Search

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected all aspects of human life. The pandemic has become an issue of serious global concern in both developing and developed countries, with impacts including rapidly changing health and demographic conditions, threatened food security, declining quality of education at all levels, declining clean water access and availability, declining trade, economic, and industrial sectors, and a lack of efficient energy sources to secure communities.These challenges necessitate swift responses to provide alternative solutions for global transformation toward sustainable development and improved living conditions at the local and global levels. The active role of universities in addressing these challenges is significant, as they allow researchers to propose advanced and applied technologies, as well as create efficient processes and innovative products. Triggering change, universities are leading institutions in transforming policy into concrete action. In addition, the collaborative study and research among universities and research centers, experts, industry, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and policymakers fosters and strengthens their collective ability to provide a higher quality of life and a more sustainable society around the world. Research on how to raise sustainability awareness and enhance regional collaboration to create a more sustainable society is also an important issue. Societal transformation through the application of digital technology, nurturing economic development, controlling rapid urban population growth, and building more intelligent cities (e.g., intelligenttransportation systems) while considering environmental aspects are essential for future sustainable urban development. This sustainability awareness is crucial in preventing environmental destruction, enhancing social participation, and improving the economic impacts of reusing certain technologies.To address the above issues, the 17th International Conference on Quality in Research (QiR) was virtually held October 13–15, 2021, in conjunction with the 6th International Tropical Renewable Energy Conference (i-TREC) and the 2th CSID AUN-SCUD International Conference on Sustainable Infrastructure and Urban Development (CAIC-SIUD). The QiR and i-TREC conferences focus on resiliency and adaptability in a post-pandemic world, exploring technology for a greener environment. The theme of the AUN-SCUD conference was shaping resiliency and sustainable futures through digitalization, technologies, and added value in developing sustainable infrastructure and resilient smart cities. Furthermore, the conference highlighted the role of digital technology in transforming cities and fulfilling Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure, as driven by the three-pronged principles of Industry 4.0, Nature 5.0, and Society 5.0

The COVID-19 pandemic is still affecting many aspects of human life. Many efforts have been carried out by many parties in the fields of health and demographics, food security, secure and clean water, green and efficient energy sources, climate change, quality education and secure communities. The response of many scientists and technologists during this pandemic have successfully facilitated progress in many areas, such as effective vaccines to prevent further spreading of the pandemic and medical devices needed by many patients affected by COVID-19. In another domain, the policy responses of governments to the COVID-19 crisis have demonstrated that many major economies are capable of unprecedented and drastic action when it is called for. Responding to these many challenges requires engagement, specifically in the research domain, at any level, locally and globally. The 17th International Conference on Quality in Research (QiR) 2021 was held to address these issues. Due to the global pandemic situation, the QiR 2021 was held online. Presenting the theme of “Resilience and Adaptability for a Post-Pandemic World: Exploring Technology for Our Green Environment,” the QiR 2021 brought many research papers discussing the role of the science and technology during the pandemic. In this edition of the International Journal of Technology, we are proudly presenting 20 articles selected from the QiR 2021 and make them available to readers worldwide by highlighting research and development in various fields during the COVID-19 pandemic.