WREN Symposium 2025: collaborating towards sustainable development goals

The WREN Symposium 2025 brought together 85 researchers, professionals, and students from across the globe to explore a critical and timely theme: “Collaboration Towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” Hosted by the Women’s Research Engineers Network (WREN), the symposium offered more than just dialogue—it created a platform for knowledge exchange, reflection, and action around gender equity and inclusive innovation in STEM.

Over two days of virtual sessions, participants engaged in keynotes, oral presentations, and interactive discussions that examined the intersection of gender, technology, policy, and sustainable development. With attendees joining from South America, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific/Oceania, the event reflected the truly global nature of the challenges—and the solutions—being explored.

Exploring the Role of Women in Driving Innovation for Sustainable Development

The 2025 program focused on how gender diversity and interdisciplinary collaboration can accelerate progress towards the SDGs—particularly in engineering, research, and innovation contexts. Across keynote presentations, case studies, and research showcases, speakers explored:

• Barriers to gender equity in STEM leadership and strategies for institutional change
• Commercialisation pathways for research aligned with social and environmental outcomes
• The role of national innovation ecosystems, such as Malaysia’s Meranti Park, in supporting women-led science and technology ventures
• Digital transformation in under-resourced sectors, including non-profit and community-based organisations
• The importance of inclusive policy design, mentorship, and flexible work environments in advancing women’s participation in science and engineering

Throughout the sessions, participants were reminded that gender equity is not a side conversation—it’s central to sustainable innovation.

The WREN Symposium 2025 demonstrated the importance—and the power—of giving visibility to women in engineering and research. It served as a reminder that while progress has been made, continued efforts are needed to dismantle barriers, drive inclusive innovation, and amplify the voices of underrepresented communities in STEM.

WREN remains committed to supporting these efforts through ongoing programming, research collaborations, and events that champion gender equity and sustainable development in STEM. The success of this year’s symposium reflects a growing global movement—and an urgent call to action for institutions and individuals alike.