Academies are invited to nominate to the Organizing Committee of the initiative

The Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS) has launched a call for nominations for the LAC Connections Symposium 2026, to be held in São Paulo, Brazil, in August. The initiative is jointly organized by the US National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Brazililan Academy of Sciences, and IANAS.

As a first step in organizing the symposium, IANAS has launched a call inviting its member academies to nominate early-career researchers to serve on the Organizing Committee, which will lead the development of the scientific and technical program. In addition to scientific excellence, the organizers are particularly interested in individuals who are collaborative, proactive, and effective communicators, capable of ensuring dynamic and high-quality sessions. Member Academies were contacted directly and are expected to submit recommendations by January 30, 2026.

Learn more about the LAC Connections Symposium 2026

The initiative will bring together outstanding early- and mid-career scientists, engineers, and medical professionals (within approximately 15 years of PhD completion) from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the United States and Canada, with the aim of strengthening scientific exchange and fostering new research collaborations across the Americas.

A hallmark of the LAC Connections Symposium is its strong multidisciplinary approach, designed to promote convergence research, innovation, and cross-fertilization of ideas beyond traditional single-discipline meetings. The 2026 edition will address key themes such as artificial intelligence in the life sciences, oceans, biomedicine and omics, the Amazon and sustainability, and resilience to extreme events.