This award provides support from the US Global Change Research Program for the Secretariat operations of the global change SysTem for Analysis, Research, and Training (START). This organization is an essential component of the US Global Change Research Program strategic plan as it relates to international engagement. START?s mission "to increase opportunities for research, education and training that strengthen scientific capacities in developing countries to understand, communicate and motivate action on critical global change challenges" addresses all of the US Global Change Research Program strategic goals. The funding will enable START Secretariat to continue developing and implementing programs that advance ?research-driven capacity building? in Africa and Asia. This approach emphasizes experiential learning by doing, particularly for early-career scientists, in which targeted skill building and networking opportunities are integrated into research on regional impacts and risks stemming from global change. START?s work focuses on critical challenges at the intersection of global/climate change and sustainable development, including disaster risk reduction, land-use/land-cover change, biodiversity conservation, urban development, human health, water resources management, and agriculture and food security.
