Search

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

IIASA has emerged as one of Austria’s standout research institutions in a new Elsevier report titled, Austria as a Science and Technology Nation, which benchmarks the country’s scientific performance in an international context.

The African Human Capital Data Sheet 2026: Past Trends, Skills, and Future Pathways presents new evidence on population trends by level of education, skills, and demographic transitions across the African continent.

How can education unlock Africa’s future? At the 2026 Yidan Prize Conference in Dakar, IIASA research will showcase new evidence on skills, human capital, and development pathways, including insights from the African Human Capital Data Sheet 2026.

IIASA researchers have been working with the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC), Stellenbosch University, and the African Centre for Clean Air, to provide financial and technical support to Uganda, through its National Environment Management Authority (NEMA), to develop the Uganda Sector Strategy for Organic Waste Management.

The EU agri-food system is increasingly threatened by climate change while accounting for roughly one-third of the EU’s greenhouse gas emissions. A new report by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change, with contributions from IIASA researchers, warns that current policies are insufficient to address rising climate risks and meet EU climate targets.

The International Vienna Energy and Climate Forum (IVECF) 2026 will take place over two days from 9-10 April 2026, at the historic Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria. Co-organized by UNIDO, the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs of Austria, the Austrian Development Agency, and IIASA, in cooperation with other Vienna-based international organizations and partners, the IVECF 2026 will convene global leaders from  governments, international organizations, industry, academia, development partners and civil society, under the theme “Powering Prosperity, Security and Stability”.

Greece and Europe are entering a decisive demographic era. The Ithaca Demographic Forum 2026 convenes policymakers, diplomats and leading scholars to examine long-term population change, with a contribution by Wolfgang Lutz.

As Europe faces increasingly severe climate impacts, the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change is calling on the EU to urgently strengthen its policy framework for effective and coherent adaptation. A new report, with contributions from IIASA researchers, highlights that adaptation and mitigation must advance together to safeguard Europe’s future.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) convened the virtual workshop “Prospects of Carbon Farming in Greater Central Asia” to examine pathways for implementing carbon farming across the region. The event brought together scientists, policymakers, and practitioners to exchange evidence, share experience, and discuss pragmatic approaches to advancing carbon farming and related land-based climate solutions.

Sergei Scherbov will present his contribution to the Bulletin of the World Health Organization’s theme issue on Health System Responses to Population Declines, at the launch event on 27 January 2026 in Bangkok, Thailand. 

At the International Conference on Theory and Practice of Electronic Governance (ICEGOV 2025), IIASA researchers highlighted the critical role of cultural context in combating climate change disinformation. Presenting the Adaptation AGORA project, they showcased a suite of innovative digital tools, including a mobile app and a dedicated Disinformation Academy, designed to empower citizens and build climate resilience through inclusive, participatory governance. The project moves beyond top-down approaches to co-create adaptation strategies that are both scientifically robust and socially legitimate.

Against the backdrop of negotiations at COP30 in Belém, a group of leading climate scientists has released the Búzios Scientific Statement, offering a clear assessment of the world’s remaining options to return to 1.5°C of warming by the end of the century. The statement reflects growing recognition that a temporary overshoot of 1.5°C is now unavoidable, while also showing that pathways back to safer temperature levels remain open if action accelerates quickly.

The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) have officially launched a "Feasibility Study on Carbon Farming Solutions in Greater Central Asia", marking a new milestone in the region’s efforts toward sustainable land management and climate-resilient development.

Dmitry Erokhin, Research Scholar at the IIASA Cooperation and Transformative Governance (CAT) Research Group, presented the study “Using Google Trends to Analyze Public Sensitivity to Climate-Related Natural Hazards and its Correlation with Nuclear Topics: A Proxy Approach for Societal Impact and Risk Communication”, coauthored with Nadejda Komendantova, Leader of the IIASA CAT Research Group, at the International Conference on Resilience of Nuclear Installations against External Events – Focus on Climate Change, organized by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

From 10 to 21 November 2025, Brazil will have the honor of hosting the 30th Conference of the Parties (COP30) where the world's experts come together to agree on the actions to address the climate crisis, helping vulnerable communities adapt to the effects of climate change and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Co-organized by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and IIASA, this event marks the Austrian launch of the Human Development Report 2025 "A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI" with a keynote presentation by Yanchun Zhang, the UNDP Chief Statistician, followed by a dialogue session that will examine the transformative societal impact and implications for human agency stemming from the rapid development of artificial intelligence.

From 15 to 19 September 2025, IIASA hosted a Symposium on Human Capital for Sustainable Development – A Focus on Africa. Supported by the Yidan Prize project funds, the event brought together researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and PhD students from Africa and Europe to advance collaboration on education, demography, and sustainable development.

Wolfgang Lutz will join leading researchers at the Second General Meeting of the Age-It Program — Italy’s national research network on ageing — to discuss how education, ageing, and human capital shape Europe’s demographic future.

As a leading expert on population and sustainable development, Wolfgang Lutz will join a high-level expert conference bringing together decision-makers from academia, politics, civil society, and the private sector to discuss Europe’s demographic future.