At its core, the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), which is located on the campus of the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), is an association consisting of more than 600 eminent scientists, largely from the developing world.

Founded in 1983 by the late Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, TWAS is now viewed as one of the world's foremost organizations for scientific capacity building in the South and one of the leading voices for science-based sustainable development in the developing world.

TWAS pursues a wide range of initiatives - the awarding of research grants, fellowships and prizes; the organization of local and international conferences; the fostering of scientific exchanges through travel grants and lectureships; the free distribution of scientific journals in print and via email; and the publication of vital information on scientists and scientific organizations - all designed to promote scientific excellence and build scientific capacity in the developing world through South-South and South-North cooperation.

Specifically, TWAS seeks to:

÷ Recognize, support and promote excellence in scientific research in the South.

÷ Provide promising young scientists in the South with the equipment and research facilities that they need to advance their research.

÷ Facilitate contacts between individual scientists and institutions in the South.

÷ Encourage South-South and South-North cooperation between individual scientists and centres of excellence.

÷ Conduct scientific studies that examine major problems facing developing countries.

TWAS owes it success to its funders and partners.

The Italian government has provided generous financial contributions to TWAS since the Academy's inception. So, too, have the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which also serves as the Academy's lead administrative organization; the Swedish Agency for Research Cooperation with Developing Countries (Sida-SAREC); the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS); and the OPEC Fund for International Development.

TWAS facilitated the creation of the Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO), a nongovernmental alliance of more than 150 scientific organizations in the South that was founded in 1988.

TWNSO's goal is to help build political and scientific leadership for science-based sustainable development in the developing world through broad based South-South and South-North partnerships in science and technology. TWAS provides the secretariat for TWNSO and co-sponsors a number of its activities.

TWAS also played a key role in the establishment of the Third World Organization for Women in Science (TWOWS), which was officially launched in 1993.

TWOWS currently has more than 2000 members from over 80 countries in the South. Its main objective is to increase the participation of women in scientific research institutions and science-based policy organizations throughout the South. TWAS hosts and provides financial assistance for the TWOWS secretariat.

Since 2000, TWAS has also provided the secretariat for the InterAcademy Panel on International Issues (IAP), a global network of 85 science academies that was officially launched in 1993. IAP's primary goal is to help member academies work together to help inform citizens and advise decision makers on the scientific aspects of critical global issues.

In addition, TWAS has forged close partnerships with a host of international organizations, including UNESCO, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the International Council for Science (ICSU), the African Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy, and Harvard University.

The wide range of activities pursued through each of these partnerships is designed to promote scientific capacity in the developing world and to highlight successful experiences in the application of science and technology to address economic, social and environmental problems of critical concern in the South.