Educators and academies chart a global shared strategy for science education in a changing world

For four days, from 16 to 19 October, scientists, science educators, national academies and partner organisations from every region met at the Ettore Majorana Foundation and Centre for Scientific Culture (EMFCSC) in Erice, Sicily, to tackle one question: how do we make science education fit for today's world?

The InterAcademy Partnership - International School of Science Education (IAP-ISSE 2026) ‘A Strategy for Science Education in a Changing World’, was the first joint school under the 2025–2030 Cooperation Plan between the EMFCSC International School of Science Education (EMFCSC-ISSE) and the IAP Science Education Programme (IAP-SEP).

During the conference, Rosa Devés, from the Chilean Academy of Science, received the Wynne Harlen award for her commitment and lasting legacy in science education.

Rather than a conventional conference, it was built around focus groups that moved, day by day, from framing issues to agreeing priorities and proposing joint action.

Key messages from Erice

• Together is better than alone. Participants called for stronger North–South and South–South cooperation, with particular attention to Africa, the world's youngest continent, where science education is a priority for development and where conflict, poverty and inequality weigh heavily on education systems.
• AI is both an opportunity and a risk. AI surfaced in every focus group. It must support students' thinking rather than replace it, and teachers need sustained training to use it well, especially in low-resource settings.
• Trust in science starts in the classroom. Students often confuse observation, inference, evidence, explanation and opinion, and lack the tools to judge the reliability of what they read online. Inquiry, critical thinking and the honest handling of uncertainty are essential skills for every citizen.
• Science must be meaningful. Connecting science to daily life and to real-world challenges such as climate change and health, recognising learning that happens beyond school in museums, science centres, universities and communities, and bringing scientists back into classrooms.

From focus groups to proposals

Focus Group I – Inquiry, teachers and learners. Mobilise the existing Inquiry-Based Science Education (IBSE) network under a shared IAP-ISSE framework to); build a shared resource hub for teacher preparation and ongoing professional learning; and develop learning pathways that build inquiry skills, illustrated by global case studies and a learner self-assessment checklist.

Focus Group II – Evidence, uncertainty and media literacy. Teach uncertainty as a normal part of science and build teachers’ and students’ capacity to handle it; use case studies showing how scientific knowledge is built; recognise the role of informal learning spaces; and equip teachers to guide students in using social media and AI tools, supported by independent evaluation of those tools.

Focus Group III – AI in science education. Develop a framework and guidance tool to help curriculum developers, teachers and education decision-makers decide when and how AI should support students' learning in science, shaped by the voices of students and teachers and adapted to local contexts through regional meetings.

Focus Group IV – Regionally informed practices and educators’ professional learning. Convene regional teams to tackle science education problems together; develop a publication on Big Ideas in science teaching; and assemble a well-resourced multimedia collection of teaching practice from around the world.

What comes next

The final round table agreed that proposals must move from ideas to delivery, building on existing resources and networks

. Each proposal will have an owner and a small team, a clear deliverable and timeline, with each institution able to play a role.

Follow-up actions include:

• Small cross-regional pilot projects, building on existing resources and networks, beginning with a concept note and a map of contributions.
• A science education focal point in every academy, to keep science education on academy agendas, alongside inviting teachers to academies and academy members into classrooms.
• Co-creation workshops with teachers, local communities and policymakers, and training for scientists in co-creation, so that resources are rooted in local realities.
• Continous engagement through IAP's four regional networks and existing partners such as La main à la pâte, the Office for Climate Education, INNOVEC, XSTEM, ISTIC while reaching out to the business community and funders, and to countries and regions not yet engaged.

During the conference the Global Science Education Council, who leads the IAP Science Education Programme, met to discuss the renewal of its membership, future strategic priorities as well as plans for webinars to capitalize on the conference’s momentum and proposed the next 2027 IAP-ISSE school on Big Ideas in Science, including a workshop to test the proposals developed in Erice.

In the closing session, speakers stressed that academies bring credibility, evidence and a strong, non-partisan voice to this effort, but cannot act alone. Academies, IAP and partners such as UNESCO were urged to speak with one voice and should agree a joint international statement on science education to guide action at national and international level.

Senior advisor Bruce Alberts and Pierre Léna urged participants to be ambitious, to rethink science education collectively in a fast-changing world, and to treat the coming year as an experiment, learning from what works and what does not.