View this email in your browser

Year 2025 – Vol. 37 – N.1

Building science through international dialogues

EDITORIAL

The imperative for global solidarity

Quarraisha Abdool Karim, TWAS President 

Future generations will find themselves confronted with deepening crises such as climate change and disease for which science will be an indispensable element of any realistic solution. This is why it is important for members of the global scientific community to stand together in solidarity and show support for science, its integrity, and its value. 

This is an ethos we know well at TWAS, where our core mission is one of global solidarity: a world of scientists coming together to use science for sustainable development for everyone everywhere and to support emerging scientists from the global South. 

This benefits everyone: because it helps countries transition into economies with greater capacity and infrastructure for knowledge creation and innovation. TWAS showcases scientists from the global South who are leading the way in innovation and discovery to address local challenges that are also making a global impact.

NURTURING INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS

BAS and TWAS announce theme and dates of the 17th TWAS General Conference

The event will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Brazilian Academy of Sciences (BAS) and TWAS have announced the theme of the 17th TWAS General Conference: ‘Building a Sustainable Future: The Role of Science, Technology, and Innovation for Global Development’. The event will take place at the Windsor Barra Convention Hotel in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 29 September to 2 October 2025, and will be organized in partnership by BAS and TWAS.

Celebrating excellence in quantum science and technology: The 2025 TWAS Apex Award

The TWAS Apex Award, one of the most prestigious honours bestowed upon scientists from the developing world, is now open for nominations.

This award carries a monetary prize of USD 100,000, along with a medal and a certificate recognizing the recipient's significant contributions to quantum science and technology. Deadline for nominations is 15 May 2025, and the call is open to scientists from developing countries who have been living and working in the global South for at least the last 10 years.

TWAS participates in dialogues on international science

Alongside TYAN and OWSD, the Academy explored ways to leverage science for the global good.

TWAS joined other members of the International Science Council (ISC) for an event that focused on the future of global science on 26–30 January 2025. The event, called Muscat Global Knowledge Dialogue and Third ISC General Assembly, was hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Oman. It drew representatives from across the scientific spectrum, including international unions and associations, research councils, international federations and societies, and academies.

Accelerating sustainable development through digital technologies

The Beijing Declaration underscores the collective commitment to leveraging digital innovations for sustainable progress.

Digital technologies are critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is the main message of a call-to-action entitled the ‘Beijing Declaration on Partnership for Accelerating Sustainable Development through Digital Technologies’. This call-to-action was supported by representatives of nations, organizations, and stakeholders, together with 700 participants at the 4th International Forum on Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (FBAS 2024). The event, which took place in Beijing, China, on 6–8 September 2024, was hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and organized by the International Research Center of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS).

A grant for growth: Preserving the Kosso tree in Togo

Through a Sida-supported TWAS grant, a Togolese scientist is monitoring the health of local trees.

Togolese plant physiologist Benziwa Johnson needed specialized equipment to study the African Kosso tree, an important source of timber and fodder in West and Central Africa. She had the expertise and a solid plan, but funding was essential. A grant from TWAS backed by Sida, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, provided the support she needed to advance her work in reforestation and biodiversity conservation.

Cutting-edge technologies for better health

Sri Lankan chemist Imalka Munaweera received the 2023 TWAS-Atta-ur-Rahman Award for nanotechnology work tied to medicine, agriculture, food supply chains, and water supplies.

Nanotechnology can make a big difference. It has many applications, from drug delivery in the pharmaceutical industry to water filtration and slow-release fertilizer systems in agriculture. Sri Lankan chemist Imalka Munaweera has made outstanding contributions in this field, and TWAS recognized her accomplishments by bestowing her with the 2023 TWAS-Atta-ur-Rahman Award in Chemistry. Sponsored by The Searle Company Ltd., this prize is given to chemists under 40 who have lived for at least two years in one of the 66 science-and-technology lagging countries identified by TWAS.

Walking the path to healthy ageing

Economics professor Yaohui Zhao has provided a better understanding of the Chinese labour market and the economic impact of healthy ageing.

Population ageing has many consequences for a country's well-being, including impacts on economic growth, employment rates, health conditions, and the availability of resources. Yaohui Zhao, a professor of economics at Wuhan University in China, believes that understanding labour market dynamics and factors that influence healthy ageing can help fostering more equitable societies. Her pioneering studies on the Chinese labour market won her the 2024 TWAS Siwei Cheng Award in Economic Sciences.

Rosemary Bulyaba: Forging new African collaborations

Rosemary Bulyaba is an agronomist at Uganda Christian University who recently attended the 2024 TWAS Skill Building Workshop in Dakar, Senegal. 

In a newly released video from TWAS, she describes how this event allowed her to form new collaborations with fellow African scientists working on similar projects.

TWAS HIGHLIGHTS

TWAS Fellow Sandra Díaz named co-winner of top environmental achievement award

The Tyler Prize is widely regarded to be the ‘Nobel Prize for Environment’.

Argentine ecologist Sandra Díaz has been awarded the 2025 Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement for her extraordinary work linking biodiversity to humankind, the Tyler Prize Executive Committee announced today.

"The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) is delighted and so proud that Prof. Sandra Díaz, TWAS Fellow and current member of the TWAS Council representing Latin America and the Caribbean, is the 2025 Tyler Prize laureate, the world's highest recognition for contributions to Environmental Science,” said TWAS President Quarraisha Abdool Karim.

TWAS Alumna Jaqueline Mesquita appointed president of the Mathematical Union for Latin America and the Caribbean

Mathematician Mesquita is the first Brazilian and the youngest in history to hold this position

TWAS Alumna Jaqueline Godoy Mesquita has taken the presidency of the Mathematical Union for Latin America and the Caribbean (UMALCA). She is the second woman to hold this position and the youngest in the institution’s history. "Assuming the presidency of UMALCA is, for me, a deep commitment to advancing mathematics throughout Latin America and the Caribbean," she said.

"This is a region shaped by a history of inequality, yet rich in diversity, identity, and vibrant potential for scientific progress and social transformation."

TWAS Research Grants: Powering research institutions in Senegal

TWAS and Sida fuel innovation in energy, health, and sustainable development.

Along the coastline, Atlantic waves crash against sun-bleached shores. Just meters from the seafront, bustling boulevards form a dynamic urban tapestry. Here in Senegal’s capital, a new generation of researchers is pioneering scientific advances, working to transform their societies and create a lasting impact for future generations.

TWAS Research Grants programme, supported by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), is providing unique opportunities to early career researchers and their work at the University Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD), the Pasteur Institute of Dakar (IPD), and the Thiès Polytechnic School. These grants demonstrate how targeted scientific funding can spark solutions to challenges related to energy, health, and sustainable development.

TWAS Young Affiliate Halima Sumayya Twabi honored as 2025 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation awardee

Malawian TWAS Young Affiliate Halima Sumayya Twabi is among the recipients of the 2025 OWSD-Elsevier Foundation awardees in inclusive health. 

She is honored for her research and contribution to advancing UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3. Twabi, a biostatistician and associate professor of statistics with the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Malawi, addresses health disparities in vulnerable populations through advanced statistical methodologies and data-driven approaches. She focuses her investigations on women and children, particularly those affected by HIV infection, in socio-economically disadvantaged communities.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

IN MEMORIAM

Support TWAS

A donation contributes to the advancement of science,
engineering, and technology in developing nations.

The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) works to support sustainable prosperity through research, education, policy and diplomacy.

TWAS was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the global South and global North, under the leadership of Abdus Salam, the Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate. As of January 2025, TWAS had 1,444 elected Fellows representing over 112 countries; 13 of them are Nobel laureates. It is based in Trieste, Italy, on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP).  

Through four decades, the Academy’s mission has remained consistent, namely to:

• Recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific research in the developing world
• Respond to the needs of young scientists in countries that are lagging in science and technology
• Promote South-South and South-North cooperation in science, technology and innovation, and
• Encourage scientific and engineering research and sharing of experiences in solving major problems facing developing countries.

With its partners, it has graduated over 1,230 PhDs and offered hundreds of postdoctoral fellowships to developing world scientists. The Academy also hosts prestigious scientific awards in the global South, has offered numerous research grants, and supports exchange visits for scientists.

TWAS hosts and works in association with two organizations, also hosted on the ICTP campus: the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP).

At its founding in 1989, OWSD was the first international forum uniting women scientists from the developing and developed worlds. Today, the organization has more than 10,800 members. Their objective is to strengthen the role of women in the development process and promote their representation in scientific and technological leadership.

IAP represents 150 national and regional science and medical academies worldwide. It provides high-quality analysis and advice on science, health and development to national and international policymakers and the public; supports programmes on scientific capacity-building, education and communication; leads efforts to expand international science cooperation; and promotes the involvement of women and young scientists in all its activities.

TWAS, a programme unit of UNESCO , receives its core funding from the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.

TWAS NEWSLETTER
Produced quarterly by The World Academy of Sciences
for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS)

Strada Costiera 11, 34151, Trieste, Italy
e-mail: info@twas.org | website: www.twas.org 
 
TWAS Council: https://twas.org/council 
TWAS Executive Director: Marcelo Knobel
TWAS Public Information Unit: https://twas.org/press-room