Universal Scientific Education and Research Network (USERN)
An international nonprofit network supporting non-military scientific research, education, ethical practice, and science-informed policy.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Universal Scientific Education and Research Network, commonly known as USERN, is an international nonprofit network devoted to scientific education, research collaboration, and policy-making for non-military purposes. Its stated emphasis is on ethical and professional research, the exchange of scientific knowledge, and work intended to serve humanity across disciplinary and national boundaries. Rather than operating as a conventional commercial brand, USERN functions as a membership-based scientific network, award platform, and organizer of international congresses. The network's basic statutes were drafted on January 21, 2015, and USERN was established on January 1, 2016. Its formal activity began in early 2016, when it began encouraging researchers and other eligible participants to join through its website. The statutes were officially inaugurated on November 10, 2016, a date associated with the United Nations' World Science Day for Peace and Development. This date subsequently became central to USERN's annual congress and prize calendar. USERN's principal public-facing program is the USERN Prize, an annual international award for researchers under 40. The prize recognizes novel achievements in scientific education, scientific research, or service to humanity. Its coverage spans five broad areas: formal sciences, physical and chemical sciences, biological or life sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences. The program is designed to highlight younger researchers whose work has potential scientific, technological, medical, environmental, or societal value. The organization also convenes an annual international USERN Congress and prize-awarding festival. Congresses have been held in locations including Tehran, Kharkiv, Reggio Calabria, Budapest, Istanbul, Muscat, Yerevan, Plovdiv, and Campinas. These events combine scientific exchange with the presentation of the annual awards. The listed laureates have worked on subjects ranging from visual perception and diffusion imaging to renewable-energy systems, cancer nanotherapy, climate justice, quantum machine learning, sustainable energy storage, artificial intelligence, environmental toxicology, mental health, and social behavior. USERN has stated that it has created offices and signed memoranda of understanding with scientific research centers and universities in different countries. These arrangements are intended to expand its international network and support educational and research interchange. Specific office locations and the full scope of all agreements are not consistently documented in the supplied reference material. The network's website has served as a membership and information hub, although the referenced account notes user complaints involving login access, password changes, and profile management. Beyond these operational criticisms, the available material presents USERN primarily as a scientific nonprofit and convening organization rather than a commercial provider of products. Its continuing identity is therefore tied to international research networking, youth recognition through the USERN Prize, multidisciplinary congresses, and the promotion of science for peaceful and humanitarian purposes.
History
USERN's institutional foundations were laid in 2015, when its basic statutes were drafted on January 21. The network was formally established on January 1, 2016, and began official activity early that year. Its intended role was to create an international environment for scientific education, ethical research, professional exchange, and policy discussion, with an explicit orientation toward non-military science and service to humanity. During its first operating period, USERN used its website to invite researchers and other participants to join the network. The organization developed as a membership and collaboration platform rather than as a commercial enterprise. Its activities were designed to connect people working in different scientific fields and to provide a public framework for recognizing emerging researchers. The official inauguration of its statutes took place on November 10, 2016, on the United Nations' World Science Day for Peace and Development. This date became the recurring anchor for USERN's annual congresses and awards. The USERN Prize became the network's most visible program. It is an annual international award for junior scientists and researchers below the age of 40. The award recognizes novel advances or achievements in research, education, or work serving humanity. The award structure covers formal sciences, physical and chemical sciences, biological sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences. The first listed laureates, in 2016, represented the Netherlands, Belgium, Iran, and the United States and were recognized for contributions involving visual response, diffusion imaging, renewable-energy systems, cancer nanotherapeutics, and technology for nature. USERN paired the prize with an annual international congress. The second congress was held in Kharkiv, Ukraine, from November 8 to 10, 2017. The third took place in Reggio Calabria, Italy, from November 10 to 14, 2018, and the fourth was held in Budapest, Hungary, from November 8 to 10, 2019. The fifth congress was held in Tehran, Iran, from November 7 to 10, 2020. Subsequent events were held in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2021; Muscat, Oman, in 2022; Yerevan, Armenia, in 2023; Plovdiv, Bulgaria, in 2024; and Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, in 2025. The subjects represented by the prize program broadened over time. Listed recognized work includes cooperation and social judgment, autism and flexible behavior, low-cost electrocatalysts, nanomedical cancer therapies, climate justice, obesity biology, personalized health technologies, quantum machine learning, depression and suicide research, coronavirus transmission, brain-computer interfaces, sustainable energy storage, zero-impact agriculture, inborn errors of immunity, gaming disorder, renewable solar materials, cancer immunotherapy, youth mental healthcare, trustworthy artificial intelligence, renewable-energy storage, microplastics, psychosis, extremism, aqueous batteries, radiation shielding, nanomaterial safety, tumor vaccines, and international survey research. To support its international purpose, USERN has reported signing memoranda of understanding and establishing offices at scientific research centers and universities around the world. The available material does not provide a complete, independently detailed register of those offices or agreements. Leadership has changed over time, with executive directors listed for successive periods from 2016 onward. The official website has remained the principal channel for membership and organizational information, although users have reportedly experienced difficulties with account access, password management, and page editing. Overall, USERN has developed from a newly constituted scientific network into a recurring international congress and award platform. Its identity rests on multidisciplinary exchange, recognition of researchers early in their careers, institutional cooperation, and advocacy for ethical, peaceful, and humanitarian applications of science.
- 2025
Tenth International USERN Congress
[1]The tenth congress and prize festival was held in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, from November 8 to 10.
- 2024
Ninth International USERN Congress
[1]The ninth congress and prize festival was held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from November 8 to 10.
- 2023
Eighth International USERN Congress
[1]The eighth congress was held in Yerevan, Armenia, from November 8 to 10.
- 2022
Seventh International USERN Congress
[1]The seventh congress was held in Muscat, Oman, from November 8 to 10.
- 2021
Sixth International USERN Congress
[1]The sixth congress was held in Istanbul, Turkey, from November 6 to 13.
- 2020
Fifth International USERN Congress
[1]The fifth congress took place in Tehran, Iran, from November 7 to 10.
- 2019
Fourth International USERN Congress
[1]The fourth congress was held in Budapest, Hungary, from November 8 to 10.
- 2018
Third International USERN Congress
[1]The third congress was held in Reggio Calabria, Italy, from November 10 to 14.
- 2017
Second International USERN Congress
[1]The second congress was held in Kharkiv, Ukraine, from November 8 to 10.
- 2016
USERN established
[1]The network was established on January 1 and began official activity in early 2016.
Products and positioning
A global, multidisciplinary nonprofit platform connecting scientific education, ethical research, young-investigator recognition, and science for peaceful and humanitarian purposes.
Scientific award · 2016
USERN Prize
An annual international award for scientists and researchers younger than 40. It recognizes novel achievements in scientific education, research, or service to humanity across formal sciences, physical and chemical sciences, biological sciences, medical sciences, and social sciences. The prize is presented during the USERN congress and awarding festival.
Scientific conference · 2016
International USERN Congress
A recurring international congress that brings together scientific exchange and the USERN Prize ceremony. The event has rotated among host cities in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and South America, reflecting the network's stated international orientation.
Research network · 2016
USERN membership network
A membership and collaboration structure intended to connect people involved in scientific education and research. Participation has been promoted through the USERN website, which also functions as a source of organizational information.
Institutional cooperation
International offices and institutional partnerships
USERN reports establishing offices and signing memoranda of understanding with scientific research centers and universities in several countries. These arrangements are intended to support international education, research interchange, and network expansion.
Brand decisions
2016
Adopt a recurring congress and prize modelStrategyBackground
After its establishment, USERN sought a visible mechanism for promoting scientific interchange and highlighting younger researchers across disciplines.
Action taken
The organization combined an annual international congress with a prize ceremony held around November 10, World Science Day for Peace and Development.
Aftermath
The model continued through congresses held in multiple countries from 2016 through 2025.
2016
Define the USERN Prize around five scientific fieldsStrategyBackground
USERN positioned itself as a multidisciplinary network rather than a field-specific scientific society.
Action taken
It created an annual award for researchers under 40 covering formal, physical and chemical, biological, medical, and social sciences.
Aftermath
The prize became USERN's principal recurring recognition program and was awarded to researchers working across a wide range of scientific and social topics.
- Expand through international offices and memoranda of understandingStrategy
Background
USERN sought to broaden access to scientific education and research collaboration beyond its founding base.
Action taken
The network reported signing MOUs and establishing offices in scientific research centers and universities worldwide.
Aftermath
The organization developed an international congress circuit, although the supplied material does not provide a complete list of offices or agreements.
Recent events
- 2025
Tenth USERN Congress and prize festival held in Campinas[1]
Other
The tenth international congress and prize-awarding festival was scheduled and reported as taking place in Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil, from November 8 to 10.
- 2024
Ninth USERN Congress and prize festival held in Plovdiv[1]
Other
The ninth international congress and prize-awarding festival took place in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, from November 8 to 10.
- 2023
USERN continues annual congresses in Istanbul, Muscat, and Yerevan[1]
Other
The sixth, seventh, and eighth congresses were held in Istanbul in 2021, Muscat in 2022, and Yerevan in 2023.
- 2020
Fifth International USERN Congress held in Tehran[1]
Other
The fifth congress and prize cycle was held in Tehran from November 7 to 10, with awards spanning five scientific areas.
- 2018
USERN congress program expands across Europe and the Middle East[1]
Other
The third congress was held in Reggio Calabria, Italy, and the fourth in Budapest, Hungary, reflecting USERN's continuing international event model.
- 2017
Second International USERN Congress held in Kharkiv[1]
Other
The second congress took place in Kharkiv, Ukraine, from November 8 to 10 and included the annual USERN Prize activities.
- 2016
USERN establishes its scientific network and begins membership activity[1]
Other
USERN began official activity and invited individuals to participate through its website as part of its international research and education network.
- 2016
First USERN Prize recognizes five young researchers[1]
Other
The inaugural prize cycle recognized researchers in social, medical, physical, biological, and formal sciences for work addressing topics including perception, medical imaging, renewable energy, nanotherapeutics, and technology for nature.
Users report technical difficulties with USERN website functions[1]
Other
The referenced account describes recurring user difficulties with website login, password changes, and profile editing. The material characterizes these as functionality complaints rather than a regulatory or legal scandal.
Sources2 sources
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