Singapore will organise the Global Young Scientists Summit (GYSS) for the second time from January 19-24 under the theme “Advancing Science, Creating Technologies for a Better World”.

The GYSS is an international gathering of scientists and researchers under the age of 35 from different parts of the world with internationally eminent science and technology leaders who are recipients of the Fields Medal, Millennium Technology Prize, and Nobel Prize.

This year’s summit will discuss the latest advances in science and technology, and how research can be harnessed to address major global challenges. It is a multi-disciplinary event covering the disciplines of chemistry, physics, biology, mathematics, computer science and engineering.

The 357 invited participants are doctors and post-graduates from Asia, Australia and Western countries. As many as 69 participants are from Singapore and 13 from other ASEAN member countries.

Prof. Low Teck Seng, Chief Executive Officer of the National Research Foundation (NRF) and Co-Chairman of the GYSS Organising Committee, told Vietnam News Agency’s Singapore-based reporter that he was glad that more young Vietnamese scientists are interested in the GYSS with eight to join this year’s event as compared to five last year.

According to Prof. Low, the focus of the summit is to build a strong global research network and to attract talented researchers to Singapore.

“Singapore is establishing itself as a hub for science and technology, and being a hub really means having the ability to attract talent,” he said.

About the difference between the first and the second summits, the Co-Chairman of the GYSS Organising Committee said that the second is bigger in terms of participants with 357 compared to 285 last year as well as speakers and panellists (18 this year against 15 one year ago). This year, for the first time, a series of public talks with GYSS speakers will be hosted in conjunction with local universities, education institutes and public agencies.

Part of the GYSS is the Singapore Challenge, which aims to recognise original and innovative ideas from participants of the GYSS that address challenges related to urban development in future cities. Submitted to Singapore Challenge 2014 were 35 proposals, including one by Vietnamese participant.

Concurrently, the sixth International Science Youth Forum will be held for 90 high school students, including 40 foreigners, and 31 educators with 18 coming from abroad. This year’s theme is “Science for Humanity in the 21st Century”.

(Source: VNA)