ISC funding and finances

Core funding

The Council’s principal source of core income is dues from Members, supplemented by a grant from the Government of France, the ISC’s host country. Other major sources of income are grants from various organizations and foundations for specific projects or areas of activity. 

Annual membership dues are paid in accordance with Statute 54: “Each Member of the Council shall pay annual dues on a scale determined by the General Assembly following the advice of the Governing Board.” The present scale of dues is based on the decision at the joint meeting of ISC’s predecessor organizations ICSU and the ISSC in 2017 to maintain the existing dues structures of ICSU and the ISSC, in parallel, until such time as a new, unified dues structure could be developed and adopted. A new dues structure, appropriate to the current global context, is under preparation. 

The current dues scale for the period 2022–2024 (as approved by the General Assembly in 2021) can be downloaded here: Overview ISC membership dues 2022-2024.pdf.

External funding 

The ISC acknowledges with gratitude the substantial funding from governments, external organizations, and foundations, which supports numerous targeted projects and initiatives. This includes funding from:

• The US National Science Foundation, which supports ISC work on sustainability from 2023–2028.
• The International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada, which funds a three-year project exploring the impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) and other emergent technologies on science systems in the Global South (2024–2027).
• The IRDR International Centre of Excellence in Taipei, which funds a jointly agreed programme of work on disaster risk reduction (2022–2026).
• The Frontiers Foundation, which funds the ISC to promote Global South participation in the Frontiers Planet Prize (2022–2025).
• The China Association of Science and Technology (CAST), which provides a grant to support the participation of Early and Mid-Ccareer Researchers in ISC activities (2024–2026).
• The New Zealand Government, which has supported ISC work on freedom and responsibility in science since 2016.
• The University of Bergen, which provides a prize fund for the Stein Rokkan Prize, awarded annually.
• The United Nations Environment Programme, which funds the ISC’s contribution to a joint research effort on foresight in 2023–2024.
• The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), which supported the transdisciplinary work, notably the Transformations to Sustainability (T2S) and LIRA 2023 programmes from 2014 to 2022.

Furthermore, several governments, organizations and foundations contribute to the ISC’s activities either with in-kind contributions or with direct financial support to ISC members or partners, including:  

• The Australian Government, to support the ISC regional presence in Asia and the Pacific from 2022 to 2027.
• The Colombian Academy of Sciences, to host the ISC regional presence in Latin America and the Caribbean.
• The Sasakawa Peace Foundation, to support efforts to establish an academy of sciences in the Pacific Islands region.
• Co-sponsors of ISC Affiliated Bodies, which provide a range of services and resources to the bodies, in-kind and in cash.

Financial planning and oversight 

The General Assembly approves a multiannual budget for the next planning period upon proposals received from the Governing Board. The Governing Board approves the annual budgets. After consideration by the Committee for Finance, Compliance and Risk and the Governing Board, the audited annual accounts are sent to all Members for approval and subsequently published in the annual report.

The ISC Foundation

The ISC has established a charitable foundation in the UK, called the International Science Council Foundation (UK). The charity’s objectives, for the public benefit, are to advance charitable purposes (under the law of England and Wales), specifically to support science by providing grant funding, primarily but not exclusively to the International Science Council for research projects, ensuring the beneficial results are shared with the public.

Learn more about the ISC Foundation.

Contact

Get in touch with us at [email protected].

Photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash