U.S. Committee for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)

National Academy Of Sciences, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

0336541 White This award provides support to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences to be the National Member Organization (NMO), i.e. the U.S. member, to the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). It is through the NMO that the United States participates in the governance of the organization and the development of its programs. IIASA is an international research institution located near Vienna, Austria, where multidisciplinary, international teams of researchers conduct research on issues related to environmental, technological, and economic aspects of global change. The U.S. NMO has two primary responsibilities. The first is to take part in the governance of the Institute through participation on the IIASA Council and direct interaction with the organization. The Committee works with interested U.S. Government agencies and researchers in formulating U.S. views regarding IIASA's research, budget, and administration. It also helps insure the integrity of the Institute and guides the IIASA research program in ways that will maintain its quality and its relevance to U.S. research and policy concerns. The second responsibility is to serve as a liaison to the U.S. science, technology, and policy communities, with the goal of increasing participation in and awareness of IIASA by Americans in academia, government, business, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This includes recruiting for and funding IIASA's Young Scientists Summer Program for advanced graduate students; helping to find suitable candidates for IIASA's job vacancies; serving as the hub of a national network of interested scholars and policymakers; and helping IIASA to find opportunities to participate in national policy debates. To carry out its functions as the U.S. NMO, the National Academies will establish a new national committee for IIASA, operating under the auspices of the National Research Council and residing within the Board on International Scientific Organizations, in the Policy and Global Affairs division. The chairman of the U.S. Committee represents the U.S. NMO at IIASA's Council meetings and will work with the Director of IIASA to guide and strengthen the IIASA research program. The national committee will prepare a review of IIASA's annual research plan, soliciting comments from academic, government, and other experts in the U.S. scientific community.