The Institute of Molecular Science (ICMol), together with the Institute of Agrochemistry and Food Technology (IATA) and the Institute of Corpuscular Physics (IFIC), co-organized this year’s Annual Meeting of the Young Academy of Spain—held for the first time in Valencia.

The event took place on Friday at the Botanical Garden of the University of Valencia and brought together leading experts under the theme “Science in the Face of Grand Challenges.” The meeting explored major global crises and emphasised the pivotal role of scientific research in addressing them. The organizing committee included Laura Laguna (IATA), Emma Torró (IFIC) and José J. Baldoví (ICMol), all members of the Parc Científic of the University of Valencia. The three committee members delivered the closing remarks of this fifth edition of the Annual Meeting.

A programme addressing today’s major global challenges

The meeting was structured around three thematic blocks. First, public-health crises. Discussions covered current and future pandemics, mental-health challenges and the impact of obesity with the contributions of Raquel Yotti (Commisioner for the Cutting-Edge Health Strategic Programme for Recovery and Economic Transformation) and Dolors Corella (Professor of Preventive Medicine, University of Valencia). Then, climate and resource crises, moderated by Baldoví, in which Verónica Sanz (Professor of Physics at the University of Sussex and Senior Distinguished Researcher at IFIC), Jorge Olcina (Professor of Geographical Analysis at University of Alicante) and Dulcinea Meijide (Sustainability director at Veolia) addressed the causes and monitoring of climate change, the impact of natural-resource management, clean-energy alternatives, and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. Finally, the political and information crises block examined the influence of evidence-based political decision-making on the public perception of crises, highlighting the importance of scientific advice in policymaking, the impact of fake news and tariff crisis nowadays, by Lorenzo Melchor (Deputy director general of ONAC), Carlos Elías (Professor of journalism at University Carlos III of Madrid) and Inmaculada Martínez-Zarzoso (Professor of Economy at University Jaume I of Castellón).

The day concluded with a roundtable titled “Looking Toward the Future”, where senior speakers and young researchers reflected on the role of science in tackling these global challenges.

Medal Ceremony at the University of Valencia

As part of the programme, the Young Academy of Spain held its Medal Ceremony on 27 November at the historical Paraninfo of the University of Valencia, formally welcoming a new cohort of Academicians. Among the awardees was Manel Souto, former postdoctoral researcher at ICMol and currently a Distinguished Researcher at CIQUS (University of Santiago de Compostela).

Call for new Academicians

The Young Academy of Spain has opened its call for applications to fill ten new positions as full Academicians, with appointments to take place in 2026. Eligible candidates must hold Spanish nationality, have obtained their PhD in 2014 or later, and have been born in 1986 or afterwards. The call remains open until 28 February 2026.