Affiliated Bodies

These joint science initiatives and programmes are co-sponsored by the ISC and other international organizations (e.g. from the UN system) and focus on specific areas of international research that are of interest to all or many ISC Members. They are important means of bringing together a range of partners to address a particular issue or area. One of the key features of these collaborative programmes is the ability to consider the issue from the broadest possible perspective while minimizing overlap and duplication of effort.

Thematic organizations

These initiatives convene scientists from all disciplines to organize international scientific initiatives and offer policy advice on specific themes. 

Data and Information 

Virtually all international science depends on the production, use and integration of data and information.  

The ISC is interested in all aspects of this issue, including new challenges related to the collection, analysis and dissemination of data, as well as intellectual property rights and data access. Some of the ISC’s initiatives related to Data and Information are specific to a particular scientific domain, while others deal with issues affecting the entire scientific community. 

Monitoring and observations

These programmes facilitate data collection and foster the development of international standards and methodologies that support universal equitable access. Global observing initiatives are critically important to policy-relevant science at national, regional and international scales, and respond to an increasingly evident need to integrate data from ocean, terrestrial and climate systems.