International Foundation for Science
In the 1960s, as the economic and technological gap widened between the developed nations and the developing world, the Academy, the National Academy of Sciences, and other scientific organizations considered the feasibility of establishing an International Foundation for Science to support the research of young scientists and technical investigators in developing countries. In 1972, the IFS was established as a nongovernmental organization in Stockholm. Today, the IFS supports the work of indigenous scientists in developing countries in a wide range of fields.
As the economic and technological gap between the developed nations and the developing world widened in the 1960s, a need for homegrown scientific research and development in Third World countries was identified. In view of this problem, the American Academy, the National Academy of Sciences, and other scientific organizations considered the feasibility of establishing an International Foundation for Science, which would support the research of young scientists and technical investigators in developing countries in much the same way that the National Science Foundation assisted research in the United States. In 1970, steps were taken to launch the IFS under the auspices of a consortium of national academies of science and scientific societies. On May 26, 1972, the Foundation was formally established as a nongovernmental organization in Stockholm, with the Academy as a member organization. The Foundation’s aim was to promote fundamental and applied research by indigenous scientists in developing countries, in the fields of natural, medical, agricultural, social, and behavioral sciences and technology. The International Foundation for Science is governed by an international board of trustees and continues to exist today.
Go to the International Foundation for Science (IFS) website.