Symposium for early/mid-career researchers will be held in August, in Brazil

The Inter-American Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS), the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) are pleased to announce the Connections to Sustain Science in Latin America Symposium 2026, taking place August 25-27, 2026, in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The call for applications is now open for scientists, engineers, and medical professionals from the Americas – including North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean – to submit applications online before the deadline of April 15, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET (Washington D.C. time). Click here to access the online application portal.

This program brings together outstanding early/mid-career scientists, engineers, and medical professionals (within 15 years of PhD graduation) from across Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as the United States and Canada, to explore exciting advances and opportunities in their fields. The symposia are conducted in English with the goal to enhance the scientific exchange and dialogue among young researchers in the region and facilitate research collaboration within and beyond the Americas. Another unique aspect of this symposium is the pluri-disciplinarity of the participants’ backgrounds and research interests. The objective is to catalyze convergence research, innovation, and cross-pollination of ideas, unlike the traditional format of specialized conferences on a single topic.

Session themes this year are:

• Artificial Intelligence in Life Sciences
• Oceans
• Biomedicine/Omics
• The Amazon and Sustainability
• Resilience to Extreme Events

We encourage early/mid-career scientists, engineers, and medical professionals working on related research to apply to this multidisciplinary meeting, as long as they fulfill the eligibility criteria. Each general participant will also have the opportunity to present their research during poster sessions. There is no application fee and all travel costs, including flights, hotel, meals, and local transportation will be covered for selected participants.

Eligibility

To be considered for participation, applicants must meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Be an emerging leader in science, engineering, or medicine.
• Have no more than 15 years post-graduation with highest degree.
• Professional competency in English.
• Employed in the the Americas (including North, Central, and South America, and the Caribbean), but citizenship of the country of residence is not required.
• Have demonstrated accomplishment in science, engineering, medical research, or technical work with recognizable contributions to advancing their fields.
• Be interested in developments in other fields (and in engaging with people working on them) and be able to consider how advances, techniques, and approaches in those areas relate to the nominee’s own field.
• Have demonstrated an impact on the development of their country (participation in scientific projects/scientific meetings/contribution to the promotion of S&T within society).
• Applicants from the State of São Paulo (Brazil) must be formally affiliated with a research institution in the State of São Paulo (university, research center, company, hospital, or any other institution officially recognized by FAPESP as a research facility).

Application Process

Interested researchers should submit applications online by 11:59 PM ET (Washington, D.C. time) on April 15, 2026. Only applications received through the online application portal will be considered.

For more information on the Connections to Sustain Science in Latin America program, please email [email protected] with any questions.

This symposium is made possible through the generous support of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative.