InterAcademy Partnership

InterAcademy Partnership
Name	InterAcademy Partnership
Formation	1993
Type	Network of national academies
Headquarters	Trieste, Italy
Region served	Global

Contents

InterAcademy Partnership is a global network of national academies of sciences, engineering and medicine that provides independent, evidence-based advice to the world on scientific, technical and health issues. Founded to connect institutions such as the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences, German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Indian National Science Academy, it brings together perspectives from bodies including the Academia Brasileira de Ciências, Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, Russian Academy of Sciences, Académie des sciences, and Japan Academy. The Partnership draws on expertise associated with organizations like the Wellcome Trust, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Health Organization, UNESCO, and the World Bank.

History

The network traces antecedents to gatherings that involved institutions such as the Royal Society and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and to multilateral efforts shaped by meetings at venues like the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), the ICSU and the EASAC. Early milestones involved dialogues with leaders from the European Commission, the G7 Summit, and the United Nations General Assembly on topics resonant with the IPCC and the World Health Assembly. Over time, the Partnership expanded membership to include academies from regions represented by the African Academy of Sciences, the Academy of Sciences of South Africa, the Kenya National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and the Mexican Academy of Sciences, reflecting geopolitical developments such as the enlargement of the European Union and the post-Cold War reconfiguration that followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

The Partnership is organized as a federation of member academies ranging from the National Academy of Medicine and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences to regional bodies including the IANAS and the NASAC. Membership categories align with institutions like the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences, the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, and the Australian Academy of Science. The network hosts representatives from national and regional academies such as the Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Polish Academy of Sciences, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA), enabling cross-linkages with entities like the European Research Council and the National Institutes of Health.

Governance mechanisms involve boards and committees drawing leaders from academies such as the Royal Society of Canada, the Academy of Athens, the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters, and the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters. Executive offices interact with funders and institutional partners including the Wellcome Trust, the Gates Foundation, the European Commission, and national research councils like the National Science Foundation and the DAAD. Financial support has also come from philanthropic organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and multilateral agencies such as the UNDP and the Asian Development Bank. Oversight draws on models used by the Council of Canadian Academies, the DFG, and the Royal Society.

Programmatic work spans topics historically addressed by the IPCC, the Global Health Security Initiative, and advisory groups similar to those convened by the World Health Organization. Initiatives have produced consensus statements on matters resonant with the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Working groups bring together experts from institutions such as the National Institutes of Health, the Max Planck Society, the Chinese Academy of Engineering, the Indian Council of Medical Research, and the Pasteur Institute to address issues like pandemic preparedness, climate adaptation, and research integrity. Capacity-strengthening activities mirror programs run by TWAS, Carnegie Corporation of New York, and the Ford Foundation to support early-career researchers in countries represented by the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias and the South African Medical Research Council.

The Partnership feeds evidence into international processes including the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the World Health Assembly, and UNESCO policy forums, engaging with policy communities around the G20 Summit, the World Economic Forum, and the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. It has provided inputs that resonate with reports by the IPCC, the Global Commission on Adaptation, and the Lancet Commission on health and climate. Its statements have been cited by national bodies such as the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the French Academy of Technologies, and the Academia Brasileira de Ciências in debates involving legislation like climate bills enacted by legislatures in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.

The network collaborates with international organizations including the World Health Organization, UNESCO, the UNEP, the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the World Bank. It partners with philanthropic entities such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the Rockefeller Foundation, as well as with research funding agencies like the NSF and the ERC. Academic and scientific partners include the Royal Society, the Max Planck Society, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Indian National Science Academy, TWAS, and regional consortia such as EASAC and IANAS.

Category:International scientific organizations