Science and technology are an important part of the solution to help people and protect communities when there is a global crisis. 

But scientific research during a global crisis is not “science as usual.”  Mitigating the impact of a crisis requires prompt, decisive action that is unencumbered by bureaucracies and conflicting agendas.  

The International Science Reserve (ISR) mobilizes the global scientific community to respond to complex, fast-moving situations, across borders, too big for any one country to handle – such as the next pandemic, a food systems catastrophe, or multiple climate-related weather disasters.  

We prepare and mobilize scientists and scientific institutions to apply their research in different emergency scenarios and provide researchers with the critical resources, like IBM’s Geospatial Discovery Network, and support needed to respond rapidly. 

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Nicholas Dirks, President and CEO, The New York Academy of Sciences, and Dario Gil, Senior Vice President, IBM Research, introduce the ISR.

Our Principles

The International Science Reserve helps to reduce the impact of transnational crises by strengthening a global research community ready to act when crisis hits.  

We are grounded by our principles:  

• Science Without Borders: Solutions to crises are best found through open collaboration across institutions, disciplines, and geographic boundaries.  
• Equitable Resource Access: The researchers who are connected to the countries and communities most affected by crisis should have access to the tools to contribute to the solutions. Fair and appropriate solutions need the participation of scientists with local knowledge who understand different contexts.    
• Collaborative and Prepared Networks: When a crisis hits, a coordinated response will rely on pre-existing networks across public, private, academic, and other institutions. The more we prepare today, the more that scientists can help protect the world from new challenges.