The mission of the Friends of IIASA organization (henceforth FoI) is to solicit and distribute funds that will be used to foster and support research on the large problems and challenges facing mankind. In general, the research supported will be conducted at or in association with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), a 501(c)3 organization located in Laxenburg, Austria. FoI also aims to increase collaboration between U.S. scientists and IIASA researchers, and strengthen the connections between members of the IIASA network in the U.S., in order to foster greater engagement between IIASA and the U.S. science and policy communities.