Journal of African Development

This article develops a multidisciplinary conceptual framework to support research, innovation, and sustainable development across different fields. The main challenge today is not only the lack of knowledge. It is also the lack of strong frameworks that can connect research, responsible innovation, practical implementation, and sustainability outcomes. Existing studies show that sustainable development is often slowed by fragmented governance, weak local application of missions, poor knowledge integration, limited evaluation systems, and inadequate alignment between innovation and social or environmental goals. To address this gap, the article proposes the FIELDS framework. It includes six connected functions: Frame, Integrate, Experiment, Leverage, Diffuse, and Steer. The framework brings together systems thinking, mission orientation, co-production, responsible innovation, ecosystem support, and reflexive evaluation. It also highlights key enablers such as policy coherence, data governance, finance, skills, and justice. The article argues that impactful sustainability research should be judged not only by publications or patents, but by its ability to create practical, responsible, and scalable change..