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For more than 25 years, 91Â鶹¹ú²ú¾«Æ·×ÔÅÄ been a partner of the (ICDP), a funding body based in the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ Potsdam). ICDP supports Earth science research by providing ‘matching funds’ for research that would not be possible otherwise, with an annual disbursement of approximately 4 million USD. The programme’s core themes—geodynamic processes, geohazards, georesources, and environmental change—closely align with the International Geoscience Programme (IGCP)'s priorities.

Recognizing the scale and complexity of ICDP-supported projects, IGCP 773 proposes to enhance collaboration between IGCP and ICDP with several potential avenues for UNESCO support:

• Utilizing UNESCO’s network of field offices and regional/national contacts to increase visibility of ICDP projects and assist with practical challenges such as permitting and logistical coordination
• Endorsing projects to lend credibility, particularly in cases where project leaders need to clearly communicate that the research is science-driven and not intended for resource exploration or extraction
• Providing financial support on a case-by-case basis for the participation of early-career researchers from developing countries who would otherwise be unable to join
• Designating selected ICDP projects as IGCP projects, with a duration of five years, helping them meet one of their most difficult challenges—securing matching funds

In parallel, IGCP involvement can encourage stronger capacity-building and outreach components, often identified as needing improvement in ICDP evaluations. These improvements may be achieved through collaboration with UNESCO field offices and increased engagement of local researchers and communities, particularly in developing countries.

ICDP-supported projects have highly international teams from leading universities and institutes around the world, and are very productive. One project that studied Paleoproterozoic sedimentary rocks in northwestern Fennoscandia resulted in more than 40 published manuscripts (including Science and Nature), 9 PhD theses, countless MSc projects, and three books. A single project can involve 40–70 researchers from leading institutions around the world, strongly aligned with the spirit of the International Geoscience Programme. A second project studying hominin sites and paleoclimate in Africa involved approximately 100 researchers and produced 55 published manuscripts, 11 PhD theses, 11 MSc theses, and more than 200 conference presentations.

ICDP supports projects through two levels of funding:

• Workshop funding (up to 80,000 USD) to support holding a meeting for project participants to develop the drilling proposal and potentially organize a short fieldtrip in the study region
• Drilling funding (up to approximately 2 million USD or 50% of drilling costs, whichever is less) to support the collection of new drill core. This is typically supplemented by support from national funding agencies, industry, geological surveys, and other sources

ICDP projects undergo extensive scientific review through an independent Scientific Advisory Group (SAG), composed of more than 20 international researchers covering all fields in geosciences. IGCP review can focus on the outreach and capacity building components of the SAG-approved ICDP projects.