ANNUAL REPORT2017 THE WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES for the advancement of science in developing countries ANNUAL REPORT2017 THE WORLD ACADEMY OF SCIENCES for the advancement of science in developing countries Let us strive to provide equal opportunities to all so that they can engage in the creation of physics and science for the benefit of all mankind. Abdus Salam, Nobel Prize in Physics, Founder of TWAS CONTENTS Cover photo: Saja Al The TWAS Council 4 Zoubi, a Syrian social scientist and former The TWAS mission 5 TWAS postdoctoral research fellow, left her 2017: Achieving historic milestones home country in a time of war and conducted by Bai Chunli, President 6 research in the refugee camps of Lebanon. She is A year of impact 8 featured in the 2017 TWAS documentary film, “Science Who we are: Fellows and Young Affiliates 10 in Exile”. (Image by Nicole TWAS partners 12 Leghissa) PROGRAMMES AND ACTIVITIES Honouring scientific excellence 14 Education and training 16 Progress through research 18 Supporting science policy 20 Science diplomacy 22 Supporting scientists at risk 24 Advancing women 26 Global academy networks 28 Regional offices 30 TWAS & Italy 32 A story to communicate 34 APPENDICES Financial report 2017 36 2017’s TWAS Fellows and Young Affiliates 42 Prizes awarded in 2017 43 The TWAS secretariat 44 TWAS ANNUAL REPORT 2017 THE TWAS COUNCIL The TWAS Council, elected by members every three years, is responsible for supervising all Academy affairs. The current Council was elected in January 2016 and will serve until the end of 2018. President Treasurer Bai Chunli (China) Samira Omar Asem (Kuwait) Immediate Past President Council Members Jacob Palis (Brazil) Africa: Robin Crewe (South Africa) Arab Region: Vice-Presidents Abdel Nasser Tawfik (Egypt) Africa: Central and South Asia: Moctar Toure (Senegal) Habib Firouzabadi (Iran) Arab Region: East and Southeast Asia: Mohammed Hamdan (Jordan) Bishal Nath Upreti (Nepal) Central and South Asia: Latin America and Caribbean: Rabia Hussain (Pakistan) Mahabir Prashad Gupta (Panama) East and Southeast Asia: Khatijah M. Yusoff (Malaysia) Latin America and Caribbean: Ex-officio Council Member Manuel Limonta-Vidal (Cuba) Fernando Quevedo (Guatemala) [Director, Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP)] Secretary General Ajay K. Sood (India) 4 THE TWAS MISSION TWAS – The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries – works to advance sustainable prosperity through research, education, policy and diplomacy. 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 Prize winner. Today, TWAS has about 1,220 elected Fellows representing 100 countries, 14 of them Nobel laureates. The Academy is based in Trieste, Italy, on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). It receives core funding from the government of Italy, and essential programmatic funding from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida). The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) administers TWAS funds and personnel. Through more than 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. 5 TWAS ANNUAL REPORT 2017 2017: STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE TWAS founder Abdus Salam won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1979, and in his brief but elegant remarks at the Nobel banquet, he urged the audience to join in a momentous quest: “Let us strive to provide equal opportunities to all so that they can engage in the creation of physics and science for the benefit of all mankind.” For Salam, creating opportunities for young This is a remarkable accomplishment, and men and women in the developing world was a our members and partners can justifiably be by , Bai Chunli core principle in a career of pubic service, and proud. Within a few years, if all goes well, more TWAS President when TWAS was founded a few years later, he set than a thousand new scientists will be at work this as a central part of the Academy’s mission. in the world – conducting research, advising Now, after steady progress across more than 30 governments and businesses, and educating years, we have achieved an historic milestone: a new generation. They will be assuming At the end of 2017, for the first time ever, leadership for the progress of science in the more than 1,000 early-career scientists were developing world. studying for their PhDs under programmes One of them is Rwandan chemical engineer offered by TWAS and its partners. To be exact, Kamana Emmanuel, pursuing his PhD at the there were 1,070 – about 700 of them in University of Science and Technology of China. the CAS-TWAS President’s PhD Fellowship “I worked days and nights in the lab,” he recalls, programme that we founded in 2013. At the “and I succeeded in the first project and I same time, our colleagues at the Organization published a paper with my group members for Women in Science for the Developing World as a first author. This encouraged me to work (OWSD) had about 225 active PhD students, further because I saw that everything could be most of them in Africa. possible.” 6 2017: STRIVING FOR EXCELLENCE Venkatraman Our milestone reflects the expansion of many These achievements remind us of how Ramakrishnan, president of our programmes in recent years, in every important our partners are to all of our work. of the Royal Society, and Bai Chunli, president region of the developing world. Our established Our relationship with Italy remains strong of the Chinese Academy fellowship, research grant and visiting scientist and enormously productive. The Swedish of Sciences and TWAS, programmes continue to have a powerful International Development Cooperation led delegations who met cumulative impact. More recent initiatives, Agency (Sida) provides essential funding for in London for discussions about cooperation in such as the Solar Radiation Management our research grants and for OWSD, and it has science-for-development Governance Initiative and the TWAS Young supported our work with refugee scientists. In initiatives. (Photo: Affiliates Network (TYAN), are showing strong 2017, we forged a major new partnership with The Royal Society) energy and growth. the Islamic Development Bank; together, we will One new project has achieved particular build new programmes focused on the Bank’s success: Our 2017 workshop on researchers member countries, especially the 25 Least displaced by war has helped to galvanise an Developed Countries among its members. And international network of stakeholders, and I’m pleased to say that after a cordial visit to the they look to TWAS as a leader. Our film on Royal Society in London, our academies are now this topic, “Science in Exile”, premiered at the exploring new areas for cooperation. World Science Forum in Jordan and has since Finally, I want to thank two men who have screened at prominent scientific meetings, been instrumental in 2017 successes: When cultural gatherings and universities worldwide. Executive Director Romain Murenzi was transferred to UNESCO headquarters in Paris in 2016, TWAS founding Executive Director Mohamed Hassan stepped in and served admirably on an interim basis until Prof. Murenzi returned in September 2017. At a time of tremendous growth, we are grateful for their leadership – and leadership from the TWAS Council and many others – that helps to assure success in our shared mission. From left: Mohamed H.A. Hassan; Romain Murenzi. Working together, everything is indeed possible. 7 TWAS ANNUAL REPORT 2017 A YEAR OF IMPACT For TWAS, 2017 was a year 1 of significant expansion in programmes, networks and the reach of its communication. The Academy continues to provide important opportunities to developing world researchers, and it is increasingly influential globally as a centre for science policy and diplomacy. Among the Academy’s central accomplishments: 1 PhD fellowships hit milestone For the first time in TWAS history, the number of PhD fellowship awardees on-site working on their degrees passed 1,000. As of the end of 2017, the Academy was sponsoring 1,070 active postgraduates, more than half hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences through the CAS- TWAS President’s PhD Fellowship Programme. (For more on TWAS fellowships, see page 16) 2 At-risk scientists: a path-breaking 2 workshop Leaders from science, diplomacy and education explored the challenges confronting researchers fleeing violence and repression in their home countries at a first-of-its- kind workshop co-sponsored by TWAS. Workshop attendees, including several war- displaced scientists, collaborated to compose recommendations urging science organisations, 8 A YEAR OF IMPACT A YEAR OF IMPACT 3 thought-leaders declared their commitment to “Science for Peace”. Nearly 3,000 participants attended, and panelists included leaders of the world’s largest research organisations, science ministers and advisers. TWAS and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), focused on challenges important to the developing world – such as brain drain and development in Africa. It was also the scene of the world premiere of “Science in Exile”, TWAS’s new film on displaced and refugee scientists. (For more on science policy, see page 20) 4 New prizes for women launched The Academy has developed a new series of prizes for women, and in 2017 two of the three issued their first awards: The TWAS- Abdool Karim Prize for women scientists in 5 low-income African countries went to a Kenyan epidemiologist, and the first TWAS-Samira Omar Innovation for Sustainability Prize, dedicated to scientists from LDCs, went to a leader in Ugandan conservation.