The ISC is closely following the UN Secretary-General candidates elections and have submitted questions to be posed to the candidates regarding the role of science in the future of multilateralism, during live interactive dialogues this week.

🎥 Watch live on UN Web TV: https://webtv.un.org/en

A decade of arbitrary detention: The ISC renews its call for Dr Ahmadreza Djalali's immediate release - International Science Council As conflict escalates in the region, the Swedish-Iranian disaster medicine scholar remains wrongfully imprisoned and sentenced to death.

As conflict escalates in the region, the Swedish-Iranian disaster medicine scholar, Dr Ahmadreza Djalali, remains wrongfully imprisoned and sentenced to death.

council.science/news/ahmadreza-djalalis-...

#CFRS

🚨 Deadline extended to 31 May 2026 📅

🖊️ Submit your proposal for @IUPAC.org Top 10 Emerging Technologies in Chemistry 2026 🧪

🌍 Open to everyone, help #IUPAC spotlight the next chemistry breakthroughs shaping our future.

🔗 iupac.org/the-top-ten-...

#Chemistry #IUPAC #EmergingTechnology #innovation

In recognition of their outstanding contributions to global scientific cooperation and international science diplomacy, ISC President Peter Gluckman was awarded the Dimitrie Cantemir Medal and ISC CEO Salvatore Aricò received the Nicolae Milescu Spătarul Medal by the Academy of Sciences of Moldova.

What the Moon can teach us about the Earth  - International Science Council The Moon is a preserved record of the processes that shaped Earth. Artemis II is helping us read it more clearly than ever.

In this blog, Vanessa McBride reflects on NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed journey beyond low Earth orbit since 1972, and what it reveals about our own planet.
https://council.science/blog/moon-teach-us-earth/

Is it time for an international panel on inequality? A recent G20 report calls for a global expert panel on inequality based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

www.weforum.org/stories/2026/04/what-cou...

Our latest gender report spotlights the Women in Physics Working Group of IUPAP, whose global efforts: from data collection to the International Conference on Women in Physics, are helping shift representation and leadership.

council.science/blog/women-in-physics-in...

In his new role as the Director of the ISC Regional Focal Point for Latin America and the Caribbean, Carlos Alberto Vargas Jiménez calls for a shift in Latin American science.
Read here: council.science/news/latin-america-scien...

#CallForNominations for the ISC Fellowship 2026 intake are now open. Deadline 22 May 2026.

https://council.science/news/isc-fellowship-call-2026/

The ISC Fellowship recognises eminent scientists and thought leaders who have made outstanding contributions to science as a global public good.

Progress in publishing reform and progress in research assessment reform depend on each other, and treating them separately slows both down.

council.science/blog/publishing-research...

#Consultancy: The ISC is looking for a Media Consultant who will support the development of a media toolkit based on the Hazard Information Profiles (HIPs). Deadline 20 April.

https://council.science/news/consultancy-hazards/

Women make up nearly 5% of early-career polar researchers, but representation drops at senior levels. SCAR is addressing this through providing caregiving-related career breaks, helping support non-linear careers.

council.science/blog/consideration-for-c...

Africa holds the minerals powering the energy transition, but mineral capacity alone won’t define its future. Science will. The real question isn’t what lies beneath the ground: it’s who understands it, maps it, and governs it.

council.science/blog/science-will-shape-...

Global innovation is growing, but its benefits remain deeply unequal.
In our new blog, Walter Gaspar explores how #intellectualproperty shapes #innovation, access to knowledge, and inequality, especially across the Global South.
council.science/blog/global-south-intell...

In their meeting, ISC President-elect Robbert Dijkgraaf and the UN Secretary-General António Guterres agreed that trusted knowledge must have a central place in international governance.

The Academic Freedom Index 2026 is out, and the findings demand attention. Developed by V-Dem and FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, the index shows concerning declines across multiple regions.
https://academic-freedom-index.net/

Can we trust science if we don’t know who funds it?

This question was at the heart of our recent webinar on research #funding transparency. Watch the recording: council.science/events/research-funding-... #CFRS

#Vacancy: We are looking for a strategic and results-driven Head of Fundraising and Development. Application deadline extended to 29 March 2026.

council.science/news/head-of-fundraising...

Why do health innovations still fail to reach the Global South? - International Science Council Innovative technologies could transform the fight against neglected tropical diseases, yet many remain inaccessible across the Global South.

In our latest blog, Dr Chinwe Chukwudi explores how outdated and centralized policies are slowing the uptake of transformative technologies to tackle neglected tropical diseases like sleeping sickness.

Read more: council.science/blog/health-innovations-...

Open Science round-up: Making preprints count - International Science Council In this issue, we feature an editorial by the International Network for Advancing Science and Policy (INASP) on how funders and policy-makers can support a faster, more equitable publishing system by mandating preprint sharing, reforming research assessment, investing in community-owned infrastructure, and building capacity for preprint adoption, especially in the Global South.

A win for #OpenScience: The Royal Society’s eight subscription journals will be published as fully open access in 2026 through the Subscribe to Open (S2O) model, backed by library support.

council.science/blog/open-science-round-...

Hungarian Academy of Sciences: supporting women’s advancement through targeted grants - International Science Council After a 2016 wake-up call with no women nominees, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences introduced targeted reforms that have since doubled women’s membership through sustained commitment and dedicated support.

#WomenInScience: How did the Hungarian Academy of Sciences double its proportion of women members in a decade?

Read more here: council.science/blog/women-advancement-t...

Funding the future of science in Latin America - International Science Council Economic and political volatility in Latin America is undermining the stable funding needed for science, technology, and innovation.

In our latest blog, Luisa F. Echeverría-King explores why sustainable funding for #science, #technology and #innovation is critical for Latin America and the Caribbean.

council.science/blog/funding-the-future-...

#ExpressionOfInterest: We invite qualified institutes around the world to submit an Expression of Interest to become IRDR International Centres of Excellence (IRDR ICoEs). Deadline 17 April 2026.

🔗 https://www.irdrinternational.org/news/877

#InternationalWomensDay In 2026 women are still not able to fully participate in science practice and remain underrepresented.

➡️ Evidence and recommendations for action: council.science/publications/towards-gen...

#RaisinaDialogue: This week, meet us at the Raisina Dialogue, where we are focusing on strengthening global capacity for #ScienceDiplomacy.

🔗 council.science/events/isc-at-raisina-di...

From gender audit to institutional reform: the Slovak Academy of Sciences’ Gender Equality Plan - International Science Council A gender audit can be a diagnostic exercise and the starting point for structural reform. At the Slovak Academy of Sciences, it became the foundation for an institutional Gender Equality Plan that reshaped recruitment practices, leadership pathways and workplace culture.

👩‍🔬 A comprehensive gender audit can provide the evidence needed to drive institutional reform. At the Slovak Academy of Sciences, it formed the basis of a formal Gender Equality Plan.

Read the full case study: council.science/blog/from-gender-audit-t...

#CallForNominations: 2026 Stein Rokkan Prize. Deadline: 1 May 2026

🔗https://ecpr.eu/prizes/stein-rokkan

The #SteinRokkanPrize for Comparative Social Science Research recognizes an outstanding published monograph that makes a significant contribution to the field.

The Science Diplomat Podcast: Sir Peter Gluckman on Science advice, trust, and the limits of evidence - International Science Council Sir Peter Gluckman reflects on how science informs political choices amid global tension, emphasizing why humility and transparency will be central to brokering science policy.

#Podcast: What can science do and not do in policy?

On The Science Diplomat podcast, our president Peter Gluckman unpacks the boundaries between evidence and political decision-making.

🎧 council.science/podcasts/podcast-peter-g...

#CallForExpertInput: AI use in research is growing fast. Transparency is key to maintaining integrity.

Help shape a new Global Reporting Standard on AI Disclosure in Research. Submit your input by Feb 28!

🔗 council.science/our-work/ai-disclosure-i...

Reforming who gets in: Gender equality at the Science Council of Japan - International Science Council The Science Council of Japan increased the share of women in its membership from 3.3% in 2000 to nearly 39% in 2025. This transformation was driven by reforms to nomination processes, supported by sustained national commitments to gender equality.

👩‍🔬 From 3.3% in 2000 to nearly 39% women members in 2025. The Science Council of Japan shows how reforms to nomination processes can significantly shift representation of women in scientific organizations.
🔗 council.science/blog/gender-equality-at-...