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A delegation from South Africa's National Research Foundation (NRF) visited IIASA to exchange knowledge on systems approaches to disruptive change, innovation, and evidence-informed decision-making. The visit reflects the longstanding collaboration between IIASA and South Africa.

Under the leadership of IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, the Science and Timber Construction Alliance (SITCA) was officially launched today. The initiative aims to transform the construction sector into a driver of climate protection through sustainable forest management and modern timber construction.

The Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research at Beijing Institute of Technology (CEEP-BIT) and IIASA held a bilateral discussion meeting in Beijing in late June 2026. The meeting provided a platform to exchange recent research, identify shared priorities, and explore opportunities for closer institutional and scientific cooperation.

On 26 June 2026, the Austrian IIASA Committee gathered at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna for its 100th session – an afternoon focused on systems, science diplomacy, and the question of how to fit an entire world into a model.

Eight IIASA experts have been included in Carbon Brief’s latest ranking of the world’s 500 most highly cited climate scientists, while IIASA itself ranks among the world’s leading institutions for climate research, highlighting the Institute’s continued leadership in advancing climate and sustainability science.

The Government of Barbados and IIASA have signed a letter of intent, formally launching Barbados’ path toward membership in the Institute and establishing a new partnership to apply advanced systems analysis and global modeling to the design of a regenerative economy.

A new IIASA-led study finds that climate strategies that cut energy and resource demand tend to improve quality of life across a broader range of dimensions than supply-side alternatives and shows that communicating these wider benefits can strengthen public support.

Reflections on how circular economy modelling research can better inform policy for the transition to net-zero

On 28 May, Peking University (PKU) and IIASA held a joint online seminar to discuss health research under global change and to review the progress, priorities, and coordination arrangements for a proposed Centre on Global Change and Health.

IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber visited Barbados at the end of May to deepen engagement with government, academic, diplomatic, and international partners and explore new opportunities for collaboration on resilience, innovation, and sustainable development for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Global migration has risen sharply from approximately 13 million people per year in 2000 to around 35 million people per year in 2023. This is according to a new dataset on human migration published in Nature by researchers from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), IIASA, and the University of Hong Kong.

Social networks may help protect cognitive functioning in later life, particularly among older adults who are no longer working, according to a new IIASA-led study. Drawing on data from 27 European countries, the researchers found that social connections can help compensate for the loss of mentally stimulating interactions linked to work, with different types of relationships benefiting women and men.

As global temperatures continue to rise beyond the 1.5°C threshold, understanding the implications of climate overshoot has become one of the defining scientific and policy challenges of our time. Following the success of the inaugural Overshoot Conference in Laxenburg, Austria, the second Overshoot Conference will take place from 24–25 November 2026 in Beijing, China, bringing together leading researchers, policymakers, innovators, and communicators to advance the global dialogue on overshoot pathways and responses. 

IIASA is excited to announce that Greece has joined the Institute effective from 1 June 2026 through the Academy of Athens, Greece’s national academy and the highest research establishment in the country.

New research from IIASA and the University of Oxford provides the first quantitative evidence that drought exposure over the last 12 months is associated with increased risk of sexual, emotional, and physical violence among adolescents in Southern Africa. This risk rises substantially during cumulative droughts over two years.  

A high-level delegation from the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (MoST) and representatives of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Austria visited IIASA at Schloss Laxenburg on 13 May 2026 for discussions on scientific cooperation, science diplomacy, and future collaboration.

Nexus of Sustainability: Understanding of FEWSE Systems II is a 2026 Springer monograph detailing the interdependencies between food, energy, water, society, and the environment (FEWSE). It focuses on risk management, robust modeling, and sustainable development, featuring recent research of the joint research project between IIASA and National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU, Ukraine NMO at IIASA) on “Integrated modeling for robust management of food-energy-water-land use nexus for sustainable development”.

Researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) contributed to the Expert Round Table on Climate Misinformation, organized within the framework of the MIP4Adapt initiative. MIP4Adapt (Mission Implementation Platform) is the central support mechanism for the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, aiding regions and local authorities in planning and implementing climate resilience strategies. It provides technical assistance, community building, and funding guidance to Charter signatories. 

IIASA recently welcomed Dame Julie Maxton, Executive Director of the Royal Society, to Laxenburg for a series of discussions focused on global challenges, science diplomacy, and the future of international research cooperation.

Persistent methane emissions from sectors such as agriculture and growing debates over the credibility of carbon offsets are creating new challenges for governments and companies pursuing net-zero commitments. New research suggests temporary carbon storage may have a scientifically valid role in helping support climate goals, if used in the right way.