IAI STRATEGIC PLAN

The 2010 IAI Strategic Plan outlines the mission of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) to enhance the understanding of global environmental change in the Americas. The document emphasizes a transition from curiosity-driven to needs-driven science, focusing on the integration of natural and social sciences to support informed policy-making and regional adaptation and mitigation efforts.

• The IAI aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy by translating complex data into usable language for stakeholders, the media, and the general public, while maintaining transparency and traceability through information technology.
• The Institute prioritizes a 'needs-driven' scientific approach over 'curiosity-driven' research, requiring the involvement of social scientists, natural scientists, managers, and decision-makers in all stages of research planning and progress.
• IAI employs adaptive management and flexible project cycles to keep pace with the rapid rate of environmental discovery and change, allowing for regular reviews and the combination of complementary research topics during contracts.
• The IAI focuses on reducing vulnerabilities in the Americas, noting that global change is occurring faster than predicted in sensitive areas like high mountains and is manifesting in the melting of glaciers and the expansion of vector-borne diseases.
• Interdisciplinarity is viewed as a necessary condition for global change research, necessitating the integration of natural and social sciences to address the human causes and resulting vulnerabilities of environmental change.
• The document highlights a critical link between global environmental change and poverty, stating that developing countries are most severely affected due to their limited capacity to adapt.
• A 2007 External Review by the American Association for the Advancement of Science recognized the IAI's success in building scientific capacity across the Americas and producing high-quality science, while suggesting more potential to guide decision-makers from high-level agencies to local managers.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2010). IAI STRATEGIC PLAN. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-strategic-plan-proposal-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. IAI STRATEGIC PLAN. 2010. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-strategic-plan-proposal-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=IAI STRATEGIC PLAN |date=2010 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-strategic-plan-proposal-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2010iai, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{IAI STRATEGIC PLAN}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2010}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-18-strategic-plan-proposal-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }