Minutes of the Twenty-Third Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC)

The minutes of the Twenty-Third Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC), held on December 9-10, 2006, in Panama City, detail the strategic shift of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research toward interdisciplinary science and policy relevance. The meeting covered the closure of the CRN I program, the launch of CRN II, the creation of a Small Grant Program for Human Dimensions (SGP-HD), and efforts to broaden the IAI's institutional base through alliances with organizations like RIOCC and IICA. Financial discussions focused on member country contribution arrears and the appointment of a new Administrative and Financial Officer.

• The IAI is expanding its strategic alliances to move from peer-reviewed disciplinary science toward a stronger interdisciplinary approach that includes human dimensions (medicine, law, economics, sociology) and involves NGOs and stakeholders to translate science into adaptation actions.
• The Collaborative Research Network I (CRN I) program, which ran from 1999 to 2005, represented a financial investment of approximately US$ 10.3 million and leveraged an additional US$ 16 million in parallel funds. The program supported 619 students to complete degrees and produced over 370 publications.
• A secondary analysis of a RIOCC country survey of 17 member countries identified a 'Need' ranking for global change research, with energy, biodiversity, and hydrology as the top three priorities. The survey noted that while countries often have knowledge of impacts, they have very little knowledge regarding adaptation.
• The IAI established a Small Grant Program for the Human Dimensions (SGP-HD) after finding that only 8% of CRN II projects corresponded to human dimensions and policy applications. Approved by the NSF on September 27, 2006, the program will support 5-8 projects for 24 months with grants of US$ 50,000 to US$ 100,000 per year.
• The IAI faces ongoing challenges with member country contributions to the Core Budget. As of November 23, 2006, only 6% of the expected contributions for the fiscal year 06/07 had been received, with significant arrears from countries including Argentina, Venezuela, and Paraguay.
• The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) is undergoing a renewal process to act as the institute's 'intellectual motor.' The SAC identified primary science gaps to be filled by new members in the areas of meteorology & climatology, biodiversity & ecosystems services, urban & energy, and environment & economy.
• The IAI is addressing a gap in its Data and Information System (DIS), noting a lack of strategy to link raw research data to the concepts of information and dissemination. The institute is moving toward open-source software to manage this system.
• The IAI has implemented a Training Institute Seed Grants (TISG) program to increase participation from small countries. Eight grants totaling US$ 110,000 were awarded to 44 professionals and policy makers from 18 countries.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2007). Minutes of the Twenty-Third Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC). http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-ec-23-report-e.pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Minutes of the Twenty-Third Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC). 2007. http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-ec-23-report-e.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Minutes of the Twenty-Third Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC) |date=3 May 2007 |url=http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-ec-23-report-e.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2007minutes, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Minutes of the Twenty-Third Meeting of the IAI Executive Council (EC)}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2007}, month = may, url = {http://iai.int/pdf/all/iai-ec-23-report-e.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }