A national academy is an organizational body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates scholarly research activities and standards for academic disciplines, and serve as public policy advisors, research institutes, think tanks, and public administration consultants for governments or on issues of public importance, most frequently in the sciences but also in the humanities. Typically the country's learned societies in individual disciplines will liaise with or be coordinated by the national academy. National academies play an important organisational role in academic exchanges and collaborations between countries.
The extent of official recognition of national academies varies between countries. In some cases they are explicitly or de facto an arm of government; in others, as in the United Kingdom, they are voluntary, non-profit bodies with which the government has agreed to negotiate, and which may receive government financial support while retaining substantial independence. In some countries, a single academy covers all disciplines. In others, there are several academies, which work together more or less closely; for example, France, where the groups five self-governing Academies, or Australia. In many states, they are organized in academies of science. In the countries of the former Soviet Union, and in the People's Republic of China, the national academies have considerable power over policy and personnel in their areas. There is, however, a growing consensus among international federations of learned academies that bona fide national (or learned) academies need to adhere to certain criteria:
In 1863, President of the United States Abraham Lincoln incorporated the United States National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM). The affiliated organizations were granted congressional charters to operate under the National Academy of Sciences. In 1916 President Woodrow Wilson reincorporated the organization under the National Research Council to foster scientific research emphasizing American industries. Today NASEM is composed of three non-profit member organizations: the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), and the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) (after 2015; formerly Institute of Medicine (IoM)). The U.S. national academies also serve as public policy advisors, research institutes, think tanks, and public administration consultants on issues of public importance or on request by the government.[1] [2] [3]
| Name | Year founded | Area of focus | President | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Academy of Sciences | 1863 | Science | Marcia McNutt | ||
| National Academy of Engineering | 1964 | Engineering | John L. Anderson | ||
| National Academy of Medicine | 1970 | Medicine | Victor Dzau | Established as the Institute of Medicine (1970–2015) |
In the United Kingdom four national academies are the major learned societies of England: the Academy of Medical Sciences, British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Royal Society.[4] In addition, there are the Learned Society of Wales in Wales and the Royal Society of Edinburgh in Scotland. The UK Young Academy is for young scientists.
| Name | Country | Year founded | Area of focus | Patron or President | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Society | England | 1660 | Hard sciences, soft sciences | Charles III[5] | The Invisible College was a precursor to the Royal Society of London. In 1660, the informal committee of 12 philosophers formed the College for the Promoting of Physico-Mathematical Experimental Learning. | |
| Royal Society of Edinburgh | Scotland | 1783 | Hard sciences, soft sciences, arts, humanities, medicine, social sciences | Professor Dame Anne Glover as President | The Royal Society was founded during the Scottish Enlightenment as the Edinburgh Society for Improving Arts and Sciences. | |
| British Academy | England | 1902 | Humanities and social sciences | Sir David Cannadine as President | The British Academy was first proposed in 1899 as the British Academy for the Promotion of Historical, Philosophical and Philological Studies. The name was subsequently shortened and incorporated in 1901, receiving royal charter from King Edward VII in 1902. | |
| Royal Academy of Engineering | England | 1976 | Engineering | Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh was Senior Fellow until his death[6] Anne, Princess Royal and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent as Royal Fellows[7] Sir James McDonald as President[8] | The Fellowship of Engineering was conceived in the late 1960s under Harold Wilson, and subsequently established in 1976. It was granted royal charter in 1983 and renamed the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1992. | |
| Academy of Medical Sciences | England | 1998 | Biomedical and health research | Professor Dame Anne Johnson as President | The academy was established by a working group chaired by Michael Atiyah. | |
| Learned Society of Wales | Wales | 2010 | Hard sciences, soft sciences, arts, humanities, medicine, social sciences | Hywel R. Thomas as President; Charles, Prince of Wales as Patron | ||
| UK Young Academy | United Kingdom & Ireland | 2022 | Young scientists | The academy was established by seven UK/Irish academies. |
In Japan, all of the national academies were established during the early years of the Showa Era. The two premier national academies in the country are the Science Council of Japan and The Japan Academy. Representing the artistic profession and literature is the Japan Art Academy.
The Science Council of Japan (SCJ) was founded by American physicist Harry C. Kelly in 1949 during the Allied occupation of Japan as a special organisation under the Prime Minister's jurisdiction, operating independently from the Government of Japan to promoting and enhancing scientific research in the country. The SCJ represents all Japanese scientists, researchers and engineers from multiple fields from the natural sciences to the humanities, making necessary policy recommendations relating to science and technology to the national government. The SCJ has 210 Council Members stipulated by a mandated quota as well as 2,000 Associate Members nationwide.
| Science Council of Japan | 日本学術会議 | 1949 | Social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, medicine, humanities | Takaaki Kajita | ||
| The Japan Academy | 日本学士院 | 1947 | Social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, medicine, humanities | Takeshi Sasaki | The Japan Academy was originally established as the Tokyo Academy, becoming the Imperial Academy later in 1907. The Academy awards three prestigious awards: The Imperial Prize, The Duke of Edinburgh Prize, and The Japan Academy Prize. | |
| Japan Art Academy | 日本芸術院 | 1937 | Fine art, literature, music, drama, dance | Man Nomura |
See main article: National academies.
Albania: Academy of Sciences of Albania
Armenia: Armenian National Academy of Sciences
Australia: Australian Academy of Science, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, Australian Academy of the Humanities, Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, National Academies Forum
Austria: Austrian Academy of Sciences
Azerbaijan: Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences
Belarus: National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Belgium: Royal Academy of French Language and Literature of Belgium, Royal Academy of Dutch Language and Literature; see also Academies of Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina: Academy of Sciences and Arts of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil: Brazilian Academy of Sciences
Bulgaria: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Canada: Royal Society of Canada, Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, Canadian Academy of Engineering
Cambodia: Royal Academy of Cambodia
Chile:
China: Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Engineering, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Costa Rica – Academia Nacional de Ciencias (Costa Rica)
Cote d'Ivoire – Académie des sciences, des arts, des cultures d'Afrique et des diasporas africaines
Croatia: Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Czech Republic: Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic
Denmark: Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters
Estonia: Estonian Academy of Sciences
Ethiopia: Imperial Academy (former)
Finland: The Finnish Academy of Science and Letters (Finnish: Suomalainen tiedeakatemia) is a Finnish-speaking academy, while The Finnish Society of Science and Letters (Swedish: Finska vetenskaps-societeten, Finnish: Suomen tiedeseura) is bilingual. In the field of engineering, the Finnish Academy of Technology (Finnish: Teknillisten tieteiden akatemia, Swedish: Akademin för Tekniska Vetenskaper) is bilingual while the Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in Finland (Swedish: Svenska tekniska vetenskapsakademien i Finland) Swedish-speaking. The Academy of Finland is not an academy in the sense of this article, but the state research funding agency.
France: The comprises five academies, including the and French Academy of Sciences.
Germany: Leopoldina
Ghana: Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences
Greece: Academy of Athens
Hungary: Hungarian Academy of Sciences (Hungarian: Magyar Tudományos Akadémia)[9]
India: The National Academy of Sciences, India; Indian National Science Academy; Indian Academy of Sciences; Indian National Academy of Engineering; Sahitya Akademi; National Bal Bhawan; Lalit Kala Akademi
Indonesia: Indonesian Academy of Sciences (Indonesian: Akademi Ilmu Pengetahuan Indonesia)
Ireland: Royal Irish Academy
Israel: Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Italy: Accademia dei Fisiocritici (National Academy of Sciences of Siena), for sciences, for Italian language, Accademia nazionale delle scienze (detta dei XL); a general and supreme national academy was the Accademia d'Italia during the Fascist period.
Latvia: Latvian Academy of Sciences
Lithuania: Lithuanian Academy of Sciences
Netherlands: Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Norway: Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Pakistan: Pakistan Academy of Letters, Pakistan Academy of Sciences
Philippines: National Academy of Science and Technology
Poland: Polish Academy of Sciences, Polish Academy of Learning
Portugal: Academia das Ciências de Lisboa
Romania: The Romanian Academy covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains.
San Marino: International Academy of Sciences San Marino
Serbia: Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts
Slovenia: Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts
South Africa: Academy of Science of South Africa
Spain: The Royal Academy is the main reference body for the Spanish language. Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando covers the artistic fields; Real Academia de la Historia is the organising body for History; the Royal Academy of Moral and Political Sciences covers the humanities; Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences covers natural sciences and mathematics; Real Academia de Jurisprudencia y Legislación covers the field of law.
Sri Lanka: National Academy of Sciences of Sri Lanka
Sudan: Sudanese National Academy of Sciences
Sweden: Swedish Academy for language, Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences
Thailand: Royal Institute of Thailand
Turkey: Turkish Academy of Sciences is funded by the government but maintains autonomy
Ukraine: National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Other state organizations also include National Academy of Arts of Ukraine, National Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine, National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine, National Academy of Legal Sciences of Ukraine, National Academy of Pedagogical Sciences of Ukraine, Minor Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.
United Kingdom: the Royal Society is recognised as the national academy for the sciences, the British Academy for the social sciences and the humanities, the Royal Academy of Engineering for engineering, and the Academy of Medical Sciences for medicine; the UK Young Academy is for young scientists.
United States: The National Academies of the United States include four organisations: the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), the National Academy of Engineering (NAE), the National Academy of Medicine (NAM), and the National Research Council (NRC). See also American Academy of Arts and Sciences, American Academy of Arts and Letters, American Academy of Diplomacy, Academy of American Poets, National Academy of Design.Within most countries, the unqualified phrase "National Academy" will normally refer to that country's academy. For example, within the United States, the plural phrase "National Academies" is widely understood to refer to the U.S. National Academies.
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