Intercontinental Academia (ICA)

The IIAS and UBIAS have a strong commitment to supporting exceptional young researchers, who will become the intellectual leaders of the future. The Intercontinental Academia program, run by IIAS-UBIAS, provides a thrilling opportunity for young researchers from all corners of the world to engage with fundamental topics.

The Intercontinental Academia (ICA) program fosters scientific exchange across generations, disciplines, cultures, and continents. It places a particular emphasis on interdisciplinary collaborative research involving young scientists aged 30 to 40 from different fields of study. Each ICA is led by three senior scientists of regional and international recognition who coordinate its activities. 

To date, three ICAs have been completed: 

• ICA 1, “Time,” was organized by UBIAS-member institutes IAR Nagoya and IEA São Paulo. 
• The Israel Institute for adanced studies in partnership with UBIAS member institute institutes ZIF Bielefeld led ICA 2 on the topic of “Human Dignity.” 
• ICA 3, focused on “Laws: Rigidity and Dynamics,” was organized by IAS Singapore and IAS Birmingham, UK.

The Intercontinental Academia was initially proposed during a meeting of the Steering Committee of UBIAS in March 2012 at the Institute for Advanced Study Jawaharlal Nehru in New Delhi, India. The idea was suggested by the then-director of IIAS, Professor Eliezer Rabinovici. The IEA-USP and the IAR of Nagoya University were inspired by Prof. Rabinovici’s vision and decided to initiate a joint venture to develop the pilot project for this initiative.