The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) will conduct a multi-year effort to facilitate and develop the scientific community of early-career researchers in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC) countries. NASEM will work with science academy partners in the region to provide connections, accessible science material, and guidance for early and mid-career researchers, enabling them to stay current and connected to research frontiers, develop partnerships and networks, build leadership skills, and see viable ways of pursuing their careers in Latin America. Science academy partners include the InterAmerican Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS) and its member academies, including the Academy of Sciences of Latin America (ACAL).

Program activities are guided by an advisory committee and fall under two distinct, but interconnected tasks:
Task 1: Science Clearinghouse Mechanism

Under this task, the project will build ACALConecta, a sustained, online repository of scientific courses, resources, events, and programs, primarily for graduate students and early-career researchers in the LAC region. This effort will be led by the Academy of Sciences of Latin America and provides:

• A catalog of science courses, seminars, lectures, conferences, and webinars in the region that are accessible online
• A searchable database of the resources, as well as researchers in their respective fields

Task 2: Yearly meetings to enable knowledge exchange, collaboration, and capacity building

A second, complementary, aspect of the program builds on NASEM successes in the Frontiers programs to create a mechanism for knowledge exchange and collaboration amongst outstanding, early-career leaders in science, engineering, and medicine, primarily from the LAC region, and counterparts from the United States and Canada. This will be achieved through a series of Frontiers-like symposia and travel grants (fellowships) for participants based on trends and needs in the LAC scientific community. These meetings include:

• Capacity-building workshops to address the needs of early career researchers in LAC countries. Topics will be guided by regional needs and by the Advisory Committee;
• Frontiers-like symposia. These symposia will take a transdisciplinary approach to cutting-edge knowledge exchange and will be organized around six plenary sessions. Topics will be guided by advice from the Advisory Committee, but the events will be driven and organized by a committee of outstanding early career researchers following the model of the US-Africa and Arab-American Frontiers programs;
• All selected participants in the symposia will be invited to present their research in poster sessions.

Advisory Committee

A diverse Advisory Committee comprised of senior scientific leaders with knowledge of LAC scientific challenges and opportunities will provide advice on program implementation of Task 1 and Task 2. They will consider program measures and international partnerships that may be valuable in sustaining STEMM capacity in the most challenged situations in Latin America, and will seek to identify international support for such measures (e.g., through bilateral development agencies or private foundations). They will also review applications and help select participants for the yearly symposia.

Program Goals

• Enhance access to cutting-edge science and enable knowledge exchange amongst young researchers and emerging leaders in Latin American countries, and increase the scientific dialogue and knowledge exchange among them;
• Establish a network that connects emerging leaders and researchers across the region and to science communities in North America;
• Encourage and strengthen scientific collaboration and the transfer of techniques and approaches across disciplines, within and beyond the region;

Equip young scientists, engineers, and medical professionals to assume leadership roles in their fields and beyond.