"Excellence in Science: Profiles of Research Institutions in Developing Countries", is a series of books published by TWAS that explore the achievements of some of the South's most successful science centres. Each profile details how the research center was founded, the challenges it has overcome and its role in a nation's sustainable economic development. TWAS's publication partners have included the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) and the Science Initiative Group.
Excellence in Science
2011 - International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, Pakistan
Located in Pakistan's financial centre and largest city, Karachi University's International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) is one of the developing world's finest research and training centres in its field. It carries out research, training, product development and service delivery in the chemical, biological and biomedical sciences. - Published in collaboration with the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS).
2010 - South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity
In 1938, a trawler fishing the waters off South Africa’s eastern coast caught a coelacanth, a fish thought to have become extinct 65 million years ago. If not for the living fossil, it is doubtful that Grahamstown would be the home of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity. Today, the institute is the continent’s undisputed leader in fish taxonomy, and its collection of fish specimens attracts researchers from around the world.
2009 - Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania
The Ifakara Health Institute is Tanzania’s foremost health research institution. After starting as a field research institute sponsored by the Swiss, it is today so well-equipped and -staffed that it wins funding from donors based on its scientific excellence.
2008 - Malagasy Institute for Applied Research, Madagascar
For more than 40 years, the Malagasy Institute for Applied Research has been investigating Madagascar’s traditional medicines and food plants. Today, it is among Madagascar’s leading research institutions. It is by far the best-equipped centre in Madagascar dedicated to biodiversity conservation and the discovery of drugs from natural products.
– Published with support of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
2008 - Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, China
The Institute of Medicinal Plant Development in Beijing seeks to ensure the continued existence of the valuable heritage of Traditional Chinese Medicine by applying the tools of modern science to ancient tradition. The principal aims of the Institute are to protect, develop and utilize medicinal plant resources using modern scientific techniques.
– Published with support of The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.