The Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) in partnership with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) invites you to submit applications to participate at the 2023 8th BRICS Young Scientist Forum. The Forum will be held from 31 July – 2 August 2023 in the North-West Province, South Africa.
The decision to establish the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Young Scientist Forum (YSF) was taken at the 2nd BRICS Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Ministerial Meeting in Brazil in March 2015. The 1st BRICS YSF was held in Bangalore, India in September 2016. At the 4th BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting in Jaipur, India in October 2016, the BRICS countries agreed to hold the BRICS YSF on a rotational basis. The 2nd BRICS YSF was held in Hangzhou, China in July 2017. The 3rd forum was held in Durban, South Africa in June 2018. Moreover, the 4th BRICS YSF was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2019. The 5th forum was held virtually during the COVID 19 pandemic in Chelyabinsk, Russia in September 2020. The 6th BRICS YSF was hosted virtually by India in September 2021. The 2022 7th BRICS YSF (in a hybrid format) was hosted in August in Xiamen, China.
South Africa assumed the BRICS rotational Presidency on 1 January 2023 and will host the 15th BRICS Summit in August 2023. In line with the established tradition of previous BRICS Summits, South Africa will host a wide range of BRICS activities leading up to and following the Summit, including the BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting and the BRICS Academies of Sciences meetings.
As part of its BRICS STI activities, South Africa will host the 8th BRICS YSF in line with the decision taken at the BRICS STI Ministerial Meeting held in October 2016, in Jaipur. The main goals of the 8th BRICS YSF are:
- To provide a platform for talented BRICS young scientists and researchers to exchange perspectives on transformative change and forge sustainable research partnerships, links and networks;
- To promote youth driven creative solutions to the most pressing socio-economic problems in their societies;
- To promote scientific cooperation/science diplomacy dialogues amongst the BRICS emerging researchers and countries beyond the summit; and
- To promote the interconnectedness of society through research and innovation for inclusive and sustainable development.
The theme for the 8th BRICS YSF is “BRICS and Africa Partnership for Mutually Accelerated Growth, Sustainable Development and Inclusive Multilateralism” and will feature the following sub-themes:
- Climate change and environmental sustainability
- The future of education, mindset and skillset
- The future of society
To APPLY, prospective applicants need to fill in the attached application form, and upload it with a short motivation, together with their CV on the online application form at: 8th BRICS 2023_SA Applicants.
Note: Emailed applications will NOT be accepted, and submissions from applicants who have already participated in previous editions of the BRICS Young Scientist Conclaves are NOT eligible to apply.
The application deadline is Thursday, 25 May 2023.
For more information, please refer to the attached call for applications.