For the 2020 funding period, GYA members will continue to be active in 17 working groups and three Incubators within the three GYA Themes of Science & Society, Research Environment, and Science Education and Outreach.
A fourth Incubator – on Critical Experiments – has been set up and is being led by Anna Harris (Netherlands) and William Godsoe (New Zealand). The group proposes to look into how researchers in all disciplines struggle to come up with meaningful answers for complex questions. An approach common to many fields of study is to manipulate some aspects of the world experimentally then measure the results. In some disciplines notions of what constitutes a good approach to experimentation were formalized decades ago, and this dogma can impede young researchers seeking to incorporate new data or perspectives. Young scientists seeking to innovate face the brunt of these restrictions. Future innovations in science will require a broader perspective on experimental design and its limitations.
In addition to regular base funding for the coming 12 months, top-up funding for specific additional activities has been granted to the following GYA working groups:
- Biodiversity – Bio2Bio Session at AUTM Conference 2020
- History of the GYA – Collecting oral histories of GYA founding members
- Global Migration – Refugee crisis and evidence-based policy in the MENA region
- Science Advice – Resource Development and Capacity Enhancement on Science Advice
- Science + Arts = Peace and Justice – Science and Arts event series on biodiversity in St Petersburg