Science Technology & Policy (STeP) Fellowship Pilot Program 2020-2024

The Science Technology & Policy (STeP) Fellowship Pilot Program (2020-2024), launched by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), aims to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy-making in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The program places scientists within public or private host institutions to provide expert advice on global environmental change and sustainable development, while providing fellows with a two-year professional development curriculum focused on leadership, communication, and science diplomacy.

• The STeP program addresses a systemic gap in Latin America and the Caribbean where, despite increasing research capacity, the integration of science into policy is hindered by unequal resource distribution, unpredictable politics, and a lack of strategies to train scientists for decision-making roles.
• The program's core objective is to support evidence-based policy regarding global change and sustainable development by placing scientists in host institutions and providing a two-year professional development program centered on three pillars: Leadership, Communication, and Science Diplomacy.
• Responsibilities are divided between the IAI and host institutions: the IAI manages the training program, international event participation, and the inter-American network, while host institutions identify priority sectors, provide stipends for the two-year period, and assign supervisors.
• The pilot program launched its first cohorts in 2020 in Argentina and Mexico, with coordinating institutions including CONICET and the Asociación Argentina de Consorcios Regionales de Experimentación Agrícola in Argentina, and SECTEI in Mexico City.
• The program identifies several high-level risks, including the necessity of virtual activities due to the global pandemic, the logistical challenges of staggered cohort starts across a broad region, and the long-term sustainability of host country funding for fellowships.

APA

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (2020). Science Technology & Policy (STeP) Fellowship Pilot Program 2020-2024. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/STeP%20Program%20Charter%20V3(1).pdf

Chicago

Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Science Technology & Policy (STeP) Fellowship Pilot Program 2020-2024. 2020. https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/STeP%20Program%20Charter%20V3(1).pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research |title=Science Technology & Policy (STeP) Fellowship Pilot Program 2020-2024 |date=2020 |url=https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/STeP%20Program%20Charter%20V3(1).pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{interamericaninstituteforglobalchangeresearch2020science, author = {{Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}}, title = {{Science Technology \& Policy (STeP) Fellowship Pilot Program 2020-2024}}, institution = {Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research}, year = {2020}, url = {https://archive.iai.int/administrador/assets/images/ckfinder/files/STeP%20Program%20Charter%20V3(1).pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }