The Academy in brief

Objectives

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences is an independent organisation whose overall objective is to promote the sciences and strengthen their influence in society. The Academy seeks chiefly:

• to be a forum where researchers can meet across subject borders
• to offer unique research environments
• to support young researchers
• to reward prominent contributions to research
• to arrange international scientific contacts
• to act as a voice of science and influence research policy priorities
• to stimulate interest in mathematics and the natural sciences in schools
• to disseminate scientific and popular-scientific information in various forms.

Every year the Academy awards the Nobel Prizes in Physics and Chemistry, the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel, the Crafoord Prize and a number of other large prizes.

Organization

Academy work is very much based upon the Academy's ten classes (see the menu Members), each representing a scientific subject field, and at its six research institutes. Committees, such as the Environmental Committee and the Energy Committee work with issues requiring a broad scientific competence.

The Presidium

 The head of the Academy is the President, assisted by three vice-presidents – all elected to these honorary positions for a certain period. Together with the Permanent Secretary, who is a full-time employee, they form a presidium.

The presiding officers are at present:
President Svante Lindqvist
1:st Vice President Stefan Claesson
2:nd Vice President Christina Moberg
3:rd Vice President Ulf Pettersson
Permanent Secretary Staffan Normark

The Council

 The governing body is the Academy Council which consists of the Presidium and 10 members, representatives of the classes. The Council is responsible for planning activities and for efficient use of available resources.

Members of the Council are at present:
Svante Lindqvist, President
Stefan Claesson, 1:st Vice President
Christina Moberg, 2:nd Vice President
Ulf Pettersson, 3:rd Vice President
Staffan Normark, Permanent Secretary
Bo Berndtsson , Class for mathematics
Arne Ardeberg, Class for astronomy and space science
Elisabeth Rachlew, Class for physics
Sven Lidin,Class for chemistry
Georgia Destouni, Class for geosciences
Brittt-Marie Sjöberg, Class for biosciences
Lena Claesson-Welsh, Class for medical sciences
Harry Frank, Class for engineering sciences
Lars Engwall, Class for social sciences
Görel Cavalli-Björkman, Class for humanities and for outstanding services to science

Secretariat

A secretariat assists the Academy in its day-to-day work and administers its many activities. It is headed by the Permanent Secretary and is situated in Frescati, close to the Museum of Natural History and the Stockholm University.