The GYA 2025 Annual General Meeting (AGM) and International Conference of Young Scientists “Confuence of Visionaries: Empowering Science for Global Change” took place from 10-13 June in Hyderabad, India. Over 150 participants joined this dynamic event: members and alumni of the GYA, members of the Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS), representatives from other Young Academies from around the world, and stakeholders from science policy organizations, government and industry.
The week-long meeting was hosted at the India Institute for Technology, Hyderabad (IITH), and supported by a Local Organising Committee made up of GYA members in India, members of INYAS and IITH student volunteers and staff.
Here, you can find a summary of the main events. A Conference Statement and in-depth report will be published in the coming months.
Ceremonial Opening - Conference & AGM
The AGM and International Conference of Young Scientists was opened with a ceremonial tree planting at the IIT Hyderabad, followed by welcomnig words from B S Murty, Director of IITH, BVR Mohan Reddy, Chairman of the Board of Governers of IITH, Ashutosh Sharma, President of the Indian National Academy of Science (INSA) and Chief Guest Dharmendra Pradhan, Union Minister of Education, Government of India.
GYA Co-Chairs Chandra Shekhar Sharma (IIT Hyderabad, India) and Yensi Flores Bueso (University College Cork, Ireland) welcomed the Opening Speakers and all participants, and inaugurated 45 new GYA members, who officially began their five-year terms, while 40 outgoing members officially became alumni.
They also read aloud a message to the GYA from the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, on occasion of the AGM, encouraging ECRs at the Conference to continue to collaborate, and advance the Sustainable Development Goals.
Chair of INYAS, Nishant Chakravorty (IIT Kharagpur, India) welcomed all guests on behalf of INYAS, and Mudrika Khandelwal (IIT Hyderabad, India) moderated as master of ceremony.
International Conference of Young Scientists
The International Conference of Young Scientists was jointly organised by GYA members and INYAS members on the topic “Confluence of Visionaries: Empowering Science for Global Change”. Alongside the AGM, the International Conference of Young Scientists offers a platform for dialogue between stakeholders from different countries, sectors and research areas on pressing global issues.
Four plenary panels focused on “Innovation and Entrepreneurship”, “Building Awareness on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) in a Global Context”, “Industry 5.0 Augmenting Human-Machine Interface”, and “Health and Nutrition for Global Wellness”. Speakers from business, government, and research from India as well as all world regions, exchanged perspectives on empowering science for global change. See the detailed programme here.
Research Talks: GYA Member Research Talks showcase the wide range of research interests of GYA members and alumni, making space for individuals from different disciplines and countries to communicate to each other about their research and work, and to foster fruitful collaborations, in very short presentations. View all abstracts here: 2025-Research-Talks-Book-of-Abstracts.pdf
Following an excursion to Golconda Fort in Hyderabad, a glamorous dinner reception was hosted by the government of Telengana at the Chowhamalla palace. At the reception, Local Organizing Committee members were thanked on behalf of GYA members for their engagement to make the event possible.
Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The AGM is the most important event of the GYA and serves multiple functions for the member-led organisation: official business such as reporting, elections and development discussions take place, and connections are made and strengthened as a foundation for GYA members to work together on projects throughout the year. Projects – whether in research, capacity building, advocacy or the science policy interface – fall within one of the four new Activities themes:
- Engaging in foresight & innovation,
- Strengthening the Science and Research Ecosystem,
- Bridging Science and Society: Trust, Diplomacy, and Expert Guidance, and
- Empowering Early to Mid-Career Researchers (EMCRs).
Throughout the AGM week, former GYA Working Groups presented their achievements and activities at the the GYA Activities Fair, and during General Assembly sessions, GYA members discussed and generated ideas about the future of the GYA.
The official minutes of the AGM will be shared with all GYA members in the coming weeks.
Finally, annual Executive Committee elections took place with an online, single transferable voting system, for the first time – allowing hybrid participation in the EC pitches session and voting for EC candidates, overseen by the 2025 Nominations and Elections Committee.
GYA members elected 11 members to the 2025/26 Executive Committee. Yensi Flores Bueso (University College Cork; Ireland) was elected to a second term as Co-Chair, joined by newly elected Co-Chair Sam Chan Siok Yee (Universiti Sains Malaysia).
At this 2025 AGM, the GYA celebrated 15 years – commemorated with a cake and an organized morning 5K/3K run at the IITH!
Workshops
Several pre- and post-AGM workshops were organized by the GYA and INYAS, in cooperation with partner organizations and Young Academies, to contribute to capacity and network building around key ECR topics.
- Science Leadership for New GYA Members: Over 35 new GYA members took part in a 1.5-day science leadership workshop, preparing them for their 5 year membership.
- Early & Mid-Career Researchers: Towards an Inclusive Research Assessment System: Local and international experts discussed future directions for research assessment, with special attention to early and mid-career researchers. The session addressed moving towards qualitative assessment practices, with quantitative considerations playing a supportive but non-primary role, while being inclusive of Global South perspectives and needs. The GYA and CoARA Boost (a Horizon Europe-funded project) co-organized this workshop.
- Bridging Borders: The Future of Science Diplomacy: This dynamic workshop, co-designed by the UK Young Academy and INYAS, explored key themes that define science diplomacy today and looking toward the future, such as: inclusion and representation, early career engagements, and building sustainable networks.
- Meeting of (National) Young Academies from the Asia-Pacific region: Representatives from 12 National Young Academies (NYAs) across the Asia-Pacific region convened to strengthen regional coordination and share best practices. The meeting resulted in the Hyderabad Declaration on the launch of the Network of Asia-Pacific Young Academies (NAYA), a regional collaborative platform aimed at connecting, supporting and mentoring early- and mid-career researchers. This new regional network of young academies will be joined by the National Young Academy of Nepal (NAYAN), Young Scientist Network (YSN-ASM) Malaysia, Vietnam Young Academy, Sri Lankan Academy of Young Scientists (SLAYS), Royal Society of New Zealand ECR Forum, The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, Thai Young Scientists Academy (TYSA), Young Academy of Japan, Australian EMCR Forum, World Association of Young Scientists (WAYS) China, and the Global Young Academy (GYA).
Photos and Recordings
Browse pictures from the event here (check back in the coming weeks, photo sorting is ongoing): GYA AGM and International Conference of Young Scientists 2025 | Flickr
If you weren’t able to attend the Conference, want to share the inauguration ceremony, or rewatch any of the panel discussions, you can find recordings of the following panels on the GYA YouTube channel:
2025 Conference Playlist: GYAGM 2025 IND – YouTube
- Opening Ceremony, including New Member inauguration
- Plenary Panel 1: Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Global Landscape
- Plenary Panel 2: Building Awareness on Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) in a Global Context
- Plenary Panel 3: Industry 5.0 Augmenting Human-Machine Interface
- Plenary Panel 4: Health and Nutrition for Global Wellness
Partners and Funding Organisations
The GYA extends a warm thank you to the many individuals – members of the Indian National Young Academy of Science (INYAS), volunteers in the Local Organizing Committee, GYA members in the Programme Organizing Committee, in the Executive Committee and in many other Committees and Working Groups who made this event possible. Finally, cooperating partners and funding institutions were essential to the travel and local event costs for the meeting:
Indian National Academy of Sciences
Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad
Government of Telengana
InterAcademy Partnership
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation