The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) is the global network of over 140 academies of science, engineering and medicine, with a vision for the world’s academies to play a vital role in ensuring that science serves society inclusively and equitably and underpins global sustainable development. To achieve this vision, the IAP mission is to convene and empower the world’s academies of science, engineering and medicine to work collaboratively to address issues of global, regional, and national importance. The current landscape of international science is complex, and continues to evolve, with an increasing number of new, established and reconfigured organizations and networks providing science advice for policy. In alignment with Sustainable Development Goal 17, IAP developed a strategic plan that sets out IAP’s niche in this complexity, with a renewed emphasis on partnership and collaboration with other like-minded partners.

IAP is uniquely placed to:

(1) Build the capacity of, and empower, regional networks of academies and their national members, who represent excellence in science, engineering and medicine in their countries;

(2) Empower academies and regional academy networks to provide independent, authoritative advice on global, regional and national issues through synthesis reports, consensus statements, foresight studies, critiquing public policy processes and outputs, and convening key stakeholders;

(3) Communicate the importance of science, engineering and medicine in terms of research, education, literacy, public discourse, and outreach;

(4) Build IAP as a progressive and more resilient global academies network by strengthening governance, empowering the secretariat, and designing and implementing cohesive policies.