Annual Report 2025

Throughout 2025, the Strategic Initiatives (SI) Program continued to foster close collaboration with IIASA’s National and Regional Member Organizations, supporting targeted, solution-oriented research aligned with national and global priorities. 

How can societies adapt to profound demographic, environmental, and social change while ensuring that no one is left behind? In 2025, the Population and Just Societies Program generated new evidence on aging, migration, labor markets, climate vulnerability, and the policies needed to build more inclusive and resilient societies. 

The transition to a low-carbon future requires both ambitious action and a clear understanding of what works. In 2025, the Energy, Climate, and Environment Program produced research that helped clarify the opportunities, trade-offs, and practical pathways for accelerating climate mitigation and strengthening environmental sustainability. 

From poverty and resource extraction to climate policy and economic modeling, the Economic Frontiers Program explored some of the most pressing questions at the intersection of economy, society, and sustainability. Research conducted in 2025 challenged conventional assumptions and generated new perspectives on how progress can be measured and achieved.

Balancing the needs of people and nature is one of the defining challenges of our time. Throughout 2025, the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program advanced research on how societies can pursue climate, biodiversity, and development goals while managing growing pressures on land, water, energy, and ecosystems.

As global challenges become increasingly interconnected, the Advancing Systems Analysis Program continued to develop innovative approaches for understanding complexity and supporting better decisions. In 2025, the program’s research revealed new insights into urban sustainability, resilience in an era of polycrisis, public health, and sustainable development.

Throughout 2025, IIASA expanded its international cooperation through new agreements, research initiatives, and high-level exchanges focused on sustainability, climate action, and systems science.

In 2025, IIASA reinforced its role as a trusted actor in science diplomacy by deepening engagement with international  institutions and supporting research‑informed policy dialogue across global platforms.

As part of its mission, IIASA provides scientific guidance to policymakers by applying systems analysis to global challenges.