Principles to Guide the Activities of the IAI Science Policy Advisory Committee

The IAI Science Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) was established to develop a strategy for linking scientific work with policy-making communities, specifically focusing on adaptation strategies, methodologies, and tools for the Americas. The committee proposes six overarching principles to guide its work: beginning with users' needs, prioritizing processes over products, linking information producers and users, building cross-disciplinary connections, seeking institutional stability, and designing for learning. The IAI aims to act as a 'boundary organization' to facilitate information flow between research and public policy. Medium-term priorities include managing the multidimensionality of global change, addressing scientific uncertainty through mutual learning, integrating stakeholder value differences, and utilizing adaptive management tools.

• The SPAC is tasked with developing an IAI strategy to enhance the connection between scientific research and decision-making, with a specific programmatic focus on adaptation strategies and tools to support policy for global changes affecting the Americas.
• The IAI intends to function as a 'boundary organization' to bridge the gap between the different cultures and accountabilities of scientists and decision-makers, facilitating the flow of information between research and public policy.
• The committee proposes six guiding principles for its activities: identifying user needs collaboratively, prioritizing interpersonal and institutional processes over final products, linking producers and users, implementing interdisciplinarity, maintaining institutional stability, and utilizing iterative learning modalities such as 'deliberation with analysis'.
• Medium-term priorities for the IAI's science-policy integration include balancing foundational science with policy input, treating scientific uncertainty as a mutual learning exercise, providing a forum for stakeholder value differences, and employing adaptive management and iterative review tools.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (n.d.). Principles to Guide the Activities of the IAI Science Policy Advisory Committee. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-23-spac-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Principles to Guide the Activities of the IAI Science Policy Advisory Committee. n.d. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-23-spac-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Principles to Guide the Activities of the IAI Science Policy Advisory Committee |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-23-spac-report-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearchndprinciples, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Principles to Guide the Activities of the IAI Science Policy Advisory Committee}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/iai-cop-23-spac-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }