The First Ten Years of IAI: Observing, Measuring, Understanding and Documenting Changes in the Environment of the Americas

This report provides a chronological summary of the first decade of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), from its establishment in 1992 to 2002. It details the institute's institutional structure, the evolution of its Science Agenda, and the various funding programs—including Start-up Grants, Initial Science Programs, and Collaborative Research Networks—designed to build scientific capacity and promote multinational research on global environmental changes across the Americas.

• The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) was established on 13 May 1992 through an agreement signed in Montevideo, Uruguay, by 11 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and the United States of America.
• The IAI's institutional structure consists of four permanent organs: the Conference of the Parties (CoP), which is the policymaking organ; the Executive Council (EC); the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC); and the Directorate (DIR). By the time of the report, the IAI had 19 member nations.
• Between 1995 and 1998, the IAI implemented a capacity building project funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and executed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This project received a $3 million (U.S.$) contribution from the United Nations Development Program/GEF and $350k from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF).
• The IAI's Science Agenda evolved from seven initial themes in 1993-1994 to a restructured framework of four broad themes approved in 1998: Understanding Climate Variability in the Americas; Comparative Studies of Ecosystem, Biodiversity, Land Use and Cover, and Water Resources in the Americas; Changes in the Composition of the Atmosphere, Oceans and Fresh Waters; and Integrated Assessment, Human Dimensions and Applications.
• The Initial Science Program (ISP) consisted of three rounds of grants between 1996 and 2001, with a total investment of approximately US$ 4 million and 39 grants awarded for durations of up to 3 years.
• The Collaborative Research Network Program (CRN), running from 1999 to 2003, invested about US$ 10 million across 14 grants. These networks involved over 170 co-investigators and scientists and approximately 150 participating institutions across 16 countries at the time of project approval.
• The IAI developed the Data Information System (DIS) in collaboration with INPE, NSF, and WMO. Developed by CIESIN at Columbia University between 1997 and 1999, the system was installed at the IAI Directorate in Brazil in July 1999 and officially presented to the scientific community in January 2000.
• The Program to Expand Scientific Capacity in the Americas (PESCA) supported eleven small scientific projects, with grants ranging from $15,000 to $30,000 (U.S.$), to increase participation from IAI member countries that had previously had little involvement in ISPs and CRNs.
• Starting in 2002, the IAI launched the Small Grants Program (SGP) to support small research, capacity building, and planning activities. SGP I awarded 16 projects with a total of $385k US, and SGP II, launched in June 2003, funded 22 proposals totaling US$ 612,701.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2004). The First Ten Years of IAI: Observing, Measuring, Understanding and Documenting Changes in the Environment of the Americas. https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/First_10years_IAI_book_en.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. The First Ten Years of IAI: Observing, Measuring, Understanding and Documenting Changes in the Environment of the Americas. 2004. https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/First_10years_IAI_book_en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=The First Ten Years of IAI: Observing, Measuring, Understanding and Documenting Changes in the Environment of the Americas |date=June 2004 |url=https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/First_10years_IAI_book_en.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2004first, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{The First Ten Years of IAI: Observing, Measuring, Understanding and Documenting Changes in the Environment of the Americas}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2004}, month = jun, url = {https://iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/First_10years_IAI_book_en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }