Italy: The Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) 3502 views

TWAS was founded in 1983 by a distinguished group of scientists from the developing world, under the leadership of Abdus Salam, the Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate. They shared a belief that developing nations, by building strength in science and engineering, could build the knowledge and skill to address such challenges as hunger, disease and poverty. From the start, the Academy had essential support from Italian scientists and political leaders.

Through three decades, TWAS’s mission has remained consistent:

• 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;
• Encourage scientific research and sharing of experiences in solving major problems facing developing countries.

TWAS and its partners offer over 600 fellowships per year to scientists in the developing world who want to pursue PhDs and postdoctoral research. TWAS prizes and awards are among the most prestigious given for scientific work in the developing world. The Academy distributes more than USD1 million in research grants every year to individual scientists and research groups. It supports visiting scientists and provides funding for regional and international science meetings.