The Environmental Data Science Innovation & Inclusion Lab (ESIIL), founded in 2022, is a next-generation NSF-funded data synthesis center led by the University of Colorado Boulder in collaboration with NSF’s CyVerse (at the University of Arizona) and the University of Oslo. ESIIL enables a global community of environmental data scientists to leverage big data and emerging analytics to develop science-based solutions to pressing environmental challenges. At ESIIL, we envision a world where data-driven discovery, innovation, and evidence-based solutions are accelerating environmental sustainability from local to global scales. ESIIL’s research community generates discoveries and novel approaches through: 1) cutting-edge team science, 2) open tools and collaborative cyberinfrastructure, 3) data science skills education, and 4) building a supportive community. We host Innovation Summits, Hackathons, Working Groups, and other events to build the ESIIL network and advance environmental data science (EDS), a rapidly evolving discipline bridging computational, biological, environmental, and social sciences. ESIIL facilitates impactful research on topics such as: extreme disturbances and climate, biodiversity and community dynamics, ecosystem stability and resilience, evolutionary patterns, advancing data sovereignty and stewardship in partnership with Tribal communities, and how to best teach and learn EDS as well as conduct multidisciplinary research in collaborative, productive teams. The ESIIL Network currently includes 698 people from more than 300 institutions.