RESEARCH Governance platform
Practical Research Governance for a Rapidly Evolving Field
Interest in solar geoengineering research is rising, and so are questions about who decides, who is consulted, what gets disclosed, and how trust is earned. The Solar Geoengineering Research Governance Platform (SGRG), co-developed by DSG, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), is a voluntary, multi-regional initiative to make well-informed, transparently governed solar geoengineering research easier to conduct, and make rushed, unaccountable research harder to do.
Why now and why SGRG
1. Multilateralism is fraying
At a moment when multilateral pathways are stalled and geopolitical trust is fraying, SGRG offers shared, voluntary infrastructure that enables institutions across borders to implement—and publicly demonstrate—baseline norms, while building a foundation for deeper multilateral cooperation over time.
2. Implementation is lacking
Principles for responsible research—transparency, engagement, and scientific merit—are widely recognized, but a way to apply them across institutions, disciplines, and regions, and types of SRM research is missing.
3. Formal frameworks are unlikely
SGRG exists to fill a near-term gap: practical governance infrastructure that can be used now, while broader political deliberation continues.
Current Nodal Partners
Founding nodal partners are and will continue to be in discussion with researchers and research institutions around adoption and alignment with SGRG. The UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency’s (ARIA) Exploring Climate Cooling research programme, the largest public funder of SRM research to date, is committed to working collaboratively with SGRG to share their learnings from research governance implementation thus far. The Exploring Climate Cooling programme team sees mutual benefit from cooperation with SGRG and will work towards ARIA being the first institutional adopter of future SGRG principles and practices. A first cohort of adopters will also be announced in the coming months.
What the Platform Will Do
SGRG is a voluntary platform that turns shared governance principles into usable practice. It is not a regulator, permitting authority, or advocacy vehicle. SGRG is designed to provide shared, practical infrastructure that institutions can opt into without reinventing the wheel. Planned core functions include:
A living framework for responsible SRM research, including expectations around transparency, engagement, scientific merit, conflicts of interest, and clear red lines. The Charter will be updated over time as lessons emerge and contexts change.
A public portal for standardized disclosures—covering research purpose and methods, funding sources, conflicts of interest, engagement plans, and data-sharing commitments—with versioning so changes are visible over time.
Evidence-based engagement guidance scaled to context and potential salience of the work, including Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) where Indigenous peoples are implicated and meaningful consultation and engagement with directly affected communities Guidance will be refined as evidence and practice evolve.
Independent, external review pathways—especially where no existing agency process is available—plus rapid-response protocols for new evidence, emerging risks, or major shifts in context. Where appropriate, review outputs may include brief, public-facing summaries.
Practical accountability tools, which may include risk-based financial assurances, norms around intellectual property and openness for core outputs, and documentation that supports funders and partners in evaluating responsible practice.
A database of questions gathered from engagements and discussions across different sectors and regions will be gathered in an accessible way, available to researchers and communities.
How It Works
SGRG is built for the real conditions researchers face: varied institutional settings, uneven governance capacity, and different expectations across regions. Implementation and processes will be co-designed over the coming months.
SGRG is designed to be modular: institutions can adopt tools that fit their context while contributing to a shared governance foundation. As adoption grows, SGRG will evolve—improving templates, clarifying expectations, and adjusting processes in response to experience, feedback, and changing scientific and political conditions.
SGRG will include distinct participation roles:
- Nodal Partners — stewardship and core decisions
- Adopters — research institutions/projects and bounded funder commitments
- Advisory Committee — independent guidance on credibility and risk
- Validators — respected external voices affirming the need for practical research governanceg Partners — building workstreams and tools
SGRG is designed to evolve. SRM science, public concerns, and political contexts will change; SGRG’s tools and expectations will be periodically reviewed and strengthened as needed through transparent, multi-regional co-development rather than remaining static.
SGRG is designed to evolve. SRM science, public concerns, and political contexts will change; SGRG’s tools and expectations will be periodically reviewed and strengthened as needed through transparent, multi-regional co-development rather than remaining static.