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 four research institutes. Committees, such as the Environmental Committee and the Energy Committee work with issues requiring a broad scientific competence.

The Presiding Committee

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 the Presiding Committee.

Members of the Presiding committee are at present:
President Barbara Cannon
1:st Vice President Stefan Claesson
2:nd Vice President Britt-Marie Sjöberg
3:rd Vice President Per Olof Hulth
Permanent Secretary Staffan Normark

The Academy Board

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

Contact details, the Academy Board

The secretariat

The 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.

Contact details, the secretariat