TWAS's Major Activities

Awards and Prizes | Capacity Building for Research | Fellowships and Associateships | Meetings

An overview of the activities carried out by TWAS since 1986 is available as a PDF document here:
PDF file icon TWAS Programme Statistics 1986-2002.

A. Awards and Prizes

TWAS Prizes
-- Each year the Academy will award eight prizes of US$10,000 each to individual scientists from developing countries who have made outstanding contributions to knowledge in the following eight fields of science: biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, agricultural sciences, earth sciences, engineering sciences, and medical sciences. Next deadline for nominations: 31 March 2008.
The Trieste Science Prize
-- TWAS and illycaffè, in collaboration with the Municipality of Trieste and the Fondazione Internazionale per il progresso e la libertà delle scienze, have launched the Trieste Science Prize. Two prizes are given annually to eminent scientists living and working in developing countries who have made significant contributions to global science. Each prize carries a US$50,000 award. Deadline for 2008 nominations (in earth, space, ocean and atmospheric sciences and in engineering sciences): 31 January 2008.
TWAS Prizes to Young Scientists in Developing Countries
-- The Academy invites national science academies, scientific research councils, ministries of science & technology and high-level research organizations in the South to institute a scheme of TWAS prizes for young scientists in their countries. Important: The programme is directed at organizations, not individual scientists. Deadline: none.
TWAS Medal Lectures
-- Every year, the Academy honours three TWAS Members for their achievements in their fields of research. The recipients lecture on a main aspect of their work, and are presented with a plaque.
Abdus Salam Medal for Science and Technology
-- The medal was instituted to honour the Academy's founder and first president, Professor Abdus Salam. It is awarded to highly distinguished personalities who have served the cause of science in the Third World.

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B. Capacity Building for Research

TWAS Research Grants Programme in Basic Sciences
for Individual Scientists and Research Units in S&T-Lagging Countries
-- The 'TWAS Research Grants' and 'TWAS Research Units in Least Developed Countries' have been amalgamated. Under this new scheme, grants are awarded to high-level promising research projects in biology, chemistry, mathematics and physics carried out by either individual scientists or research units in the 80 S&T-lagging countries (S&TLCs) identified by TWAS. Deadline: 31 August.
Spare Parts for Scientific Equipment
-- The Academy provides funds for covering the cost of small items of spare parts for scientific equipment in Third World institutions, up to a maximum of US$1,000 each. Deadline: none.

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C. Fellowships and Associateships

Please see the separate overview: Exchange Programmes

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D. Meetings

TWAS General Conference
-- Every three years, in conjunction with a general meeting of its Members, the Academy convenes a general conference in a developing country to review the status and future prospects of science and technology in various regions of the South. Conferences have so far been organized in China (1987 and 2003), Venezuela (1990), Kuwait (1992), Nigeria (1995), Brazil (1997), Senegal (1999), India (2002) and Brazil (2006). TWAS members, ministers of science and technology, presidents of science academies and research councils as well as representatives of international organizations from the South and the North are normally invited to attend these Conferences.
Support for International Scientific Meetings
-- The Academy encourages the organization of international scientific meetings in Third World countries by providing financial support in the form of travel grants for principal speakers from abroad and/or participants from the region. Important: TWAS can only provide support to organizers of scientific events held in Third World countries to enable scientists from developing countries to attend their meetings. In other words, TWAS does not provide support to individual scientists wishing to attend a scientific event, even if the event is taking place in a developing country. Deadlines for applications: 1 June for meetings to be held during January-June of the following year, and 1 December for meetings to be held during July-December of the following year.

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