The Science Leadership Programme in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC-SLP) is a capacity-building initiative of the Global Young Academy (GYA). The pilot programme was held in November 2022, with funding primarily from the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) and the Global Young Academy (GYA) and carried out with the support from the Universidad Nacional de Colombia. The LAC-SLP supports early- to mid-career researchers (EMCRs) in the LAC region in basic and applied sciences, engineering, social sciences, arts and the humanities, and aims to equip them with leadership tools for team development, engagement and collaboration.
The 2022 LAC-SLP consists of 6 meetings: 5 virtual ones and one in person 2-day meeting at the National University of Colombia Leticia in Colombia Amazonas. More precisely, the meeting location was Leticia, the heart of the Amazon rainforest on the border between Colombia, Peru and Brazil.
23 EMCRs working in the LAC region are currently enrolled in the programme, representing 10 countries (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Guatemala, Brazil and Panama).
“The overall experience at the in-person workshop in Leticia was impressive. The location contributed greatly to the success of the SLP, as the Amazon is breathtaking and represents more than half of the world’s remaining rainforests, as well as being the largest and most biodiverse expanse of rainforest in the world and home to numerous indigenous communities. After hearing and witnessing the enthusiasm and social commitment of the LAC EMCRs, this face-to-face meeting held in such an incredible environment within the Amazon, was certainly a breath of hope for the scientific system in our region.” – Luciana Balboa (Institute of Experimental Medicine- CONICET, Argentina)
Programme Organisers and Facilitators
GYA members Luciana Balboa (Institute of Experimental Medicine-CONICET, Argentina), Paulina Carmona Mora (University of California-Davis, USA), Nadia De Léon (Centro de Investigación Educativa, Panama), Neil Guerrero-Gonzalez, (Universidad Nacional de Colombia), Sandra López-Vèrges (Gorgas Memorial Institute for Health Studies, Panama), Carlo Altamirano-Allende (ALBAA Tech, Mexico) and Executive Committe member Alma Hernández-Mondragón (Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, Mexico), collaborated to fundraise and conceptualise the programme, and to mentor new Fellows on-site and throughout their fellowship, until June 2023.
The GYA worked with Inclusive Innovation to facilitate the in-person meeting.
Partners & external contributors
National University of Colombia (UNAL), Young Academy of Argentina (AJA), Organisation for Women in Science for the Developing World – Colombian chapter (OWSD Colombia), Mexican Association for the Advancement of Science (AMEXAC), Ciencia in Panama (CEP).
More about the GYA and Science Leadership Programmes
Read more about the GYA & support for Science Leadership Programmes and workshops here.
Visit this YouTube Playlist for videos featuring GYA members and early-career researchers answering the questions “what is science leadership?” and “what is collective leadership?”: (2) GYA and Science Leadership – YouTube
Impresssions
