The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria, is an international research institution supported by National Member Organizations in 15 countries, including the United States, the Soviet Union, Eastern and Western European nations, Japan, and Canada. The focus of its research is on complex, policy-relevant problems that transcend the interests of single countries. These problems include several that have particular significance for the United States, including, problems associated with the global environment, with demographic change, and with the transition of Eastern European countries to market economies. In December, 1989 the President determined that IIASA continues to do useful scientific work and merits continued support by the United States. As subsequently emphasized by the President's Science Advisor, that determination required that the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the US National Member Organization for IIASA, should work with the National Science Foundation and other interested Government agencies to identify appropriate research areas and funding arrangements for IIASA. In response to the Science Advisor's expectations, the American Academy has established a new U.S. Committee for IIASA chaired by Dr. Robert White, President of the National Academy of Engineering. The primary purposes of that committee are to: (1) increase U.S. scientific partici- pation in research at IIASA, and (2) to assure that IIASA's research directions and the quality of the research it conducts are consistent with the interests of U.S. science and the U.S. Government. This award will support the activities of that committee.
