International Council for Science coordinates the activities of many international unions in the fields of the natural sciences. It was formerly known as the International Council of Scientific Unions and continues to use the initials ICSU. The ICSU has helped to establish some international unions, and to define the borderline areas that might be studied by more than one union, such as oceanic research. It organized the scientific work for the International Geophysical Year, the International Years of the Quiet Sun, and the International Biological Program. The ICSU, with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), also developed the Global Atmospheric Research Program, the World Climate Research Program, and the International Geosphere-Biosphere Program. Delegates from national scientific organizations and international unions meet every two years. The ICSU is supported by dues from member organizations, grants from private foundations, and grants from UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization). The ICSU was founded in Brussels, Belgium, in 1919 as the International Research Council. It changed its name in 1931 to International Council of Scientific Unions and in 1998 to International Council for Science but kept the initials ICSU.
