Area9 Lyceum Blog

As the Covid-19 pandemic caused widespread disruption in every industry, none felt the pressures of sweeping change and the critical need for frontline response more than healthcare. As healthcare professionals worldwide cared for escalating numbers of patients, the life sciences industry rose to the challenge with vaccine research that compressed into months what normally would take years to accomplish. As McKinsey observed, “The search for vaccines and therapies has been the most urgent and widespread the world has ever seen.”

In a world in need of sustainable development, education remains key. In fact, Quality Education is the fourth of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—recognized as a catalyst toward “socioeconomic mobility and … escaping poverty.” The pandemic, however, has threatened that progress, with 91 percent of students worldwide impacted at some point by temporary school closures and learning disruptions. As the U.N. observed, “The global pandemic has far-reaching consequences that may jeopardize hard won gains made in improving global education.”