IGBP has played a pre-eminent role in fostering the understanding of global environmental change, facilitating international collaboration and building research capacity in the developing world. To mark its legacy and eventual transition to the new Future Earth initiative IGBP will organise a series of activities, these include transdisciplinary sessions and a young scientists’ event at the AGU conference in December 2015. IGBP is keen to engage its researchers from developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region in this event: the event will enable them to present their research, engage with IGBP scientists from around the world and build collaborations.