TWAS Prizes for Young Scientists in Developing Countries

Purpose and Nature

• A major objective of TWAS is to recognize and support individual scientists in developing countries who have made excellent contributions to the advancement of science, measured in terms of the number and impact of scientific research papers published in internationally recognized journals.
• In many developing countries a system of awarding scientists for significant scientific accomplishments is not fully implemented.
• Against this background, TWAS provides financial assistance to national science academies, scientific research councils and ministries of science and technology in a number of developing countries to enable them to institute a scheme of TWAS prizes for young scientists.
• The prizes are awarded each year in various fields of natural sciences on a rotating basis.
• TWAS shall make available a yearly amount of up to US$2,000 as prize money. Each awarding organization may decide whether to divide this amount into more than one prize per year.
• Note: From 2010, the TWAS Prizes for Young Scientists in Developing Countries has been replaced - in Africa only - by the AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Awards scheme.
  

Procedure

• The organizations intending to award TWAS prizes for young scientists in their respective countries will be requested to sign an agreement of collaboration with TWAS outlining the rules and regulations governing the scheme.
• Candidates eligibile for the prizes should be no older than forty years of age at the time of winning the prize; hold at least a Master's degree; have a good record of research publications in internationally recognized journals; be living and working in the country of the awarding organization.
• Nominations of women scientists are particularly encouraged.
  
• A committee of eminent scientists in the country — including TWAS members, where applicable — should be formed for selecting the prize winners. Names of committee members should be sent to TWAS for information.
• The awarding organizations should send a complete profile of the selected nominees to TWAS, providing details on their achievements together with curriculum vitae and list of publications. Approval of TWAS is required before announcing the names of the winners.
• The prize should be presented to the awardees by a high-ranking public figure (e.g., head of state/government, minister of science and technology) at a special ceremony.
• The prize money will be provided by TWAS to the awarding organization in the form of a cheque made out in the name of the awardees.

Participating Organizations

23 agreements with organizations in developing countries have been signed to establish TWAS Prizes for Young Scientists. In addition, a number of organizations have recently shown interest in establishing prizes in their countries, and are currently setting up rules and regulations for the awarding of these prizes.

1. Bangladesh Academy of Sciences
2. National Academy of Sciences, Bolivia
3. Caribbean Academy of Sciences, Trinidad & Tobago
4. Colombian Academy of Sciences
5. National Council for Scientific & Technological Research, Costa Rica
6. Cuban Academy of Sciences
7. Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences, Guatemala
8. Iranian Research Organization for Science and Technology (IROST)
9. Royal Scientific Society, Jordan
10. National Academy of Science of the Kyrgyz Republic
11. Mongolian Academy of Sciences
12. Nepal Academy of Science and Technology
13. Pakistan Academy of Sciences *
14. Asociacion Panamena para el Avance de la Ciencia (APANAC), Panama
15. National Academy of Science & Technology (ANCYT), Peru
16. National Academy of Science & Technology, Philippines
17. National Science Foundation, Sri Lanka
18. Scientific Research Department, Ministry of Higher Education, Syria
19. National Research Council, Thailand
20. Scientific & Technical Research Council of Turkey
21. Uzbekistan Academy of Sciences
22. Latin American Academy of Sciences (ACAL), Venezuela
23. Vietnamese Academy of Science and Technology (VAST)

 * From 2011, the TWAS Prize for Young Scientists from Pakistan has been replaced by the "Abdus Salam Prize in Science" and the "Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Prize in Applied Science-Technology".

This programme is for science academies, research councils or high-level research organizations in developing countries. For information about joining the scheme, please contact:

TWAS Prizes for Young Scientists
ICTP Campus
Strada Costiera 11
34151 Trieste
Italy

Fax: +39 040 2240 7387
E-mail: prizes@twas.org