As we mark the centenary of international research cooperation, humanity faces its biggest challenge ever — to live sustainably on the planet. It has never been more important for our society to understand and value science.

The International Research Council (IRC), founded in 1919, comprised 16 national academies and research councils (Nature 103, 464–466; 1919). Around the same time, international unions were created for astronomy, biology, chemistry, geodesy and geophysics, mathematics, physics and radio sciences.

As the international activity of these groups flourished, the IRC became the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) in 1931. This helped to launch programmes such as the International Geophysical Year, the World Climate Research Programme, and Integrated Research on Disaster Risk.

Despite political and economic difficulties after the Second World War and the cold war, ICSU fostered cooperation between thousands of scientists to promote science for society, development and peace.

ICSU merged with the International Social Science Council last year to form the International Science Council, bringing together more than 180 national and international organizations to address global issues of major concern to science and society.