Making use of STI mappings: empowering stakeholders to select the relevant STI for SDGs

• Existing mappings of publications and patents hide the diversity of ways that STI may lead to sustainable development. • In contrast, the STRINGS approach provides a visualization of research landscapes, based on research areas, revealing a range of diverse research options related to one or more SDGs. • These visualizations illuminate gaps, potential synergies, and current imbalances in STI investments. • Our interactive visualization tool allows stakeholders to inspect research areas that are potentially related to a given SDG, and to develop their own mapping, according to their context and perspectives. • Rather than a unique map of STIs for each SDG, there are a multiplicity of ‘mappings’ dependent on the choices made by stakeholders. • The tool is based on the Web of Science, a mainstream publication database with uneven coverage. More comprehensive databases are needed to reflect research activities in different disciplines and in lower income countries.