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 natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer review and repeatabi ...

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 Prizes in

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which relat ...

and

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, ...

, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, the

Crafoord Prize The Crafoord Prize is an annual science prize established in 1980 by Holger Crafoord, a Swedish industrialist, and his wife Anna-Greta Crafoord. The Prize is awarded in partnership between the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Crafoord Fo ...

, 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 and largest city of Sweden as well as the largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people live in the municipality, with 1.6 million in the urban area, and 2.4 million in the metrop ...

region's Royal National City Park.

Prizes

International prizes

* Nobel Prizes in

Physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which relat ...

and in

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the elements that make up matter to the compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, ...

* Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel *

s in

astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, galaxies ...

and

geoscience Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four sphere ...

s, biosciences (with an emphasis on

ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overlaps ...

), and

polyarthritis Polyarthritis is any type of arthritis that involves 5 or more joints simultaneously. It is usually associated with autoimmune conditions and may be experienced at any age and is not sex specific. Causes Polyarthritis is most often caused by an a ...

(for example rheumatoid arthritis) * Sjöberg Prize for research in cancer *

Rolf Schock Prizes The Rolf Schock Prizes were established and endowed by bequest of philosopher and artist Rolf Schock (1933–1986). The prizes were first awarded in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1993 and, since 2005, are awarded every three years. Each recipient current ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the science of deductively valid inferences or of logical truths. It is a formal science investigating how conclusions follow from prem ...

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 The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and t ...

and musical arts *

Gregori Aminoff Prize The Gregori Aminoff Prize is an international prize awarded since 1979 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in the field of crystallography, rewarding "a documented, individual contribution in the field of crystallography, including areas conce ...

crystallography Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. Crystallography is a fundamental subject in the fields of materials science and solid-state physics ( condensed matter physics). The w ...

* Tobias Prize for research to treat

hematological disorders Hematologic diseases are disorders which primarily affect the blood & blood-forming organs. Hematologic diseases include rare genetic disorders, anemia, HIV, sickle cell disease & complications from chemotherapy or transfusions. Myeloid * Hemog ...

* Gold Medal for Radiation Protection

National prizes

* Göran Gustafsson Prize for research in chemistry, mathematics,

molecular biology Molecular biology is the branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecular basis of biological activity in and between cells, including biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactions. The study of chemical and physica ...

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practic ...

and physics * Söderberg Prize 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 analyzes ...

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning ...

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

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

* Tage Erlander Prize "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, science, ...

" 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 *

Geosciences Earth science or geoscience includes all fields of natural science related to the planet Earth. This is a branch of science dealing with the physical, chemical, and biological complex constitutions and synergistic linkages of Earth's four sphere ...

* Biosciences *

Medical sciences Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care practi ...

* 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 the ti ...

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, 1739–1740, 1740–1741 *

Augustin Ehrensvärd Field Marshal count Augustin Ehrensvärd (25 September 1710 – 4 October 1772) was a Swedish military officer, military architect, artist, creator of the Suomenlinna (Sveaborg) fortress, Svartholm fortress and the Swedish archipelago fleet. He ...

, April – June 1740 * Jacob Faggot, 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 ...

, 1744–1749 *

Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin Pehr Wilhelm Wargentin ( Sunne parish, Jämtlands län 11 September 1717 ( OS) – Stockholm 13 December 1783), Swedish astronomer and demographer. Wargentin was the son of the vicar of Sunne Wilhelm Wargentin (1670–1735) and his spouse ...

, 1749–1783 * Johan Carl Wilcke and Henrik Nicander, 1784–1796 * Daniel Melanderhjelm and Henrik Nicander, 1796–1803 * Jöns Svanberg and Carl Gustaf Sjöstén 1803–1808; Sjöstén was removed 1808 for negligence of his duties * Jöns Svanberg, 1809–1811 *

Olof Swartz Olof Peter Swartz (21 September 1760 – 19 September 1818) was a Swedish botanist and taxonomist. He is best known for his taxonomic work and studies into pteridophytes. Biography Olof Swartz attended the University of Uppsala where he ...

, 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 ...

, 1818–1848 * Peter Fredrik Wahlberg, 1848–1866 * Georg Lindhagen, 1866–1901 * Christopher Aurivillius, 1901–1923 * Henrik Gustaf Söderbaum, 1923–1933 * Henning Pleijel, 1933–1943 * Arne Westgren, 1943–1959 * Erik Rudberg, 1959–1972 * Carl Gustaf Bernhard, 1973–1980 * Tord Ganelius, 1981–1989 * Carl-Olof Jacobson, 1989–1997 * Erling Norrby, 1997–30 June 2003 * Gunnar Öquist, 1 July 2003 – 30 June 2010 * Staffan Normark, 1 July 2010 – 30 June 2015 * Göran K. Hansson, 1 July 2015–31 December 2021 * Hans Ellegren, 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 a ...

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'' (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'' (1972–) * ''

Acta Mathematica ''Acta Mathematica'' is a peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal covering research in all fields of mathematics. According to Cédric Villani, this journal is "considered by many to be the most prestigious of all mathematical research jo ...

'' (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, mercantilist Jonas Alströmer, mechanical engineer Mårten Triewald, civil servants

Sten Carl Bielke Baron Sten Carl Bielke, born 14 March 1709 in Stockholm, Sweden; died 13 July 1753, was a Swedish ''Friherre'', official, scientist and member of the House of Nobility of the Swedish Diet. His father was the ''Landshövding'' Baron Ture Stensson B ...

and Carl Wilhelm Cederhielm, and statesman/author Anders Johan von Höpken. 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. 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 fourth-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö. It had 177,074 inhabitants in 2019. Located north of the cap ...

did not have a university at this time) was also intentional. The academy was modeled after the

Royal Society of London The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, ...

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 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