The International Science Reserve (ISR) is an initiative of the New York Academy of Sciences that mobilizes a global network of scientists and partners to prepare for and help mitigate complex, transnational crises. It coordinates readiness exercises, scenario planning, and access to specialized scientific resources when emergencies are declared.[1] The concept was profiled in 2021 by Axios as a "LinkedIn for science" intended to enable rapid, cross-border collaboration ahead of future pandemics and climate-related disasters.[2]
Planning for the ISR was publicly discussed in mid-2021,[2] and the initiative was formally activated on 14 April 2022 with the announcement of its Executive Board and an initial focus on wildfire prevention and management.[1] On the same day, Axios reported that more than 1,000 "rapid response" scientists in the ISR community were set to tackle wildfires through scenario-based readiness exercises.[3]
In June 2022, the ISR published a white paper summarizing lessons from its first readiness exercise on wildfires, including recruitment of more than 1,000 scientists from over 90 countries and simulated scenarios in the United States, Greece, and Indonesia.[4] A contemporaneous industry article also described the wildfire exercise and its aims to match researchers with specialized resources during crises.[5]
In August 2024, the ISR and the Center for Advanced Preparedness and Threat Response Simulation (CAPTRS) launched a free "serious game" to help scientists and decision-makers practice choices in evolving public-health emergencies.[6]
Activities and approach
The ISR conducts online scenario-planning ("readiness") exercises to rehearse how existing research and tools can be adapted to specific crisis contexts, and it coordinates access to specialized resources (for example, high-performance computing, geospatial datasets, and laboratory capabilities) that participating scientists may need during declared crises.[4][1] The operating model draws in part on the COVID-19 High Performance Computing Consortium, which pooled computing resources for pandemic research.[1][3]
Governance and partners
As announced at launch, the ISR is coordinated by the New York Academy of Sciences and overseen by an Executive Board. Co-chairs are Nicholas B. Dirks (NYAS) and Darío Gil (IBM). Other members named at launch included Aida Habtezion (Pfizer), Philip Nelson (Google), Robert Slone (UL), Rick Bright (The Rockefeller Foundation), and Lorna Thorpe (NYU Grossman School of Medicine).[1] Founding organizations have included IBM, Google, Pfizer, and UL Solutions.[1][7]
Recognition
In 2023, the ISR received an honorable mention in the "Rapid Response" category of Fast Company's World Changing Ideas Awards.[8] The same year, the New York Academy of Sciences announced that the ISR had been recognized with an Anthem Award for crisis-response partnerships.[9]
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