THE KEY CENTRAL OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSAL IS TO SUPPORT THE PARTICIPATION BY U.S. RESEARCHERS IN THE FUTURE EARTH SUMMIT TO BE HELD IN BONN GERMANY AUGUST 28-30 2018. THE FUTURE EARTH SUMMIT OFFERS A PLATFORM FOR REPRESENTATIVES OF ALL 20 GLOBAL RESEARCH PROJECTS (GRPS) AND 10 KNOWLEDGE-ACTION NETWORKS (KANS) OF FUTURE EARTH TO SHAPE AND CONTRIBUTE TO FUTURE EARTH S STRATEGIC AND CONCRETE GOALS AND OUTCOME-BASED STRATEGY. THIS WILL BE ACCOMPLISHED IN A PARTICIPATORY WORKSHOP-STYLE CONFERENCE. FUTURE EARTH IS AN INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM OF THE U.S. GLOBAL CHANGE RESEARCH PROGRAM (USGCRP) WHICH ALREADY RECEIVES SIGNIFICANT SUPPORT FROM NASA FUNDING. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PROPOSAL DIRECTLY FULFILLS THE NASA NSPIRES PROGRAM IN PARTICULAR THE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT BY NASA S SCIENCE MISSION DIRECTORATE (SMD) OF THE NEED TO BRING TOGETHER MEMBERS OF SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES RELEVANT TO NASA . TO INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY OF INVESTIGATORS THROUGH THE OPEN EXCHANGE OF IDEAS AND EXPOSE INVESTIGATORS TO NEW SUBJECT AREAS. THIS PROPOSAL SEEKS FUNDING TO SUPPORT U.S. PARTICIPANT TRAVEL TO THE FUTURE EARTH SUMMIT TO DO EXACTLY THAT. THE SCIENTIFIC CORE OF FUTURE EARTH IS BUILT ON A SERIES OF 20 GLOBAL RESEARCH PROJECTS (GRPS) REPRESENTING THE PHYSICAL BIOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES OF THE EARTH SYSTEM. EACH GRP IS GUIDED BY A VOLUNTEER INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC STEERING COMMITTEE (SSC) THAT DETERMINES THE GOALS FOR THE PROJECT. AN INTERNATIONAL PROJECT OFFICE (IPO) IS THEN IN CHARGE OF IMPLEMENTING THE GOALS SET FORTH BY THE SSCS. THE PRIMARY ACTIVITY OF THE GRPS IS TO FOSTER NETWORKS OR COMMUNITIES OF SCIENTISTS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD THAT MAKE SIGNIFICANT EVIDENCE-BASED CONTRIBUTIONS TO GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY SCIENCE. EACH GRP CONTRIBUTES TO THIS SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE-BASED KNOWLEDGE THROUGH PUBLICATIONS TARGETED WORKSHOPS OPEN SCIENCE CONFERENCES AND CONTRIBUTIONS TO POLICY AND ASSESSMENT-BASED EFFORTS SUCH AS THE INTERNATIONAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE (IPCC). TOGETHER THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITIES AND EXPERTISE ACROSS THE GRPS CAN TACKLE TODAY S MOST PRESSING INTERDISCIPLINARY CHALLENGES FACING GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY. HOWEVER IN ORDER FOR THE GRPS TO DEVELOP A MORE COHESIVE NETWORK AND NOT WORK IN ISOLATION A PLATFORM IS NEEDED TO BRING THE GRPS TOGETHER AND FOSTER COLLABORATIONS ACROSS THE GRPS AND WITH OTHER SOCIETAL PARTNERS. IN RECOGNITION OF THIS NEED FUTURE EARTH WILL PROVIDE THIS PLATFORM AT THE UPCOMING FUTURE EARTH SUMMIT IN BONN GERMANY 28-29 AUGUST 2018. FUTURE EARTH HAS NOTED EXAMPLES OF THE OUTCOMES THAT CAN BE ACHIEVED WHEN GRPS ARE BROUGHT TOGETHER. FUTURE EARTH AIMS TO PROVIDE MORE OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE GRPS TO COME TOGETHER. PROVIDING A FORUM FOR IN-PERSON COMMUNICATION ACROSS GRPS WILL LEAD TO CRITICAL EXCHANGE OF IDEAS EXPOSURE TO NEW SUBJECT AREAS AND ADVANCEMENT OF NOVEL SCIENTIFIC AND TECHNICAL TRAINING. AS IT HAS IN THE PAST THIS EFFORT WILL LEAD TO CRITICAL COLLABORATIONS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO CURRENT SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVES UNDERTAKEN BY THE UN SUCH AS THE IPCC UNFCCC GLOBAL STOCKTAKE AND IPBES. FUTURE EARTH RECOGNIZES THAT THE GRPS ARE NETWORKS OR COMMUNITIES OF SCIENTISTS AND IN ORDER FOR FUTURE EARTH TO ENGAGE THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY TO ADDRESS GLOBAL CHANGE AND SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES GROUNDED IN SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE FUTURE EARTH MUST HAVE THE GRPS AT ITS CORE.