Report of the IAI Directorate Science

The IAI Directorate Science reports on the final phase of the third Collaborative Research Network (CRN3), the launch of the Small Grant Program on ecosystem services and human wellbeing (SGP-HW), and the planning for the fourth Collaborative Research Network (CRN4). Key initiatives include a co-design process for climate adaptation in the megacities of Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Santiago de Chile, and a collaborative research framework with Argentina's CONICET. The Directorate is shifting toward a co-funding model to diversify science funding and is emphasizing transdisciplinary research aligned with international frameworks like the SDGs.

• The third Collaborative Research Network (CRN3) is in its final year, with a termination date of 28 February 2019. It involves 15 of the 19 IAI Parties, featuring 17 Principal Investigators and 95 co-investigators across 90 institutions in the Americas. The program includes ten major networks focusing on climate-related atmospheric, terrestrial, and marine issues, as well as seven smaller projects providing practical guidance and science integration.
• The Small Grant Program: “The role of ecosystem services in adaptation to global change for human wellbeing” (SGP-HW) introduces an innovative approach by requiring a participatory co-design process with stakeholders and mandatory co-funding. Grants of up to USD 200,000 are available for projects involving at least three IAI Parties, with a focus on social-ecological sustainability and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• The upcoming fourth iteration of the Collaborative Research Network (CRN4) will move away from pre-defined themes in favor of a demand-driven approach. It will be open to any scientific research question necessary to address global change challenges, with priorities driven by the Parties and their commitments to international environmental frameworks.
• A research co-design process has been initiated for climate adaptation in the megacities of Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Santiago de Chile. This initiative focuses on five shared problem areas: decarbonization processes, climate-related health issues, climatic extreme events, the human dimension of adaptation/vulnerability, and governance.
• The IAI is implementing a new co-funding scheme to diversify its science funding, reducing its historical reliance on US National Science Foundation (NSF) funds. This strategy aims to encourage Parties to take greater ownership of global change research and to harmonize national funding processes to match IAI calls.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2018). Report of the IAI Directorate Science. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/iai-cop-26-14-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Report of the IAI Directorate Science. 2018. https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/iai-cop-26-14-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Report of the IAI Directorate Science |date=23 May 2018 |url=https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/iai-cop-26-14-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2018report, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Report of the IAI Directorate Science}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2018}, month = may, url = {https://archive.iai.int/admin/site/sites/default/files/uploads/iai-cop-26-14-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }