With the aim to underline the importance of science in the intellectual development of the individual, the economic development of the countries of our hemisphere and the well-being of the peoples of the Americas, the Government of Canada has made a contribution of one hundred fifty thousand Canadian dollars to the Association francophone pour le Savoir (ACFAS) in order to launch a scientific award in the Americas.

ACFAS, previously known as Association canadienne-française pour l’Avancement des Sciences was established in 1923 and forms a network of about 7000 members, most of them researchers. It has a triple mission: to promote scientific activity, to stimulate research and to disseminate science. Its annual congress, its journal, Découvrir, its scientific notebooks, research awards and the contest of scientific dissemination give concrete character to its mission and valorize research and researchers.

With the creation of this new award, ACFAS expresses its desire that other States, governments, commercial enterprises, organizations or institutions add their own contribution to this initial endowment, whose yield should provide the first INTERCIENCIA AWARD and ensure its international diffusion. The Association francophone pour le Savoir has accepted with enthusiasm this exalting task, whose goal is to give public recognition to the work of a Caribbean or Latin American scientist. The research work could have been carried out in any discipline of the basic or applied sciences, technology or information sciences.

We have the pleasure to announce, as well, that this initiative of ACFAS and the Government of Canada has been rapidly followed by Hydro-Québec, one of the largest energy-producing enterprises in Canada, with activities in several Latin American countries. Hydro-Québec has accepted to finance together with ACFAS an INTERCIENCIA AWARD that will be given to a scientist from a South Cone country whose work covers the field of energy, electricity or environment.

Through their remarkable initiatives, ACFAS, the Government of Canada and Hydro-Québec give the community of researchers of the Caribbean and Latin America a testimony of esteem and recognize the quality of scientific research being carried out in the Americas.

The constitution of the juries that will examine the candidates will be determined by the Executive of INTERCIENCIA Association. The conditions for candidate proposals will be announced in Interciencia and in the official journals of member associations, and the Office of the Executive Director in Panama will receive the proposals. The awards, consisting of US$ 5000 will be presented annually by the INTERCIENCIA Association, in 2004 for the first time.

Michel Bergeron, Chairman, The Leonard Rieser Interciencia Fund

Germain Godbout, Director, ACFAS