The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria, is a multinational, nongovernmental institution established in 1972 to conduct research in systems analysis "in relation to problems of modern society arising from scientific and technological development." The Institute is governed by a council comprised of representatives from 15 National Member Organizations (NMOs), including the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan, and several Western and Eastern European countries. The grant will support research in three program areas: (1) Global Environmental Change, (2) Global Economic and Technological Transitions, and (3) Systems Methods for the Analysis of Global Issues. The primary goal of the Global Environmental Change program is to advance understanding and develop the means to assess the implications of the interactions between human development and the environment. Specific areas of concern include emission, transformation, and transport of toxic materials and pollutants; changes in water resource availability and quality; degradation of soils, biological resources, and ecosystems; and implications for managed agricultural ecosystems. The Global Economic and Technological Transitions program is concerned with issues arising from the transition from centrally planned economies to market economies, the integration of these economies into world markets, the impact of technological developments on all economies, and the complex relationships between the economy and the environment. Research in the Systems Methods program aims at an analytical approach uniting mathematical modeling and other methods that can deal with complexity, coupling of diverse processes, uncertainty, and nonlinearity. IIASA maintains a balanced research program in this area, with an emphasis on applying methodological expertise to applied problems in its substantive program areas.
