One of TWAS's main objective is to recognize excellence in scientific research in the developing world. Since 1985 the Academy has awarded prizes to individual researchers in the South.
TWAS Plus is a digital bulletin sent to subscribers via email – without charge – six times per year. The focus is on science and engineering in the developing world. The audience is global.
TWAS has six centres of excellence, hosted by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS): They offer a remarkable opportunity for researchers from the developing world to study, train and work in top Beijing-based laboratories
The idea to create an academy for scientists from the 'Third World' was first discussed among a small group of internationally renowned researchers who met at the general meeting of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in Rome, Italy, in October 1981. Two years later, in November 1983, the creation of TWAS was marked by a formal ceremony held at the University of Trieste and the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). The event, sponsored by the Trieste International Foundation for Scientific Progress and Freedom, brought together 34 of the Academy's 42 founding members.