Following the launch of the UK Young Academy in June 2022, the Young Academy Ireland is the 51st Young Academy in this movement and as such, it will encourage and develop international networks and ensure that early career researchers are adequately represented and actively participate in discussions that address global issues.

Young Academies provide a multidisciplinary platform that allows their members to exchange diverse views and experiences. The YAI will be a dynamic forum, providing an inspiring and creative environment for exchange and development of innovative ideas.

It will focus on a broad range of programmes; develop networks, provide mentoring and peer support, engage in policy debate, respond to societal challenges and foster international and interdisciplinary collaboration. This new Academy will also engage in outreach activities, help to improve public understanding of how research works and contributes to societal benefits and strengthen high level skills among early career researchers.

A Global Network of Young Academies

The Young Academy Ireland has joined a growing global network of Young Academies who share knowledge, support one another and work on international projects.

The Global Young Academy (GYA) is an independent young academy, with members from all over the world. The GYA aims to elevate the voice of young scientists in evidence-informed and inclusive global, regional and national decision making. The international network of Young Academies gives a voice to individuals with ideas, initiative and drive, who wish to work together to solve some of our greatest challenges.

Benefits of becoming a member of a Young Academy

According to members and former members of Young Academies, these Academies offer a wide variety of services and initiatives, promote science and research to the next generations of scholars, as well as benefits to local communities and society in general.

Mari Mwale-Manjoro, believes that a Young Academy gives you an opportunity to discover your talent and/academic interests, explore your potential and perform to your utmost abilities… A Young Academy is a home for personal and professional growth as well as development, not only for national but global space and visibility. Young Academy is a family for unlimited opportunities to knowledge, skills and expertise feeding in and feeding out (you get inspired, you inspire others, you get motivated, you motivate others), creating room for career satisfaction, co-designing, co-creation, co-learning and collective action for a better world. Finally, this is home for lifelong learning and lifelong contribution to the world because a young academy gives you wings to continuously propel and make an impact to the society.

Mari Mwale-Manjoro South African Young Academy of Science (SAYAS) alumni and former SAYAS Co-chair

The main benefit of being in young academies, for me, is to learn: to learn from people from other disciplines, from other countries, from other backgrounds in general. This helps me to understand my own blind spots better, and to get a more well-grounded perspective on many things, including how academia is organised and what could be improved.

Lisa Herzog (Netherlands) Global Young Academy Groningen Young Academy (2020-2025), Jonge Akademie (Netherlands, 2022-2027)

I believe that early career groups provide two very tangible benefits to research systems. Early career researchers have an exceptional passion for what they do. Giving them the opportunity to interact provides an avenue for some of the best ideas in research to circulate. This opportunity is tempered with the reality ECRs also face magnified versions of all the challenges inherent in academia, including isolation, precarity and family commitments. Chances to discuss these issues provide tangible ways to make our careers better.

William Godsoe, New Zealand Global Young Academy