Academy of Sciences of China

Academy of Sciences of China
Name	Academy of Sciences of China
Native name	中国科学院
Established	1949
Type	National academy
Headquarters	Beijing
President	(see Leadership)
Fields	Natural sciences, engineering

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Academy of Sciences of China is the national academy for the natural sciences in the People's Republic of China, founded in 1949 to coordinate research, advise on policy, and advance scientific development. It has played a central role in national projects, interacting with institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Zhongguancun, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and ministries including the Ministry of Science and Technology (China). The academy interfaces with global organizations like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Council for Science, the World Health Organization, and national academies such as the Royal Society, the National Academy of Sciences (United States), and the Max Planck Society.

History

The academy's origins trace to scientific bodies active during the Republic of China (1912–1949), with antecedents in institutions such as Peking Union Medical College, the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences lineage, and earlier research in Shanghai Museum of Natural History contexts. In the early years it engaged with projects associated with the First Five-Year Plan (China), collaborations with the Soviet Union, and technology transfer related to the Dongfeng missile program and the Two Bombs, One Satellite initiative. During the Cultural Revolution the academy experienced disruptions comparable to effects seen at Beijing Normal University and Fudan University, while recovery paralleled reforms under leaders linked to the Reform and Opening-up era and figures associated with the Chinese Communist Party. The academy later participated in major national science programs such as the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China and the 973 Program and contributed to achievements like the Chang'e program, BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, and work that supported the Tiangong space station.

The academy is structured with an elected presidium, discipline academicians, and divisions modeled after systems used by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Russian Academy of Sciences. Its governance involves interactions with the State Council (PRC), oversight roles similar to those of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and coordination with provincial academies such as the Shanghai Academy of Sciences and the Guangdong Academy of Sciences. Administrative offices oversee divisions named for branches like the Mathematical Sciences Division, Life Sciences Division, and Earth Sciences Division, and work with research entities including the Institute of Physics (Chinese Academy of Sciences), the Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth, and the National Time Service Center.

Membership comprises academicians elected from scholars affiliated with institutions such as Peking University, Tsinghua University, Zhejiang University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Election processes echo practices from the National Academy of Engineering (US), the Academia Europaea, and the Australian Academy of Science. Prominent members have connections to figures and institutions like Deng Jiaxian, Qian Xuesen, Tu Youyou, Yuan Longping, Zhou Guangzhao, and collaborations with laboratories at MIT, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, ETH Zurich, and CNRS centers. Fellowship categories include domestic and foreign fellows, honorary members linked to organizations such as the Nobel Foundation and the Lasker Foundation.

The academy administers a network of institutes and national laboratories including the Institute of Biophysics, the Institute of Chemistry, the Institute of Zoology, the Institute of Mechanics, the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics, the National Astronomical Observatories, and the Purple Mountain Observatory. Programs span specialties tied to projects like the Human Genome Project collaborations, CRISPR research affiliations, materials science relevant to Wuhan University and Xi'an Jiaotong University, climate studies connected to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments, and biodiversity work akin to efforts at the Smithsonian Institution and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Major facilities include the FAST telescope, synchrotron sources similar to Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility, and computational resources comparable to national supercomputing centers used by CERN collaborators.

The academy supports graduate education and postdoctoral programs linked to University of Science and Technology of China, Nanjing University, Sun Yat-sen University, and professional schools such as China Agricultural University. Outreach initiatives include public science centers, museum partnerships with the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, and teacher training models comparable to programs at the Perimeter Institute and Royal Institution. It organizes conferences and awards influenced by precedents like the Wolf Prize, the Breakthrough Prize, and the Fields Medal community, and publishes journals in coordination with publishers similar to Springer Nature and Elsevier.

The academy maintains bilateral links and memoranda of understanding with counterparts including the National Academy of Sciences (United States), the German Research Foundation, the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, the French National Centre for Scientific Research, and the Korean Academy of Science and Technology. It participates in multinational consortia related to the Square Kilometre Array, the International Space Station program interfaces, and global health networks connected to the World Health Organization and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations. Collaborative exchanges involve joint laboratories with institutions like MIT, Imperial College London, University of Tokyo, Max Planck Institutes, and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Funding sources include state-allocated budgets comparable to allocations managed by the Ministry of Finance (PRC), competitive grants analogous to the National Science Foundation (US), and partnerships with enterprises in Zhongguancun and state-owned firms such as China National Nuclear Corporation and China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Infrastructure investments cover national laboratories, observatories like Purple Mountain Observatory, large instruments such as the FAST telescope, and computing clusters similar to the Sunway TaihuLight and Tianhe-2. Capital projects have followed strategic patterns seen in initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and national technology plans coordinated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (PRC).

Category:Scientific organizations based in China