2024: Excellence, Innovation and Partnerships for Sustainable Development
By TWAS President, Quarraisha Abdool Karim
The year 2024 served as a powerful reminder of the enduring vision of the founders of TWAS on the use of science, technology, and innovation for the benefit of humanity. It underscored the importance of excellence in our endeavours, the transformative power of collaborations and partnerships, and the key role they play in nurturing the next generation of science leaders. It also reaffirmed our commitment to amplifying the voices of the global South, ensuring that the richness and diversity of both challenges and successes from across the developing world are recognized for their global impact.
We are living through complex, unprecedented, and challenging times. Our hope lies in science and innovation that benefit everyone, everywhere. Our accomplishments in 2024 have been possible through our longstanding and deeply valued partnerships, most notably with the Italian government through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI), the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), the Friuli Venezia Giulia region (FVG), and the Friuli Venezia Giulia Scientific and Innovation System (SiS FVG). These partnerships reinforce TWAS’s deep roots in the country and region— connections that are vital for our mission
We also thank the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Elsevier Foundation, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, national governments of Brazil and Chile, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).
We also acknowledge that our work would not have been as impactful without the invaluable contributions of our associated organizations. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) has provided essential support and partnership to TWAS for over four decades. We are equally grateful to work with the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD) and the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), whose secretariats are hosted by our Academy.
We also extend our sincere thanks to our five Regional Partners, who keep TWAS closely connected to grassroots science in different regions of the developing world, and to the TWAS Young Affiliates Network (TYAN), which brings fresh energy to the Academy by fostering links among early-career scientists and promoting international collaboration.
Much has been accomplished thanks to the active engagement of the TWAS Council and TWAS Fellows, who generously gave their time by serving on committees and representing our Academy at key meetings and conferences. Their support also extends to the sponsorship of TWAS excellence awards and contributions to the TWAS endowment fund, for which we are deeply grateful.
Notably, several TWAS Fellows continue to make valuable contributions to the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC). Further, through support from the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, TWAS organized a landmark meeting that brought together 45 scientists from 36 developing countries and 15 IPCC-affiliated climate experts. This event reflected upon the diversity of climate change’s effects in the global South, and helped amplify participants’ voices in global climate discussions. Meanwhile, the TWAS Pandemic Preparedness Committee has remained active, engaging TWAS Fellows through insightful webinars and regular newsletters. The Committee continues to monitor trends in new and emerging epidemics, contributing to global efforts in health security and preparedness.
We proudly welcomed 74 new Fellows to TWAS in 2024, effective 2025. These outstanding scientists—primarily from the global South, including TWAS-identified Science- and Technology-Lagging Countries (STLCs)—represent excellence across 10 subject categories. To keep pace with the rapid evolution in digital technologies, our Academy has introduced a new subject category: Quantum Information and Computational Sciences. This addition reflects the latest advancements in knowledge generation and ensures TWAS’s selection process remains aligned with emerging scientific frontiers
We extend our sincere gratitude to ICTP Director Atish Dabholkar, who served as TWAS interim executive director, and to TWAS Fellow Seifallah Randjbar-Daemi. Both provided invaluable support to our Academy during a critical transition period, while also planning the 60th anniversary celebrations of ICTP. Following an extensive search process, we were delighted to welcome Marcelo Knobel of Brazil as the new TWAS executive director, effective December 2024. Knobel is a familiar figure within the TWAS community, having first joined as a Young Affiliate and later being elected as a TWAS Fellow. His academic leadership, dedication to science excellence, and commitment to using science for the betterment of society aligns strongly with TWAS’s values and vision.
Remaining true to its mission, TWAS continued to build critical scientific capacity in the global South. A key milestone was our workshop held in Dakar, Senegal, in November, which brought together TWAS research grantees—including recipients of Sida Research Grants and BMBF Seed Grants for new African Principal Investigators. The event focused on strengthening essential skills such as science communication, identifying predatory journals, writing successful grant proposals, and fostering intra-African academic networks.
The renewal of a five-year agreement with the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) in Brazil for 50 PhD students is a notable additional opportunity for promising emerging scientists from the global South. Beneficiaries of this programme will join hundreds of other PhD and postdoctoral students who have, and continue to, benefit from North-South, South-South, and SouthNorth partnerships and collaborations across numerous institutions.
In partnership with AAAS, TWAS hosted the 11th Course on Science Diplomacy, a highly sought-after and competitive event for emerging science leaders. TWAS, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Elsevier Foundation, convened 20 women scientists from 17 countries to present the results of their novel and innovative actionbased climate-change projects in Beijing, China. Together with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), crucial support through collaborative research grants was provided to displaced scientists in Yemen and Jordan. We are also proud of the latest slate of TWAS awardees, who represent the best of developing-world science. They include awards sponsored by some of our TWAS Fellows, as well as one by CAS, and a full list can be found on page 43.
Moreover, TWAS was an active partner in the planning of the World Science Forum hosted by the Hungarian Academy of Science; the Science for Society Forum hosted in Kyoto, Japan; and the Forum for Big Data for Sustainable Development hosted by the International Research Centre of Big Data for Sustainable Development Goals (CBAS).
Finally, 2024 ended with exciting news that the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, under TWAS Fellow Helena Nader’s leadership, will host the next TWAS General Conference in Rio de Janeiro from 29 September to 2 October 2025. An exciting programme with inspiring speakers has been assembled and we look forward to welcoming all of you there.
Read the full Annual Report 2024, available now online.