The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences () 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 or empirical 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 ...

s and

mathematics Mathematics is a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

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 ( ; ; ) are awards administered by the Nobel Foundation and granted in accordance with the principle of "for the greatest benefit to humankind". The prizes were first awarded in 1901, marking the fifth anniversary of Alfred N ...

s in

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, 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 whi ...

and

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

, the

Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel The Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, officially the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel (), commonly referred to as the Nobel Prize in Economics(), is an award in the field of economic sciences adminis ...

, 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 following a donation to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It is awarded jointly by the Acade ...

, 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 ...

region's

Royal National City Park The Royal National City Park () is a national urban park, established by the Swedish Parliament in 1995, and located in the municipalities of Stockholm, Solna and Lidingö in Sweden. 1/ km²2/ Population per km² Gallery Some places in th ...

Prizes

International prizes

s in

Physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, 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 whi ...

and in

Chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

s in

astronomy Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest includ ...

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 spheres ...

bioscience ''BioScience'' is a monthly peer-reviewed scientific journal that is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Institute of Biological Sciences. It was established in 1964 and was preceded by the ''AIBS Bulletin'' (1951–1 ...

s (with an emphasis on

ecology Ecology () is the natural science of the relationships among living organisms and their Natural environment, environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community (ecology), community, ecosystem, and biosphere lev ...

), and

polyarthritis Polyarthritis is any type of arthritis that involves 5 or more joints simultaneously. It can be associated with autoimmune conditions; it may be experienced at any age and is not sex specific. Causes Polyarthritis is often caused by an auto-immun ...

(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. It is sometimes consider ...

logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

and

philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...

, mathematics,

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

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 concer ...

crystallography Crystallography is the branch of science devoted to the study of molecular and crystalline structure and properties. The word ''crystallography'' is derived from the Ancient Greek word (; "clear ice, rock-crystal"), and (; "to write"). In J ...

* Tobias Prize for research to treat

hematological disorders Hematologic diseases are disorders which primarily affect the blood and Blood formation, blood-forming organs. Hematologic diseases include rare genetic disorders, anemia, HIV, sickle cell disease and complications from chemotherapy or transfusio ...

* Gold Medal for Radiation Protection

National prizes

* Göran Gustafsson Prize for research in chemistry, mathematics,

molecular biology Molecular biology is a branch of biology that seeks to understand the molecule, molecular basis of biological activity in and between Cell (biology), cells, including biomolecule, biomolecular synthesis, modification, mechanisms, and interactio ...

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

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% o ...

for research in

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

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

natural sciences Natural science or empirical 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 ...

* Tage Erlander Prize "for research in natural sciences and

technology Technology is the application of Conceptual model, conceptual knowledge to achieve practical goals, especially in a reproducible way. The word ''technology'' can also mean the products resulting from such efforts, including both tangible too ...

" 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 a field of study that discovers and organizes methods, Mathematical theory, theories and theorems that are developed and Mathematical proof, proved for the needs of empirical sciences and mathematics itself. There are many ar ...

* 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 spheres ...

Biosciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, t ...

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

Engineering science Engineering physics (EP), sometimes engineering science, is the field of study combining pure science disciplines (such as physics, mathematics, chemistry or biology) and engineering disciplines (computer, nuclear, electrical, aerospace, medica ...

s *

Social science Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...

s *

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture, including Philosophy, certain fundamental questions asked by humans. During the Renaissance, the term "humanities" referred to the study of classical literature a ...

and "for outstanding services to science"

List of secretaries general

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 Jacob Faggot (13 March 1699 – 28 February 1777)Scobbie, Irene (2010). ''The A to Z of Sweden.'' Rowman & Littlefield, was a Swedish scientist, civil servant, and surveyor. Life and career Faggot was educated at Uppsala University and later ...

, 1741–1744 * Pehr Elvius, 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 C ...

, 1749–1783 *

Johan Carl Wilcke Johan Carl Wilcke (6 September 1732 – 18 April 1796) 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 S ...

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

Jöns Svanberg Jöns Svanberg (1771–1851) was a Swedish clergyman and natural scientist. Life He was born on 6 July 1771 in Ytterbyn, Sweden and died on 15 January 1851 in Uppsala, Sweden. Career He entered Uppsala University at the age of 16. He r ...

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 tel ...

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, but also studied orchids, mosses and lichens. Biography Olof Swartz a ...

, 1811–1818 *

Jöns Jacob Berzelius Baron Jöns 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 one of the founders of modern chemistry. Berzelius became a memb ...

, 1818–1848 *

Peter Fredrik Wahlberg Peter Fredrik Wahlberg (19 June 1800, in Gothenburg – 22 May 1877, in Stockholm) was a Swedish entomologist and professor at the University College of Stockholm. Wahlberg was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences The Royal Sw ...

, 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 Erling () is a Scandinavian male name, meaning "heir of clanchief" or "descendant of the jarl / earl", i.e. prince or similar. Notable people named Erling include: Given name * Erling Aas-Eng (born 1965), Norwegian politician * Erling Aastad (1898 ...

, 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 19 ...

, 1 July 2003 – 30 June 2010 *

Staffan Normark Jan ''Staffan'' Normark (born 1945) is a 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 Swedish s ...

, 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 designed to further the progress of science by disseminating new research findings to the scientific community. These journals serve as a platform for researchers, schola ...

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 S� ...

'' (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 journ ...

'' (1882–) * ''

Arkiv för Matematik The '' Arkiv för Matematik'' is a biannual peer-reviewed open-access scientific journal covering mathematics. The journal was established in 1949 when '' Arkiv för matematik, astronomi och fysik'' was split into separate journals, and is current ...

'' (1949– with this title; 1903–1949 also including physics and astronomy) * ''

Acta Zoologica ''Acta Zoologica'' is a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters. It is one of the world's leading zoological journals an ...

'' (1920–) * ''Levnadsteckningar över Vetenskapsakademiens ledamöter'' (1869–), biographies of deceased members * ''Porträttmatrikel'' (1971–), portraits of current members * ''

Zoologica Scripta ''Zoologica Scripta'' is a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal on systematic zoology, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. It was established in 197 ...

'' (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 ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, 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 Fellow of the Royal Society, 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 Tr ...

, civil servants Sten Carl Bielke and

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

, and statesman/author Anders Johan von Höpken. The purpose of the academy was to focus on practically useful knowledge, and to publish in Swedish in order to widely disseminate the academy's findings. The academy was intended to be different from the

Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala The Royal Society of Sciences in Uppsala (), is the oldest of the royal academies in Sweden, having been founded in 1710. The society has, by royal decree of 1906, 50 Swedish fellows and 100 foreign. Early members included Emanuel Swedenborg an ...

, which had been founded in 1719 and published in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

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

Uppsala Uppsala ( ; ; archaically spelled ''Upsala'') is the capital 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 inhabitants in 2019. Loc ...

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, r ...

and

Academie Royale des Sciences The French Academy of Sciences (, ) is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at the forefront of scientific de ...

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, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

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 18th-century establishments in Stockholm

Prizes

International prizes

National prizes

Members

List of secretaries general

Publications

History

See also

References

External links