Carla Lancelotti,
director of the UPF Centre for Studies on Planetary Wellbeing

The pursuit of planetary wellbeing requires a holistic and collaborative approach. In recent years, since launching its Planetary Wellbeing initiative in 2017, UPF has promoted a comprehensive vision that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. This vision underscores the interconnectedness of the individual, social and planetary dimensions of wellbeing, with emphasis on equity and justice. We all know that the global challenges facing 21st-century society are complex and interlinked. Addressing issues related to individual wellbeing, social equality and planetary sustainability requires insights from multiple fields. To achieve these ambitious goals, interdisciplinary research, especially in the fields of engineering and information and communication technology (ICT), is crucial. 

Engineering and ICT play a fundamental role in shaping critical societal areas for individual and social wellbeing, in which integrating technology with knowledge from fields such as sociology, psychology, environmental science and ethics ensures a more effective approach to taking on complex global challenges. Advanced technological research also contributes significantly to fields such as health, education, inclusion and the preservation of cultural diversity. Collaboration between engineers, ICT experts and professionals from other disciplines is thus essential to the pursuit of planetary well-being. 

The evolution of communication processes through artificial intelligence, for example, has transformed the nature of human-machine interactions. Engineering and ICT professionals can no longer work in isolation. Understanding human-machine interactions requires collaboration with experts in cognitive science, psychology and neuroscience. This collaboration is vital to developing technologies that not only advance communication, but also consider the ethical and psychological implications of human-machine interactions. 

Since its founding in 2022, the Centre for Studies on Planetary Wellbeing has been a driving force in promoting interdisciplinary research to achieve planetary wellbeing. The Centre facilitates collaboration between engineers, ICT specialists, social scientists, ecologists and ethicists, creating a dynamic environment in which ideas converge to generate transformative energies. The Centre encourages active participation through a variety of initiatives, such as research funding, talks or collaborative projects, thereby contributing to innovative solutions for individual and societal wellbeing. 

More specifically, the Centre has worked closely with the Department of Information and Communication Technologies (DTIC), promoting 20 research projects, which generate new knowledge, innovative technologies and policy proposals that contribute to planetary wellbeing from a holistic perspective. It has also provided support for events such as TEDxUPF: Engineering Planetary Wellbeing, in which professionals from various fields presented some of the main challenges and solutions that the planet is or will be facing in the near future in fields such as biomedical engineering. 

In conclusion, collaboration between engineering and ICT experts and professionals from a variety of fields is essential to tackle the complex challenges involved in creating a more sustainable and equitable future.