Deadline: February 5, 2024.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Washington DC, USA, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy, are seeking candidates to participate in the annual summer course on science diplomacy to be held on 17-21 June 2024 in person in Trieste, Italy.

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), Washington DC, USA, and The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy, are seeking candidates to participate in the annual summer course on science diplomacy to be held on 17-21 June 2024 in person in Trieste, Italy.

The workshop will take place as follows:

• 17 June (Monday): Welcome dinner
• 18-20 June (Tuesday – Thursday): workshop
• 21 June (Friday half day): end of activities & wrapping up

The AAAS-TWAS Science Diplomacy training programme was established in 2014 to expose scientists, policymakers, diplomats and other interested stakeholders and institutions to science diplomacy concepts, explore key contemporary international policy issues relating to science, technology, environment and health, and build a skillset to allow for careers at the intersection of science and diplomacy. Over the past years, we have trained over two hundred emerging leaders from more than 50 countries to address science diplomacy from global and regional perspectives. 

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

To strengthen the connection between scientists and governmental officials, policymakers and diplomats, applications to attend the course are being invited from ‘participant pairs’. Both participants in the participant pair should ideally be living and/or working in the same country, but not be working at the same institution. Priority will be given to participant pairs from developing countries, and especially Science and Technology lagging countries (STLCs – https://twas.org/66-countries).

The applicants in the ‘participant pair’ should share some common interest in the areas of science, technology and innovation. However, it is not necessary that they work or have been working together in the past.

The ‘participant pair’ will include:

1. Participant 1: a Early-Career Scientist (preferably 40 years or below) whose research and wider engagement has international policymaking implications or applications, and
2. Participant 2: a Policymaker from the policymaking arena, working on science, technology, and innovation-related matters. This person should belong to one of the following categories:

• A local or national government official.
• A policymaker.
• A diplomat.
• Staff at an academy of sciences at supervisory level.
• Civil servant.
• A representative of a research funding institution.
• Staff or expert working for and/or with an international (e.g. UN) organization

BENEFITS

• Organizers will cover the expenses of pairs selected, including transportation, lodging, visa expenses, meals and incidentals.  
• Additionally, there will be opportunities for a small number of self-supported participant pairs (including from high-income countries) to attend the course if selected. 

APPLICATION

• Twin Applications must be submitted online as follows:
• Participant 1 in participant pair (Early-Career Scientist) must apply via the link https://forms.office.com/r/dbNWqg6dfZ
• Participant 2 in participant pair (from the policymaking arena as indicated above) must apply via the link https://forms.office.com/r/1drUmpTnAe

Please note that the two links are different. Applicants are requested to please use the correct link to apply.

• Applications that do not specify their participant partner will be considered incomplete and will not be considered.
• NB. As part of the application, some accompanying documents must be submitted by email before the deadline to the TWAS Secretariat to sciencediplomacy@twas.org. These required documents are specified at the end of the online application form. In your email, please use the Subject line: “Accompanying documents of application of Mr/Ms Surname / Name”.
• Candidates should not have participated in any previous AAAS-TWAS course on science diplomacy, including regional workshops.
• Women are especially encouraged to apply, as are refugee or displaced scientists. 
• Applicants from any nationality are welcome but priority is given to developing countries.
• Applicants from the 66 Science & Technology Lagging Countries (STLCs) https://twas.org/66-countriesand – within this group – the 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs) https://twas.org/least-developed-countries-ldcs are especially encouraged to apply and will be given priority.
• The course will be held in person in Trieste, Italy. Commitment to attend all days of the course is expected from both members of the selected pairs. Therefore, if one member of the pair will not be able to commit to attend the whole workshop, this will automatically disqualify the other component of the pair.

Apply through the OFFICIAL LINK