Howard Moore (UNESCO-ROSTE)
"Making links: towards a global network of young scientists"

The World Conference on Science (Budapest, 1999), organized by UNESCO in collaboration with the International Council for Science (ICSU), had called for measures to facilitate the access of young scientists to careers in science and their greater involvement in policy-making and the identification of research priorities. The convening of an International Forum of Young Scientists as a satellite event to the Conference had marked the beginning of UNESCO’s support for the idea of an international organization that would properly represent the views of young researchers, and bring about a continuous interaction at a global level so that issues of central importance, such as mobility, research career structure, the ethics of scientific research, and priority-setting could be effectively addressed. The presentation at the workshop described the various actions of UNESCO – and particularly that of the Regional Bureau for Science in Europe (ROSTE) – in support of the establishment of a global network of young researchers.

Martin Naef (ETH Zurich)
"What it takes to be a successful organization?"

At the beginning of 2001, the Association of Scientific Staff at ETH Zurich (AVETH) was close to non-existent. Even in a country that prides itself for strong democratic participation at all levels, there was very little interest by the people to take a part in the politics of the university. The situation changed almost overnight when a heated debate over minimum salaries for Ph.D. students emerged. After the following general assembly, the board was complete again, and several people got involved in various projects. The speaker, Martin Naef, joined the board back then and helped to shape AVETH into its current form.
In this talk, Martin Naef presented the lessons learned from leading AVETH, and made a case for a project-driven organization. He identified common pitfalls and pointed out ways to avoid them. A special consideration was given to the fact that these kinds of organizations are often based on volunteer work. Providing an environment that fosters individual contributions, yet keeps a global direction and identity for the organization as a body, is essential to keep these people motivated. Finally, opening and maintaining efficient communication channels, to both official bodies as well as the general public, is of great importance to generate an impact.

Peter Kerey (WAYS)
"World Academy of Young Scientists: the global network of young researchers"

Approaching the 1st General Assembly of WAYS, which will be held at the beginning of December 2004, discussions about the structure and future activities of the organization become more and more topical. By the end of the General Assembly, a clear vision and strategy have to be elaborated and integrated in the main documents of the association. In this presentation, Peter Kerey summarized the most important questions of organizational structure and functioning, and highlighted some possible answers.
The points discussed in this short presentation were as follows:

• Recruitment of new members
• Trade Union versus Professional Association; main activities of WAYS: what to focus on, how to find the balance; how to organize work (and members)
• Motivation of WAYS members: How can an association motivate its members to take active part in the work? And how could WAYS do it?
• Partnership strategies

The three speeches were followed by structured discussion related to the young scientist issue and the organization of a global network.
First of all, good practice examples, namely Rotaract and the Marie Curie Fellowship Association were brought up. In both cases, the importance of strong local units or national groups was emphasized, since only they can cope with particular problems. Efficient communication (i.e. active communication between the board and members with the help of mailing lists, discussion fora and meetings), and focus on credibility and regularity were the major issues raised as key elements of a successful organization.
Secondly, the question of organizational structure and size was discussed more in detail. Although the majority of the participants see the establishment of a permanent global network of young researchers between 15 and 40 years of age and encompassing all scientific disciplines as a very ambitious project, some of them also expressed their fear that the organization would be difficult to manage as a consequence of the wide age-range, and maybe the youngest should not be included yet. The participants finally agreed that future scientists, including high school students, should also have their voice in present issues. It was generally accepted that the different age cohorts might have different needs, but various projects and clearly defined target groups might be a good solution.
Lastly, the participants talked about the question who and how should be influenced by the young. It was emphasized that young scientists should be involved at every step of the policy making process, and such initiatives supported by UNESCO already exist. It was also pointed out that to make an influence common issues have to be identified. One of the common issues (i.e. being of great importance for all age groups) is to improve the research environment. The participants agreed that the future of science can only be assured on national levels; therefore a global organization should take part in policy-making both on the international and national levels.