The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)

TWAS, the academy of sciences for the developing world, is an autonomous international organization that promotes scientific capacity and excellence in the South. Founded in 1983 by a group of eminent scientists under the leadership of the late Nobel laureate Abdus Salam of Pakistan, TWAS was officially launched in Trieste, Italy, in 1985 by the Secretary-General of the United Nations. TWAS has 880 members from 90 countries, 73 of which are developing countries. The secretariat is located on the premises of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy. UNESCO is responsible for the administration of TWAS funds and staff. A major portion of TWAS funding is provided by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Italy. The main objectives of TWAS are to: - Recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific research in the South; - Provide promising scientists in the South with research facilities necessary for the advancement of their work; - Facilitate contacts between individual scientists and institutions in the South; - Encourage North-South cooperation between individuals and centres of scholarship. The TWAS secretariat in Trieste also hosts the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS, see www.twows.org), the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP, see www.interacademies.net) and the InterAcademy Medical Panel (IAMP, see www.iamp-online.org)

Italy

TWAS ICTP Campus Strada Costiera 11 34014 Trieste

0039 040 2240 327