Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Hackspett · CC BY-SA 2.5 · source
Name	Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Native name	Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien
Formation	1739
Founder	Carl Linnaeus
Headquarters	Stockholm
Leader title	President

Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is an independent learned society founded in 1739 associated with Stockholm, established to promote the natural sciences and mathematics by supporting research, awarding prizes, and advising on science policy. Over its history the Academy has interacted with figures and institutions such as Carl Linnaeus, Anders Celsius, Alfred Nobel, Marie Curie, Albert Einstein and institutions including the University of Uppsala, Karolinska Institutet, Lund University, Uppsala University and Stockholm University. Its work overlaps with international bodies and events like the Nobel Prize, Nobel Foundation, United Nations, European Commission, World Health Organization and collaborations with research centers such as CERN, Max Planck Society, MIT, Harvard University and California Institute of Technology.

History

The Academy was founded by naturalists and patrons including Carl Linnaeus, Anders Celsius and statesmen from the Age of Liberty in Sweden, with early members from circles connected to Uppsala University, Stockholm University and the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. During the 18th century it corresponded with Enlightenment figures and learned societies like the Royal Society, Académie des Sciences and the Prussian Academy of Sciences, and exchanged letters with scientists such as Isaac Newton, Antoine Lavoisier, Joseph Priestley and Benjamin Franklin. In the 19th century Academy activity intersected with industrialists and inventors associated with Alfred Nobel, Gustaf de Laval, John Ericsson and scientific reformers linked to Charles Darwin, Gregor Mendel and Louis Pasteur. The 20th century saw engagement with Nobel laureates and researchers like Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Max Planck, Marie Curie, Erwin Schrödinger and Albert Einstein, as well as involvement in international science policy discussions with entities such as the League of Nations, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization and European Organization for Nuclear Research.

Organization and Governance

The Academy is governed by an elected council and presidium with officers drawn from its membership, mirroring governance models used by organizations like the Royal Society, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, National Academy of Sciences, Académie des Sciences and the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Its statutes set out scientific classes and sections comparable to those at the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences, Karolinska Institutet and the Swedish Research Council. Over time the Academy has worked with municipal and national bodies such as Stockholm City Hall, the Swedish Government, the Ministry of Education and Research (Sweden), and international partners including European Commission, United Nations agencies, World Bank and OECD on advisory reports and expert panels.

Membership and Fellows

Membership comprises Swedish and foreign members elected from among scholars, researchers and practitioners with links to institutions like Uppsala University, Lund University, Karolinska Institutet, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm University and international universities including Oxford University, Cambridge University, Princeton University, Yale University, University of Tokyo and Peking University. Prominent fellows historically and contemporaneously have included Carl Linnaeus, Anders Celsius, Svante Arrhenius, Hannes Alfvén, Gunnar Myrdal, Manne Siegbahn, Arne Tiselius, Tage Erlander, Sverker Sörlin, Kjell Aleklett and foreign members such as Marie Curie, Niels Bohr, Max Planck, Paul Dirac and Richard Feynman. Election procedures echo practices found at the Royal Society, National Academy of Sciences (United States), Academia Europaea and European Molecular Biology Organization.

Awards and Prizes

The Academy administers and awards prizes and medals linked to international recognition, collaborating with the Nobel Foundation for selection processes in fields that complement the Nobel Prize arena and stewarding awards akin to the Wolf Prize, Crafoord Prize, Ramon y Cajal Prize, Lasker Awards and Fields Medal networks. It directly awards several prizes and medals which have been bestowed upon scientists associated with Marie Curie, Linus Pauling, Niels Bohr, Svante Arrhenius, Göran K. Hansson and other laureates from institutions such as Karolinska Institutet and Uppsala University. The Academy also supports early-career awards and grants similar in purpose to fellowships from European Research Council, Royal Society University Research Fellowships and national funding schemes like the Swedish Research Council.

Research and Scientific Programs

The Academy sponsors scientific committees, interdisciplinary programs and collaborative projects that engage researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Lund University, Chalmers University of Technology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm University and international laboratories such as CERN, Max Planck Institutes, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. Programs have addressed themes resonant with global initiatives involving the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, International Union for Conservation of Nature, World Health Organization, European Space Agency, NASA and policy forums like the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The Academy runs working groups and networks parallel to those of Academia Europaea, Royal Society panels and National Academies collaborations to promote research on biodiversity, climate, materials science, astrophysics, and health sciences.

Publications and Communications

The Academy publishes reports, proceedings, and policy briefs similar to outputs from the Royal Society, National Academies Press, Académie des Sciences and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and maintains journals, monograph series and outreach materials used by scholars at Uppsala University, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University. It organizes symposia, public lectures and conferences featuring speakers from Harvard University, MIT, Princeton University, Cambridge University, Oxford University and research institutes such as Max Planck Society and CNRS. The Academy’s communications engage media outlets and platforms connected to Swedish Radio, Sveriges Television, Nature (journal), Science (journal), The Lancet and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Buildings and Locations

Headquartered in Stockholm, the Academy operates in premises historically proximate to landmarks such as Stockholm City Hall, Gamla stan, Royal Palace, Stockholm and universities including Stockholm University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Its facilities host meetings, prize ceremonies and lectures that attract participants from institutions like Karolinska Institutet, Lund University, Uppsala University, Chalmers University of Technology and international partners including CERN and the Max Planck Society.

Category:Learned societies Category:Scientific organizations established in 1739