Science for the future 

In little under a month's time, members of the ISSC will gather in Taipei for two historic meetings: an Extraordinary General Assembly and a joint meeting with members of the International Council for Science (ICSU), at which members of both organizations will vote on whether to merge. 

The ISSC and ICSU have a long history of successful collaboration, dating back to the early days of both organizations. In recent years this has resulted in joint initiatives that address some of the most urgent challenges facing societies.

Last October, members of both organizations voted strongly in favour of an in-principle decision to merge the two councils, as unanimously recommended by the two organizations' executive bodies.

Since then, the two organizations - in consultation with their members - have developed a joint vision and structure that can consolidate the strengths of both ISSC and ICSU to build a stronger voice for science at the global level. You can catch up on all the background to the vote and the transition planning process here. 

If agreed this October, the merger will mark the culmination of several decades of debate about the need for more effective collaboration between the natural and social sciences, and drive new ways of thinking about the role of all the sciences in responding to the complex challenges of the modern world.

Ahead of the vote, we asked a number of our international partners to share their thoughts on the significance of the merger for a fast-changing scientific future. In the first in a series of blogs, leaders from partner organizations answer the question 'what is science is essentially for?'