledge is our core task. We also believe that this allows us to make a concrete and tangible contribution to sustainable development, because knowledge – as for any other type of goal-oriented development – is a precondition for sustainable development.

To pursue this overall vision, CDE’s approach, as elaborated in the past, will be carried further. We aim to intensify the links between research and education as well as outreach activities and policy advice to bring about fruitful and mutually inspiring exchange. We will also focus on linking global debates to local development contexts by working at and across multiple scales and in strong partnerships with scientists and policy- and decision-makers in multiple selected regions worldwide.  

We have identified six thematic clusters that represent key strategic opportunities for CDE to enhance the relevance and reputation of its contribution to sustainable development. In three of these, we will address sustainable development from a comprehensive perspective, focusing on core issues and competencies. To complement this, we will pursue thematic specialisation in a further three thematic clusters.