Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) Scientific and Societal Relevance

This article is composed of three independent commentaries about the state and future of Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked (ICON) principles in the Science and Society section of the American Geophysical Union (Goldman et al., 2022, https://doi.org/10.1029/2021EA002099). The ICON approach pioneers a new way of doing science that Integrates physical, chemical, biological, or social attributes across scales, Coordinates with consistent protocols and methods to enable transferability, is Open through the research lifecycle with findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable principles, and ensures mutual benefit to Network across a broad range of stakeholders. Scientific discoveries, rapid scientific and technological advancements, and solutions improve our ability to face challenges and benefit society. Without innovative approaches and integrity, we cannot solve the challenges of the 21st century, such as educational, agricultural, and health equity as well as climate change and environmental sustainability. Many societal challenges require evolved frameworks and measures to address complex problems. Here, we present three independent commentaries that discuss the connection of science to three broad areas of society and present challenges and untapped opportunities in these areas. The broad areas are Citizen Science, Collaboration across Natural Sciences and Social Sciences, and Education Policy which embody the ICON processes that can create a better understanding of the role of science in society and sustainable development. The ICON processes described in these broad areas offer universal lessons and can be adapted to other areas of impact in society. Key Points Integrated, Coordinated, Open, and Networked framework builds innovative science with collaborations across disciplines to study complex human‐environmental interactions Citizen science should be involved in all phases of a research project, from the planning to the research results and discussion, for a truly successful project Partnerships between minority‐serving and historically‐advantaged institutions could help address educational inequities in society