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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).

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

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.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and IIASA are jointly hosting an online Expert Workshop on food waste emissions methodologies and monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems on Tuesday, 9 June 2026, from 14:00-16:00 CEST.

In an era of information overload and rapidly evolving media landscapes, science journalism plays a crucial role in helping audiences understand complex global challenges. IIASA is pleased to join ISTA and the Complexity Science Hub for a panel discussion exploring how journalists and communicators can uphold accuracy, context, and trust in science reporting.

Tipping points in the Earth system are often portrayed as ominous, abrupt shifts that could significantly alter life on Earth. While this reflects the seriousness of the science, the framing can also create confusion and discourage action. This webinar will explore how climate tipping points are communicated, with a focus on making these complex scientific concepts accessible and meaningful for a range of audiences, including policymakers, stakeholders, and the wider public.

A high-level delegation led by Senator Hon. Jonathan Reid, Barbados' Minister of Innovation, Industry, Science, and Technology, visited Schloss Laxenburg for a bilateral exchange with IIASA Director General Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber on applied systems science and its potential to inform transformative policy. 

Earlier this week, IIASA welcomed a delegation from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to Schloss Laxenburg for a high-level exchange on advancing collaboration at the intersection of science, policy, and emerging technologies.

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.

On Tuesday, 17 March 2026, IIASA had the privilege of hosting Austrian Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen at Schloss Laxenburg for a program focused on exchange, conversation, and engagement with the Institute’s research community. Austria is IIASA’s host country and one of its founding members, with its membership dating back to 1973.

Cyberattacks, blackouts, natural disasters: in a world where physical and digital systems are becoming ever more tightly intertwined, disruptions can quickly paralyze entire infrastructures. At a recent public lecture co-hosted by IIASA and the Austrian Academy of Sciences (OeAW), renowned computer scientist and mathematician Dimitris E. Simos spoke about these vulnerabilities. In this interview, he explains why our systems are particularly susceptible to attacks, how chain reactions occur, and what each of us can do to improve security.

During a recent visit to Brazil, IIASA Director General, Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber, and Deputy Director General, Karen Lips, met with representatives from government agencies, research institutes, universities, and NGOs to explore opportunities for collaboration on some of the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges.

IIASA recently welcomed Distinguished Visiting Fellow Éliane Ubalijoro, CEO of the Center for International Forestry Research and World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF), for a lecture on the importance of gender and social inclusion in forest and landscape governance and an interdisciplinary discussion on equity and sustainability.

IIASA recently welcomed Austrian Federal Minister of Education, Science, and Research, Eva-Maria Holzleitner to Schloss Laxenburg for a high-level exchange on science diplomacy, international cooperation, and future collaboration opportunities.

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”.

In this installment of the Tipping points webinar series, researchers and community-engaged scholars will explore what rapid glacier loss means for Alaska in terms of the reshaping of landscapes, livelihoods, and ways of life.

In this IIASA Insights article, Nadejda Komendantova and Tahereh Zobeidi explore how behavioral science can strengthen disaster resilience by deepening our understanding of how people perceive and respond to risk. Drawing on their work within the PARATUS project, they highlight how integrating human decision-making into multi-hazard risk assessment can support more effective and socially grounded resilience strategies.

The Academy of Athens will host the Inaugural Symposium of the International Community (Koinon) of Academies from 9-10 February 2026, marking both the launch of this new global initiative and the 100th anniversary of the Academy of Athens. IIASA Director General, Hans Joachim (John) Schellnhuber will be a keynote speaker at the event.

IIASA recently welcomed H.E. Ambassador Eduardo Paes Saboia, Ambassador of Brazil to Austria, for a high-level visit to the Institute’s headquarters in Laxenburg. The visit provided an opportunity for an in-depth exchange on IIASA’s research portfolio and on future avenues for strengthening cooperation between IIASA and Brazilian institutions.

This webinar will focus on the Global Tipping Points Report 2025 and feature leading researchers and authors to unpack its insights on topics like coral reefs, governance strategies, and positive tipping points that can make a difference.