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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.

In 2024, IIASA expanded its global partnerships to drive collaborative research and policy innovation in sustainability, climate action, and systems science through new agreements, joint initiatives, and high-level engagements. 

In 2024, IIASA strengthened its position as a trusted science diplomacy actor by deepening engagement with international institutions and supporting evidence-based policy dialogue across global platforms.  

As part of its mission, IIASA aims to provide scientific guidance to policymakers by finding solutions to global problems through applied systems analysis. Through interdisciplinary research and international collaboration, the Institute delivers independent, science-based insights into critical policy issues, supporting evidence-informed decision-making on challenges such as climate change, energy security, and sustainable development. 

The Strategic Initiatives Program plays an important role in advancing initiatives through strong engagement with the Institute’s member organizations while delivering groundbreaking research. In 2024, the program launched a Call for Expressions of Interest, informed by insights from the Member Organizations Engagement Workshop held in October 2023. Following rigorous evaluation, two initiatives were selected for funding: Biodiversity and Land-use Objectives for Optimal Management (bloom) and Wildfires and Climate Change in the Boreal Zone (Fire&Ice).

In 2024, the Population and Just Societies Program focused on addressing the questions surrounding the concepts of justice, inclusion, and human wellbeing across diverse social and demographic contexts. 

As the climate clock ticks, the Energy, Climate, and Environment Program continued to examine the intricate links between climate, energy, and institutional resilience. 

In 2024, the Economic Frontiers Program explored the shifting dynamics between demography, health, and sustainability. 

As global challenges grow increasingly interconnected and uncertain, the Advancing Systems Analysis Program provides decision-makers with the tools and insights needed to respond effectively. 

Over the past year, the Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program has made significant strides in advancing our understanding of the complex relationships between ecosystems, land use, and climate. 

The Resilience of Ecosystem Services provided by Intact and Sustainably managed Terrestrial ecosystems (RESIST) project aims to develop a modeling framework that integrates biophysical feedbacks and socioeconomic drivers affecting the environment.

Researchers from the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis Program, Biodiversity and Natural Resources Program, Energy, Climate and Environment Program, and from the Population and Just Societies Program share their expertise to carry out the IIASA Tools for Raising and UnderStanding Trust in systems science through citizen engagement (TRUST) Strategic Initiative.