This symposium will present Future Earth and the global alliance of partners establishing it. The discussion will address international coordination of research and funding; co-designing research with funders, scientists, and users; and the role of science in bridging to policy and practice. The symposium will include an interactive session for audience feedback. The Future Earth global alliance of partners includes the International Council of Science, the International Social Science Council, the Belmont Forum of funding agencies, the United Nations Environment Program, the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations University, and the World Meteorological Organization as an observer. Future Earth is a new 10-year interdisciplinary research initiative to deliver the knowledge required for societies to face risks posed by global environmental change and to seize opportunities in a transition to global sustainability. It builds on the success of the existing global environmental change programs (co-sponsored by the International Council for Science) and will integrate them to face the scale and complexity of current sustainable development challenges. Future Earth is mobilizing the global scientific community, funders, and users of research to define together and address the most pressing research questions on sustainable development and its integrated environmental, social, and economic dimensions. This includes strengthened links between science, policy, and society.