The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences ( sv, Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien) is one of the royal academies of Sweden. Founded on 2 June 1739, it is an independent, non-governmental scientific organization that takes special responsibility for promoting

natural science Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of Nature, natural Phenomenon, phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer re ...

s and

mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

and strengthening their influence in society, whilst endeavouring to promote the exchange of ideas between various disciplines. The goals of the academy are: * to be a forum where researchers meet across subject boundaries, * to offer a unique environment for research, * to provide support to younger researchers, * to reward outstanding research efforts, * to communicate internationally among scientists, * to advance the case for science within society and to influence research policy priorities * to stimulate interest in mathematics and science in school, and * to disseminate and popularize scientific information in various forms. Every year, the academy awards the

Nobel Prize The Nobel Prizes ( ; sv, Nobelpriset ; no, Nobelprisen ) are five separate prizes that, according to Alfred Nobel's will of 1895, are awarded to "those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind." Alfre ...

s in physics and chemistry, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, the Crafoord Prize, the Sjöberg Prize and several other awards. The Academy maintains close relations with foreign academies, learned societies and international scientific organizations and also promotes international scientific cooperation. The Academy of Sciences is located within the

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately 1 m ...

region's Royal National City Park.

Prizes

International prizes

s in Physics and in Chemistry * Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel * Crafoord Prizes in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...

and

, geosciences, biosciences (with an emphasis on ecology), and polyarthritis (for example rheumatoid arthritis) * Sjöberg Prize for research in cancer * Rolf Schock Prizes in logic and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, Epistemology, knowledge, Ethics, values, Philosophy of mind, mind, and Philosophy of language, language. Such quest ...

, mathematics, visual arts and musical arts * Gregori Aminoff Prize in crystallography * Tobias Prize for research to treat hematological disorders * Gold Medal for Radiation Protection

National prizes

* Göran Gustafsson Prize for research in chemistry, mathematics, molecular biology,

medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, and Health promotion ...

and physics *

Söderberg Prize Söderberg is a common Swedish surname. Variations of the name include Soderberg and Soderbergh. Geographical distribution As of 2014, 95.5% of all known bearers of the surname ''Söderberg'' were residents of Sweden (frequency 1:828) and 2.8% of ...

for research in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

or jurisprudence or medicine * Ingvar Lindqvist Prizes for teachers in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and natural sciences *

Tage Erlander Prize The Tage Erlander Prize (''Tage Erlanders pris'') is a prize awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science "for research in Natural Sciences and Technology" in four fields (Physics, Chemistry, Technology and Biology). The prize is awarded on a ro ...

"for research in natural sciences and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scie ...

" in four fields (physics, chemistry, technology and biology)

Members

The academy has elected about 1,700 Swedish and 1,200 foreign members since it was founded in 1739. Today the academy has about 470 Swedish and 175 foreign members which are divided into ten "classes", representing ten various scientific disciplines: *

Mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...

* Astronomy and space science * Physics * Chemistry * Geosciences * Biosciences * Medical sciences * Engineering sciences *

Social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

s *

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at th ...

and "for outstanding services to science"

List of Secretary Generals

The following persons have served as permanent secretaries of the academy: *

Anders Johan von Höpken Count Anders Johan von Höpken (31 March 17129 May 1789), Swedish statesman, was the son of Daniel Niklas von Höpken, one of Arvid Horn's most determined opponents and a founder of the Hat party. This cites: * * The younger Höpken was born ...

, 1739–1740, 1740–1741 * Augustin Ehrensvärd, April – June 1740 *

Jacob Faggot Jacob (; ; ar, يَعْقُوب, Yaʿqūb; gr, Ἰακώβ, Iakṓb), later given the name Israel, is regarded as a patriarch of the Israelites and is an important figure in Abrahamic religions, such as Judaism, Christianity, and Isla ...

, 1741–1744 *

Pehr Elvius Pehr is a predominantly Swedish language masculine give name and may refer to: *Pehr Adlerfelt (1680–1743), Swedish Army colonel *Pehr von Afzelius (1760–1843), Swedish medical doctor and professor *Pehr Victor Edman (1916—1977), Swedish bio ...

, 1744–1749 * Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin, 1749–1783 *

Johan Carl Wilcke Johan Carl Wilcke was a Swedish physicist. Biography Wilcke was born in Wismar, son of a clergyman who in 1739 was appointed second pastor of the German Church in Stockholm. He went to the German school in Stockholm and enrolled at the Univers ...

and

Henrik Nicander Henrik is a male given name of Germanic origin, primarily used in Scandinavia, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia. In Poland, the name is spelt Henryk but pronounced similarly. Equivalents in other languages are Henry (English), Heiki (Estonian), Heikk ...

, 1784–1796 * Daniel Melanderhjelm and Henrik Nicander, 1796–1803 * Jöns Svanberg and

Carl Gustaf Sjöstén Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...

1803–1808; Sjöstén was removed 1808 for negligence of his duties * Jöns Svanberg, 1809–1811 * Olof Swartz, 1811–1818 *

Jöns Jacob Berzelius Baron Jöns Jacob Berzelius (; by himself and his contemporaries named only Jacob Berzelius, 20 August 1779 – 7 August 1848) was a Swedish chemist. Berzelius is considered, along with Robert Boyle, John Dalton, and Antoine Lavoisier, to be on ...

, 1818–1848 * Peter Fredrik Wahlberg, 1848–1866 *

Georg Lindhagen Georg may refer to: * ''Georg'' (film), 1997 *Georg (musical), Estonian musical * Georg (given name) * Georg (surname) * , a Kriegsmarine coastal tanker See also * George (disambiguation) George may refer to: People * George (given name) * ...

, 1866–1901 * Christopher Aurivillius, 1901–1923 *

Henrik Gustaf Söderbaum Henrik Gustaf Söderbaum (12 March 1862 in Kalmar – 1933 in Djursholm) was a Swedish chemist and secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 1923 to 1933.Henning Pleijel Henning is a surname, also used as a given name, with origins in East Prussia (now part of Germany). Henning may also refer to: People with Henning as a surname * A. J. Henning (born 2002), American football player * Andrew Henning (1863–1 ...

, 1933–1943 *

Arne Westgren Arne may refer to: Places * Arne, Dorset, England, a village ** Arne RSPB reserve, a nature reserve adjacent to the village * Arné, Hautes-Pyrénées, Midi-Pyrénées, France * Arne (Boeotia), an ancient city in Boeotia, Greece * Arne (Thessa ...

, 1943–1959 * Erik Rudberg, 1959–1972 * Carl Gustaf Bernhard, 1973–1980 *

Tord Ganelius Tord Hjalmar Ganelius (born 23 May 1925 in Stockholm, dead 14 March 2016 in Stockholm) was a Swedish mathematician and professor emeritus. He served as Permanent Secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and was a board member of the Nobe ...

, 1981–1989 * Carl-Olof Jacobson, 1989–1997 *

Erling Norrby Erling is a Scandinavian male name, meaning "Heir of clanchief", i.e. prince or similar. Notable people named Erling include: Given name *Erling Aas-Eng (born 1965), Norwegian politician * Erling Aastad (1898–1963), Norwegian long jumper and spr ...

, 1997–30 June 2003 *

Gunnar Öquist Gunnar Öquist (born 1941) is a Swedish biologist and professor of plant physiology at Umeå University, and served as the permanent secretary of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences from 2003 to 2010. He graduated from Uppsala University in 196 ...

, 1 July 2003 – 30 June 2010 *

Staffan Normark Jan ''Staffan'' Normark (born 1945) is a Sweden, Swedish physician, microbiologist and infectious disease researcher. He grew up in Umeå and was awarded his Ph.D. at Umeå University in 1971. At the end of the 1970s, he was one of the first Swed ...

, 1 July 2010 – 30 June 2015 *

Göran K. Hansson Göran K. Hansson (born 1951), is a Swedish physician and scientist. Hansson was awarded his doctorate in 1980 at the University of Gothenburg. He has been a research scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle, professor of cell biolog ...

, 1 July 2015–31 December 2021 *

Hans Ellegren Hans may refer to: __NOTOC__ People * Hans (name), a masculine given name * Hans Raj Hans, Indian singer and politician ** Navraj Hans, Indian singer, actor, entrepreneur, cricket player and performer, son of Hans Raj Hans ** Yuvraj Hans, Punjabi a ...

, 1 January 2022–present

Publications

Vetenskapsakademiens handlingar 1750 front

The transactions of the Academy (''Vetenskapsakademiens handlingar'') were published as its main series between 1739 and 1974. In parallel, other major series have appeared and gone: * ''Öfversigt af Kungl. Vetenskapsakademiens förhandlingar'' (1844–1903) * ''Bihang till Vetenskapsakademiens Handlingar'' (1872–1902) * ''Vetenskapsakademiens årsbok'' (1903–1969) The academy started publishing annual reports in physics and chemistry (1826), technology (1827), botany (1831), and zoology (1832). These lasted into the 1860s, when they were replaced by the single ''Bihang'' series (meaning: supplement to the transactions). Starting in 1887, this series was once again split into four sections (''afdelning''), which in 1903 became independent

scientific journal In academic publishing, a scientific journal is a periodical publication intended to further the progress of science, usually by reporting new research. Content Articles in scientific journals are mostly written by active scientists such as s ...

s of their own, titled "Arkiv för..." (archive for...). These included: * '' Arkiv för botanik'' (1903–1974) * '' Arkiv för kemi, mineralogi och geologi'' (1903–1949) * '' Arkiv för matematik, astronomi och fysik'' (1903–1949) * ''

Arkiv för Zoologi ''Arkiv för Zoologi'' was a scientific journal on zoology, published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences between 1903 and 1974. Prior to 1903, zoology articles were published in a supplement to the Transactions of the Academy. ''Arkiv för Zo ...

'' (1903–1974) Further restructuring of their topics occurred in 1949 and 1974. Other defunct journals of the Academy include: * ''Electronic Transactions on Artificial Intelligence'' (1997–2001) ;Current publications * ''

Ambio ''Ambio: A Journal of Environment and Society'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Springer Science+Business Media on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It was established in 1972. The editor-in-chief is Bo ...

'' (1972–) * '' Acta Mathematica'' (1882–) * '' Arkiv för Matematik'' (1949– with this title; 1903–1949 also including physics and astronomy) * '' Acta Zoologica'' (1920–) * ''Levnadsteckningar över Vetenskapsakademiens ledamöter'' (1869–), biographies of deceased members * ''Porträttmatrikel'' (1971–), portraits of current members * '' Zoologica Scripta'' (1972–), jointly with the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

History

The academy was founded on 2 June 1739 by naturalist

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

, mercantilist

Jonas Alströmer Jonas Alströmer (7 January 1685 – 2 June 1761) was a pioneer of agriculture and industry in Sweden. Born Jonas Toresson (later changed to Alström) in the town of Alingsås in Västergötland, in 1707 he became a clerk for Stockholm merchant ...

, mechanical engineer

Mårten Triewald Mårten Triewald FRS (18 November 1691 – 8 August 1747), sometimes referred to as Mårten Triewald the Younger, was a Swedish merchant, engineer and amateur physicist. Mårten Triewald was the son of Mårten Triewald the Elder, a farri ...

, civil servants Sten Carl Bielke and

Carl Wilhelm Cederhielm Carl Wilhelm Cederhielm (17051769) was a ''Freiherr'' and Chamberlain (''kammarherre'') in Sweden. His father was the royal adviser (''riksråd'') Josias Cederhielm, and his mother was Anna Åkerhielm. Cederhielm is perhaps best remembered today a ...

, and statesman/author

. The purpose of the academy was to focus on practically useful knowledge, and to publish in

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

in order to widely disseminate the academy's findings. The academy was intended to be different from the Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala, which had been founded in 1719 and published in

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...

. The location close to the commercial activities in Sweden's capital (which unlike

Uppsala Uppsala (, or all ending in , ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the county seat of Uppsala County and the List of urban areas in Sweden by population, fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inha ...

did not have a university at this time) was also intentional. The academy was modeled after the Royal Society of London and Academie Royale des Sciences in Paris, France, which some of the founding members were familiar with.

References

External links

*
Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences video site
{{Authority control

Sweden Sweden, ; fi, Ruotsi; fit, Ruotti; se, Ruoŧŧa; smj, Svierik; sje, Sverji; sju, Sverje; sma, Sveerje or ; yi, שוועדן, Shvedn; rmu, Svedikko; rmf, Sveittiko. formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic cou ...

1739 establishments in Sweden Sciences, Academy Academy, Science Buildings and structures in Stockholm Science and technology in Sweden Scientific organizations established in 1739 Members of the International Council for Science Members of the International Science Council