Mobilising science research for the global community

Professor Richard Catlow, Professor of Catalytic and Computational Chemistry at Cardiff University and Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society, has been elected to co-chair the InterAcademy Partnership for Research (IAP-R).

The IAP-R is the research advisory arm of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), an alliance of over 100 science academies worldwide. The IAP-R brings together more than 130 national and regional academies of science, medicine and engineering to collaboratively support the critical role of science in seeking solutions to pressing global challenges. Its purpose is to mobilise the world’s leading experts to produce reports that provide scientific advice on issues critical to the global community. Past reports include a review of the work of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and a global guide on the responsible conduct of scientific research.

Following a recent memorandum of understanding, the IAP-R will be hosted by the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine for the next five years. Professor Catlow welcomed this development: “The U.S. is a world leader in research, and so for the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to be hosting the InterAcademy Partnership for Research is excellent news and a clear sign of the firm commitment of the U.S. scientific community to international partnerships. Science is global, but the U.S. is a great hub which will allow us to draw in expertise and to reach out to influence policy making.”