A planned update of a 1974 UN document could create a useful template for socially responsible science, says David Dickson.

Development needs collective local action. More science and technical advisors should be supporting that, says research officer Harry Jones.

Former Nepali Minister Dipak Gyawali says development NGOs need to stop acting like sub-contractors and start asking challenging questions.

Overcoming barriers to how research is used in practice is important — but it's just half the battle, says NGO research expert Rachel Hayman.

Funding agencies should support closer interaction between development NGOs and scientists, argues research and policy analyst Charlie McLaren.

Post-2015 discussions offer a chance to link the environmental and development agendas — it shouldn't be bypassed, says Myles A. Wickstead.

Analysis of scientific trends can help policymakers target limited resources where science and development collide, argues Linda Nordling.

Constant calls for evidence-based policy miss the underlying politics of knowledge, argues analyst Peter Bille Larsen.

Committing to disability-inclusive technology transfer in the post-2015 development goals will help to cut inequality, says Sue Coe.

The Islamic world's current science effort is on life support and without major 'surgery' could be yet another policy failure, says Athar Osama.

Results-based carbon financing shows the way forward for involving the private sector in development, says ClimateCare's Edward Hanrahan.

International bodies are offering true research opportunities, but African funding is needed to prepare the ground, writes Linda Nordling.

Funding for programmes that target major diseases should be matched by investment in the health systems that underpin them, says Ghana's Irene Akua Agyepong.

Many developing nations could see dramatic development if they funded research infrastructure, argues David Dickson.

The number of female researchers in the Islamic world is above average, but this does not translate to the quality of their participation, says Athar Osama.

Initiatives to boost public participation on S&T policies must clarify their objectives and their impact should be assessed, says Carla Almeida.

Starting by redefining success, machines that vend clean water at low cost can solve India's drinking water problem, says entrepreneur Anand Shah.

Critical debate is needed to resolve science-Islam divisions and ensure that knowledge flourishes in the Muslim world, says Athar Osama.

Africa's next big science investment should target its oceans, but funding and political support need to be sustained, writes Linda Nordling.