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TWNSO, Third World Network of Scientific Organizations

The Third World Network of Scientific Organizations (TWNSO) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1988, at the initiative of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), by ministers of science and technology and higher education and heads of science academies and research councils in developing countries to promote science-based sustainable economic development in the South. In 1990 TWNSO acquired consultative status with UNESCO.

At present TWNSO has 147 Members, including 36 ministries of science & technology and higher education, 41 science academies, 43 research councils and 27 other organizations from 73 countries in the South.

The affairs of TWNSO are supervised by an Executive Board, elected every four years by the Members. To facilitate its work, the Executive Board has established four Regional Offices at the location of the Vice-Presidents, and two Standing Committees on Environmental Hazards and Global Change and on Science and Technology Policy in the South. In addition, TWNSO National Committees have been established in 23 countries in the South.

TWNSO has very close links with TWAS. The two organizations share a common president and a common secretariat, and a number of TWNSO's activities are co-sponsored by TWAS. The two organizations also work closely with the South Centre and the Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS). The latter was formally established in 1994 in Islamabad, Pakistan, at the initiative of TWNSO and TWAS. The Commission's membership consists of heads of state or government in the South and its aims are to sensitize the political leadership to the central role of science and technology in the development process and to support major initiatives for promoting scientific capacities for science-led sustainable development in the South.

TWNSO's Objectives

  • To encourage Third World governments to take appropriate actions to develop their scientific enterprise through self-reliance, adequate allocation of resources and other necessary support
  • To promote the integration of science and technology into the national development plans of Third World countries with a view to facilitating the solution of national problems
  • To further the South's contributions to and involvement in frontier science and technology programmes which are most likely to have a strong impact upon the economic and social development of the Third World
  • To further the South's contributions to and involvement in global science projects
  • To support the establishment of and co-operation among international centres of excellence for sustainable development in the South
  • To promote the development of collaborative programmes between scientific institutions and organizations of the South in the areas of science, technology and the environment which are of critical importance to the development of the countries
  • To further relations between scientific institutions and organizations in the South and their counterparts in the North through the development of bilateral links and exchange programmes
  • To encourage, recognize and reward scientific and technical innovations of substantial benefit to the economic and social development of the South

    • TWNSO's Activities

    Awards in Applied Sciences
    Every other year, TWNSO awards two prizes of US$10,000 each, one in Agriculture and one in Technology, to honour distinguished individuals or institutions whose scientific and technical innovations have provided significant and sustainable solutions to certain economic and social problems in the Third World, and brought benefits to the well-being of the people. To find out who the recipients of the 1996 TWNSO Awards are, click here.

    The Celso Furtado Prize
    With financial support from the Brazilian Government, TWNSO has recently established an international award in the fieldof political economics, aimed at giving recognition, encouragement and support to outstanding work that resulted in substantial benefits to socio-economic development in Third World countries. The prize, named after the Brazilian economist Celso Furtado, consists of a plaque and a cash prize of US$10,000, to be awarded every two years on a special occasion coinciding with a general meeting of TWNSO.

    Grants for Joint Research Projects
    With financial support from the OPEC Fund for International Development, TWNSO has recently established a competitive research grants scheme designed to encourage and support joint research projects involving 2-3 competent research and training institutions from different countries in the South. To ensure maximum benefit to the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), it is required that at least one of the co-operating institutions in any proposed project should be located in a LDC. A research grant amounts to a maximum of US$30,000 and is provided for up to 2 years. It can be utilized for purchasing scientific apparatus, consumable materials, specialized literature and any other items needed for the joint project by any of the co-operative institutions, especially those in LDCs. The programme provides support for research projects in both basic and applied fields. Preference is given to joint projects which are likely to provide direct benefits to production sectors in the South.

    Network of International Centres in the South
    TWNSO is collaborating with COMSATS in an ambitious project aimed at upgrading a number of competent scientific institutions in the South to international centres of excellence so as to enable them to provide advanced training and research opportunities to young scientists from the South. Twelve nodes of the Network have been established at already existing and highly competent institutions in Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ghana, Jamaica, Jordan, Nigeria, Pakistan, Syria, Tanzania, and Turkey.

    Profiles of Science Ministries, Academies and Research Councils in the South
    TWNSO regularly publishes a directory with detailed information about its Members, including their programmes, functions and budget. The publication is the first of its kind, and provides useful information to many organizations concerned with the status and prospects of science and technology in the South.

    Profiles of Institutions for Scientific Exchange and Training in the South
    In collaboration with the South Centre, TWNSO published in 1994 a book containing profiles of over 200 world-class research and training institutions in 41 countries in the South. (To read the foreword to the first issue, click here.) The second edition is in preparation and will contain profiles of more centres. It is hoped that the publication and distribution of these profiles will promote increased scientific collaboration among centres of scholarship in the South, as well as between them and similar institutions in the North.

    TWNSO's Executive Board

    President:
    José Israel Vargas, President of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), and Minister of Science & Technology of Brazil
    Vice-President (Africa):
    Sam Momah, Federal Minister of Science & Technology of Nigeria
    Vice-President (Arab Region):
    Salha Sounkur, Minister of Higher Education of Syria
    Vice-President (Asia):
    Song Jian, Chairman of the State Science and Technology Commission (SSTC) of China
    Vice-President (Latin America & Caribbean):
    Carlos Bazdresch Parada, Director General of the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACYT) of Mexico
    Secretary General:
    Mohamed H.A. Hassan, Executive Director of the Third World Academy of Sciences (TWAS)
    Members:
    Jackson Makweta, Minister for Science, Te --------------434B5F615C89--