60 science educators from around the world gather in Erice, Italy, to chart a strategy for a changing world
ERICE, Italy: 60 scientists, science educators and policy experts from 34 countries across six continents are gathered in Erice, Sicily, for a four-day school on how science education must evolve to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world.
The InterAcademy Partnership – International School of Science Education (IAP-ISSE 2026), titled A Strategy for Science Education in a Changing World, runs from 16 to 19 October at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture (EMFCSC). Participants come from national academies of sciences, universities, ministries, museums and education networks across Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America.
The Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture, founded in 1962,
is an internationally renowned centre for scientific dialogue and cooperation, bringing
together scientists from around the world in Erice. Its International School of Science
Education (ISSE) connects scientists, researchers and educators to advance
science education worldwide.
The school is held under a Memorandum of Understanding, signed last December, between the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture (which hosts an annual International School of Science Education) and the InterAcademy Partnership. The World Academy of Sciences for the advancement of science in developing countries (TWAS) hosts IAP’s Trieste Secretariat in Italy.
Voices for science education
The InterAcademy Partnership (IAP) is a global network comprising over 150 merit-based academies of science, medicine and engineering, representing the collective expertise of over 30,000 elected academy members worldwide.
“Italy is proud to host the Trieste secretariat of IAP and to offer the Erice unique environment for the School. Science diplomacy is a pillar of Italy’s foreign policy, and it begins in the classroom. Science gives young people a common language that crosses borders, and the habits it teaches, asking questions, weighing evidence and sharing results openly, are the same ones that make cooperation between countries possible,” said Lamberto Maria Moruzzi, Director for Scientific, Space and Sports Diplomacy within the Directorate-General for Economic Cooperation at the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
“Science education is how societies learn to think with evidence. At a time when trust in science is being tested and AI is reshaping how young people learn, the challenges we face are increasingly complex and global in scope. No institution, network or country can address them alone. That is why ISSE and IAP have joined forces: to strengthen connections between scientific and educational communities, build lasting alliances, and turn our collective strengths into a shared capacity for action,” said Anna Pascucci, Director of the International School of Science Education (ISSE).
“Students need to experience science as scientists do, by asking questions and investigating the world for themselves. And learning how the community of scientists reaches its conclusions, through evidence, debate and the honest handling of uncertainty, is one of the most valuable lessons any school can teach,” said Bruce Alberts, former president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and a long-term supporter of the IAP Science Education Programme. “None of this is possible without well-prepared, well-supported teachers, and helping countries invest in them is central to what we are doing in Erice,” added Alberts.
A school built around action
Through its Science Education Programme (IAP-SEP), IAP promotes high-quality, inclusive, and evidence-based science education worldwide, engaging the scientific community in educational innovation and policy dialogue. Unlike a conventional conference, IAP-ISSE 2026 is built around four working focus groups guided by a coordinator and a discussant.
Over four days, the groups will move from framing key issues to setting priorities and identifying collaborations. and, finally, aligning their proposals. On the closing day, 19 October, the groups’ work will converge into thematic alliances linking national academies of sciences with education networks such as La main à la pâte, the Office for Climate Education (both in France), INNOVEC (Mexico) and the Siemens Stiftung. A final round table will agree on actions, shared documents and validated resources. The resulting synthesis is intended as a first shared framework to drive future collaboration among academies and educational networks worldwide, helping education systems respond to challenges such as climate change, misinformation, inequity and digital transformation, including the increasing use of AI in education and learning.
The school is guided by senior advisors Bruce Alberts and Pierre Léna and directed by Anna Pascucci, Carol O’Donnell, Director of the Smithsonian Science Education Centre, and Peter McGrath, former IAP Coordinator. Keynote lectures and panels feature speakers from Argentina, Bolivia, Canada, Chile, China, Ethiopia, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sweden, Tunisia, the United Kingdom and the United States.
IAP’s science education legacy
Over the past decade, IAP’s long-running Science Education Programme (SEP) has played a significant role in advancing inquiry-based science education. It has issued 12 Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) guides in collaboration with the Smithsonian Science Education Center, USA, and strengthened science literacy across Africa through partnerships with national academies, ministries, universities and STEM organisations. A major focus has been establishing science and technology centres that expand access to hands-on STEM learning, innovation and public engagement with science, especially countries where they did not previously exist.
Between 2023 and 2025, IAP supported flagship initiatives in Benin, Ethiopia and Ghana: the Sèmè City Science Museum, the Ethiopian Academy of Sciences’ FabLab and STEM Centre, and the Ghana Science and Technology Centre. These centres are developing interactive exhibitions, digital fabrication laboratories, educational modules, mobile STEM activities and outreach programmes for students, teachers and underserved communities.
IAP’s work has also strengthened international efforts in climate change education. The Office for Climate Education (OCE) was established in 2018 as a follow-up to the IAP Statement on Climate Change and Education and became a UNESCO Category 2 Centre in 2021. Through teacher resources, professional development, communities of practice and outreach, it helps young people and educators understand and respond to climate change.
****
