Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA)
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| Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) |
| Native name | Türkiye Bilimler Akademisi |
| Formation | 1993 |
| Headquarters | Ankara, Turkey |
| Type | National academy |
| Leader title | President |
Turkish Academy of Sciences (TUBA) is the national academy formed to promote scientific research and recognize distinguished scholars in Turkey. Established in the early 1990s, it has interacted with institutions across Europe, Asia, and the United States and engaged with ministries, universities, and international academies. Its activities span collaboration with organizations such as the European Science Foundation, National Academy of Sciences (United States), Royal Society, Academia Europaea and regional bodies including the Islamic World Academy of Sciences.
History
TUBA was founded in 1993 following legislative action during the tenure of political leaders who negotiated with Turkish universities and research centers such as Ankara University, Istanbul University, Middle East Technical University, Boğaziçi University and Hacettepe University. Early presidents worked alongside figures linked to institutions like the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey and liaised with foreign organizations including the Max Planck Society, CNRS, Fraunhofer Society and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. During the 2000s TUBA hosted symposia drawing participants from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Pontifical Academy of Sciences, International Science Council and the World Academy of Art and Science. Political reforms, judicial decisions and amendments enacted in the 2010s affected governance and prompted responses from entities such as the European Commission, Council of Europe, UNESCO and the European Court of Human Rights.
Organization and governance
TUBA’s organizational structure includes a central council, presidium and disciplinary sections, modeled after academies like the British Academy and National Academy of Sciences (United States). Headquarters in Ankara coordinate with regional branches, research institutes and university departments at Istanbul Technical University, Ege University, Near East University and others. Leadership interactions have involved ministers and parliamentary committees, referencing laws such as the Turkish higher education legislation debated by representatives from parties like the Justice and Development Party (Turkey), Republican People's Party (Turkey), Nationalist Movement Party and institutions including the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. TUBA has signed memoranda with the Wellcome Trust, Gates Foundation, European Research Council and national research councils including the Austrian Science Fund and Swiss National Science Foundation.
Membership and election
Membership categories include full members, honorary members and foreign associates, similar to practices at the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Individuals elected have come from universities and institutes such as Koç University, Sabancı University, Istanbul Bilgi University, Bilkent University and research organizations including the Turkish Red Crescent and Turkish Language Association. Prominent figures associated with or elected by the academy have had careers overlapping with people from Nobel Prize committees, recipients tied to awards like the Fields Medal, Lasker Award, Copley Medal and affiliations with laboratories such as CERN, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory and TÜBİTAK Marmara Research Center. Election procedures involve nomination by peers, evaluation by disciplinary committees and ratification by the presidium, comparable to protocols at the Russian Academy of Sciences and Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Activities and programs
TUBA organizes conferences, workshops and grant programs partnering with entities such as the European Molecular Biology Organization, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Fulbright Program and Erasmus+. It has run initiatives promoting young scholars with exchanges involving Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and collaborations with institutes like the Salk Institute, Karolinska Institutet and Institut Pasteur. Programs have addressed national priorities in fields linked to specialists from Istanbul Technical University, Gazi University, Yıldız Technical University, Çukurova University and research centers such as Sabancı University Nanotechnology Research and Application Center. TUBA has also engaged with international projects funded by the European Union, Horizon 2020, UNDP, World Bank and foundations including the Rockefeller Foundation.
Publications and awards
The academy publishes proceedings, reports and bulletins modeled on publications from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society and journals affiliated with academies like the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics. TUBA awards prizes and fellowships comparable to honors such as the Wolf Prize, Shaw Prize, Abel Prize and national awards administered by agencies including TÜBİTAK and cultural institutions like the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts. Its laureates and contributors have included scholars with ties to prize committees for the Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and awardees who later joined editorial boards of journals such as Nature, Science, Cell and The Lancet.
Funding and controversies
Funding sources have included government allocations, competitive grants from bodies like the European Research Council and private philanthropy from foundations akin to the Soros Foundation and corporate partners in sectors represented by Turkish Airlines, Koç Holding, Eczacıbaşı Group and international firms. Controversies have arisen over statutory changes, appointments and perceived political influence, prompting statements from institutions including the European Science Foundation, Academia Europaea, International Science Council and foreign academies such as the Royal Society and National Academy of Sciences (United States). Legal challenges involved courts and oversight by institutions like the Constitutional Court of Turkey and international scrutiny from organizations including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.