IAP – the global network of science academies – was established in 1993. During the past 20 years it has had a number of successes, not least in bringing together the world’s academies of science into one global network, followed by the establishment of four regional networks of academies that give added strength to the work of our member academies in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.

IAP’s first-ever Annual Report details these successes and provides a comprehensive list of all activities carried out by the IAP network in 2013.

The Report provides an overview of IAP activities in 2013, with specific sections on activities by affiliated regional networks AASSA, EASAC, IANAS, and NASAC, and by the thematic networks IAMP and IAC.

The Report also gives evidence of IAP’s focus on promoting cooperation and capacity building among the world’s merit-based science academies by bringing together information on all the IAP-funded projects carried out by member academies and networks in 2013.

These include an international conference on ‘Entrepreneurship for Young Women and using of New Technologies: Issues and Challenges’, led by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities; support to the Global Young Academy’s 3rd International Conference and General Assembly, which took place in Santiago de Chile, Chile, also with the support of the Chilean Academy of Sciences (an IAP member); IAP’s global Science Education Programme, led by the Académie des Sciences, France; and a project on ‘Science Education through Communication’, led by the Korean Academy of Science and Technology (KAST).

An extensive Appendix provides relevant details and statistics; e.g. on IAP membership, Standing Committees, IAP-supported publications, and the IAP Secretariat.