International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF): Driving Global Collaboration in Climate Science

What is International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF)?

The International Science Partnerships Fund (ISPF) is a UK Government initiative that places science at the heart of international relationships. Delivered by a consortium of leading UK research and innovation bodies including the Met Office. ISPF supports strategic partnerships that foster prosperity, enable potential and strengthen the UK’s global influence. and strengthen the UK’s global influence. 

ISPF enables UK researchers and innovators to work with international partners on shared global challenges, including climate change, sustainable development and technological transformation. It is a key part of the UK’s commitment to science diplomacy and international cooperation. 

What ISPF partnerships is the Met Office delivering?

As a trusted delivery partner, the Met Office plays a central role in the ISPF’s climate science portfolio. Our work focuses on applying cutting-edge science and technology to improve weather and climate services worldwide. We are currently delivering three flagship programmes under ISPF: 

1. Weather and Climate Science for Service Partnership (WCSSP) 

Through WCSSP, we collaborate with partners in Brazil, China, India, South Africa, Southeast Asia and Kenya to harness scientific expertise and co-develop weather and climate services that will address the challenges of extreme weather and climate change. 

2. Advancing Meteorological and Oceanographic Capabilities for the Arctic (AAC) 

AAC brings together international partners to improve understanding of the Arctic’s ice, ocean and atmosphere. It supports global climate resilience by enhancing Arctic forecasting capabilities and developing specialist meteorology and oceanography services. The Met Office is working with partners across Finland, Canada, the USA, Norway, Sweden and Denmark. 

3. AI4Climate 

AI4 Climate explores and applies cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to advance climate science and deliver improved climate information more efficiently. Through AI4Climate, we collaborate with partners in South Africa to explore and apply cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) techniques to advance climate science and deliver improved climate information more efficiently. 

The project aims to provide more accurate, locally relevant climate projections faster, support rapid responses to climate-related questions, and enable global collaboration.

Why ISPF is important?

Through collaborative research, ISPF helps to deliver: 

• Scientific excellence through international knowledge exchange 

• Sustainable development by addressing climate risks in low- and middle-income countries 

• Global resilience through equitable partnerships and capacity building 

• UK leadership in strategic research and innovation, particularly in transformative technologies such as AI. 

What benefits is the Met Office delivering through ISPF?

By combining UK scientific leadership with international collaboration, ISPF-funded programmes at the Met Office are harnessing global scientific expertise to address the shared research challenges of building resilience to the risks posed by extreme weather and climate change. In doing so they are helping to protect lives and livelihoods, prosperity and wellbeing around the world. 

The programmes are delivering tangible benefits to a wide range of stakeholders, including: 

• Policymakers who gain access to timely, locally relevant weather and climate information to support adaptation and resilience planning 

• Scientists and researchers who benefit from collaborative opportunities and shared data science expertise 

• Arctic stakeholders who benefit from enhanced forecasting and navigation tools to support safe operations and climate monitoring.