The TWAS-CAS Young Scientists Award for Frontier Science is an annual prize established in 2020 by The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), based in Trieste, Italy, together with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It recognises scientific achievement by a young researcher living and working in a developing country, and one award of USD 10,000 is made each year. The subject rotates among five fields: physical sciences (including physics and chemistry), astronomy and cosmology, earth sciences, mathematics and artificial intelligence, and life sciences.
The seventh edition, run in 2026 and sponsored by China Sciences Group (holding) Co. Ltd, covered astronomy and cosmology. The award is nomination-only: candidates are put forward by TWAS members, science academies, national research councils, universities and scientific institutions in both developing and developed countries.
Benefits & funding
- USD 10,000 to the winner.
- One award each year, in the subject field announced for that edition.
- Recognition by TWAS, which announces the winner and profiles the work across its network.
- The money is a prize rather than project funding: no budget lines, no host institution, no relocation.
- TWAS does not publish details of a ceremony, travel support, medal or certificate for this award.
Eligibility
- Aged 45 or under at the time of nomination.
- A national of a developing country, as listed by TWAS (138 countries and territories).
- Living and working in a developing country for at least the two years immediately before the nomination.
- Working in the subject field announced for that edition (astronomy and cosmology in 2026).
- Fellows of TWAS are not eligible.
- Anyone who has previously won a TWAS-named award is not eligible.
- Self-nominations are not considered; nor are nominations from members of the award jury.
- The nomination form asks for the candidate’s PhD details, so entrants are in practice doctorate holders.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Afghanistan · Algeria · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Azerbaijan · Bahamas · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize
+ 126 more
Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Taiwan · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · DR Congo · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Fiji · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guadeloupe · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Micronesia · Mongolia · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nepal · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · Oman · Pakistan · Palau · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Qatar · Rwanda · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sri Lanka · Palestine · Sudan · Suriname · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · UAE · Tanzania · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Residence required
Afghanistan · Algeria · Angola · Antigua and Barbuda · Argentina · Aruba · Azerbaijan · Bahamas · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize
+ 126 more
Benin · Bhutan · Bolivia · Botswana · Brazil · Brunei · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cabo Verde · Cambodia · Cameroon · Central African Republic · Chad · Chile · China · Taiwan · Colombia · Comoros · Republic of the Congo · Costa Rica · Côte d'Ivoire · Cuba · DR Congo · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · Ecuador · Egypt · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Eritrea · Eswatini · Ethiopia · Fiji · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guadeloupe · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Jamaica · Jordan · Kazakhstan · Kenya · Kiribati · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Lesotho · Liberia · Libya · Madagascar · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Mali · Mauritania · Mauritius · Mexico · Micronesia · Mongolia · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Namibia · Nepal · Nicaragua · Niger · Nigeria · Oman · Pakistan · Palau · Panama · Papua New Guinea · Paraguay · Peru · Philippines · Qatar · Rwanda · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · São Tomé and Príncipe · Saudi Arabia · Senegal · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · South Sudan · Sri Lanka · Palestine · Sudan · Suriname · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · Timor-Leste · Togo · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tunisia · Türkiye · Turkmenistan · Tuvalu · Uganda · UAE · Tanzania · Uruguay · Uzbekistan · Vanuatu · Venezuela · Vietnam · Yemen · Zambia · Zimbabwe
Education required
PhD
Age requirement
≤ 45 yrs
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Application process
- 1Secure a nominator: a TWAS member, science academy, national research council, university or scientific institution in a developing or developed country.
- 2Provide the nominee’s authorisation for their personal data to be processed.
- 3The nominator drafts a suggested citation of 15–20 words and a supporting statement on the candidate’s contributions to the field, up to 10,000 characters.
- 4The nominator adds a forward-looking description of the candidate’s planned work, also up to 10,000 characters.
- 5Assemble the supporting record: PhD information, time spent abroad, academy and society memberships, awards and honours, the ten most significant publications, a brief CV and the full publication list.
- 6The nominator submits everything through the TWAS online platform at onlineforms.twas.org before the deadline.
- 7TWAS pre-screens the nominations, the winner is chosen on scientific merit, and TWAS announces the result.
Program timeline
nominations closed for the first edition, in physical sciences.
15 May 2020
TWAS published its award calls for that year.
17 January 2025
nominations closed for the seventh edition, in astronomy and cosmology.
30 June 2026
Next call
not yet announced; TWAS publishes the new subject field and deadline on the award page.
Winners so far
Parameswaran Ajith (India, 2020), Laura Pérez (Chile, 2021), Sun Yele (China, 2022), Neena Gupta (India, 2023), Fu Qiaomei (China, 2024), Kanishka Biswas (India, 2025).