Established in April 2022, the International Institute for Sustainability Science (IISS) is a university-level research platform led by College of the Environment and Ecology, and jointly established by School of Public Affairs and School of Journalism and Communication.

Aiming at the international frontier of global environmental change and sustainable development and the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the Institute conducts theoretical, methodological and practical research to serve the strategic needs of national and local sustainable development. 

The main research directions are: the coupling mechanism of social-economic-environmental system; the pathway of sustainable development and its scenario modelling technology; the planning, progress assessment and decision support systems for sustainable development; urbanisation, rural revitalisation and sustainable development; and the sustainable development of coastal zone with land and sea integration.