Academia das Ciências de Lisboa

Academia das Ciências de Lisboa
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Name	Academia das Ciências de Lisboa
Formation	1779
Headquarters	Lisbon
Leader title	President

Academia das Ciências de Lisboa is a learned society and royal academy founded in 1779 in Lisbon during the reign of Queen Maria I of Portugal and the period of reforms associated with Marquês de Pombal. It has served as a nexus for Portuguese scholars, linking figures from the Enlightenment through the Portuguese Liberal Revolution to contemporary researchers involved with institutions such as the University of Coimbra, the University of Lisbon, and the Universidade Nova de Lisboa. The academy fosters interactions among members connected to organizations like the Real Academia Española, the Académie des Sciences, and the Royal Society.

History

The academy's origins trace to initiatives under Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, 1st Marquis of Pombal and patrons including Queen Maria I of Portugal and King Joseph I of Portugal, reflecting influences from the Age of Enlightenment and exchanges with the Royal Society, the Académie des Sciences, and the Real Academia de la Historia. Early membership included luminaries associated with the University of Coimbra Reform of 1772, the Pombaline Reforms, and intellectual currents linked to Voltaire, Denis Diderot, and Adam Smith. During the Peninsular War and the French invasion of Portugal (1807), the academy's activities intersected with exiles connected to John VI of Portugal and diplomatic contacts involving the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. In the nineteenth century the academy engaged with debates tied to the Liberal Wars and corresponded with figures from the Royal Society of London, the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Romani, and the Instituto Lombardo. Twentieth-century crises such as the 1910 revolution and the Estado Novo period affected membership and programming, while post-1974 democratic transitions fostered renewed collaboration with the European Union research networks and transatlantic contacts with the Smithsonian Institution, the National Academy of Sciences (United States), and the British Academy.

Organization and Membership

The academy is structured into classes reflecting historical divisions: a Class of Sciences and a Class of Letters, echoing models from the Académie Française and the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres. Leadership positions have been held by scholars linked to the University of Porto, the University of Coimbra, and the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Lisbon), as well as diplomats associated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Portugal). Fellows include notable names historically associated with the History of Portugal, such as scholars connected to the Casa de Bragança, researchers in fields tied to the Age of Discoveries, and correspondents from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Leopoldina (German National Academy of Sciences), and the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. Membership categories mirror practices at the Royal Irish Academy and the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, incorporating foreign associates from institutions like the Max Planck Society and the French National Centre for Scientific Research.

Scientific and Cultural Activities

The academy organizes symposia, colloquia, and public lectures partnering with bodies such as the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, the Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência (University of Lisbon), and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Conferences have addressed topics related to explorers like Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan, interactions with archives such as the Arquivo Nacional da Torre do Tombo, and scientific themes connected to researchers from the Instituto Superior Técnico and the Jardim Botânico da Ajuda. International exchanges involve institutions including the European Space Agency, the CERN, and the International Council for Science (ICSU), while cultural programs coordinate with the Portuguese Parliament and the Fundação Oriente. The academy has hosted lectures by or commemorated figures tied to the Camões Prize, the Nobel Prize in Literature, and scientists associated with the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Publications and Library

The academy publishes proceedings, memoirs, and periodicals akin to the output of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society and the publications of the Académie des Sciences. Its library and archive collections complement holdings found at the Biblioteca Nacional de Portugal and the Arquivo Histórico Ultramarino, containing manuscripts linked to explorers like Bartolomeu Dias and correspondences with scholars at the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academia Mexicana de Ciencias, and the Academia Brasileira de Letras. Collaborative publishing projects have involved the Imprensa Nacional-Casa da Moeda and academic presses at the University of Lisbon and Universidade do Porto. The academy's bulletins have chronicled scientific work related to institutions such as the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, the Centro de Estudos de História e Filosofia da Ciências, and the Instituto de Investigação Científica Tropical.

Awards and Recognition

The academy awards medals, prizes, and honors reflecting traditions similar to those of the Royal Society and the Académie Française, recognizing contributions in areas connected to laureates of the Prince of Asturias Awards, recipients of the Camões Prize, and scientists affiliated with the European Research Council. Prizewinners have included researchers from the Instituto de Medicina Molecular, historians linked to the Sociedade de Geografia de Lisboa, and literary figures associated with the Portuguese Writers Association. The academy maintains honorary ties with orders such as the Order of Saint James of the Sword and collaborates on distinctions alongside the Presidency of the Portuguese Republic and the Government of Portugal cultural agencies.

Category:Learned societies of Portugal Category:1779 establishments in Portugal