Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Co-founded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Max-Plank Gemeinschaft (MPG) in 2003, the Institute of Tibetan Plateau research (ITP) was poised to pool international scientific forces together in an effort to better understand the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau and its climate and eco-environment, and to come up with the adaptations to the changing environment for a sustainable development of the region. Consisting of three campuses, respectively in Lhasa, Beijing, and Kunming, the ITP mainly studies the Tibetan Plateau uplift and its influence on climate and environment in Asia and the Northern Hemisphere on the whole. It endeavors to address scientific frontier questions such as geodynamics, land surface processes, environmental changes on the Tibetan Plateau, and responses and adaptations of the alpine-cold ecosystem to the changing environment, hoping to serve for human livelihood and social wellbeing in the Third Pole region through innovative research and internationally acknowledged achievements. Goals ITP sees itself as a potential international center that is open and well-organized for the Tibetan Plateau research. Through the acquisition of the first-hand data and application of advanced research approaches, it intends to produce internationally acknowledged achievements in research fields such as geodynamics relating to the Plateau uplift, interactions between Tibetan Plateau and global change, variation of atmosphere and land surface processes, as well as ecological adaptability and genetic resources under radical environment. It also intends to develop a research team of advanced research level and high innovative capacity. Top Priorities 1. Indian-Eurasian continental collision, geodynamics, and the growth of the Tibetan Plateau 2. Mechanisms of material flow and phase transition in various spheres over the Tibetan Plateau and their influences 3. Ecosystem variation and human activities in alpine-cold regions 4. Risk assessment, environmental crisis, and emergency management