Members are sought for the inaugural Engagement Committee of Future Earth, the global research platform providing the knowledge to accelerate our transformations to a sustainable world. Future Earth is a 10-year international research programme that will mobilise multi-disciplinary expertise, stakeholders and resources to ensure that scientific knowledge makes a larger contribution to societal debate and decision-making for sustainable development.

The formation of an Engagement Committee for Future Earth takes place at a crucial juncture for global sustainable development. The ongoing definition of Sustainable Development Goals and the prospect of a new global climate agreement at COP21 make this a potentially transformative period, underpinned by an increasing appreciation that the problems of today are global and highly connected calling for an unprecedented collaboration across a wide range of stakeholders.

Future Earth aims to create a step-change in science by co-designing and co-delivering solutions-oriented research for sustainable development with government, business and civil society. Future Earth integrates major international research programmes and projects that have pioneered research on global environmental change over the past decades - DIVERSITAS, the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP), the International Human Dimensions Programme (IHDP) and the World Climate Research Programme (WCRP).

The Future Earth Engagement Committee will be a strategic advisory group, comprising thought-leaders from stakeholder groups including business, policy and civil society. Working together with the Future Earth Science Committee and the Secretariat, its primary purpose will be to foster in-depth and innovative interactions between science and society. The Engagement Committee will provide leadership and creative thinking on how to bridge the gap between knowledge and solutions for sustainable development.

The deadline for applications is 14 March 2014. For more information and to apply, please see our announcement: http://www.icsu.org/news-centre/news/call-for-applications-for-future-earth-engagement-committee