The Kungliga Vetenskapsakademien, or Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, is a non-governmental organization that promotes scientific disciplines, particularly natural sciences and mathematics. It’s also a place where researchers can get help and gain access to exclusive research environments that they wouldn’t have otherwise.
Under the direction of King Frederick I, a group of scientists, including naturalist Carl Linnaeus and mechanical engineer Mrten Triewald, founded the Academy in 1739. Similar royal societies in London and Paris served as inspiration.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences operates two museums: the Observatory Museum, which houses a collection of 18th-century scientific instruments, and the Berzelius Museum, which houses personal items from renowned Swedish chemist Jöns Jakob Berzelius’ personal collection. It also runs a number of research institutes, including the Abisko Scientific Research Station and the Kristineberg Marine Research Station, which conduct geological and meteorological studies in the Arctic. The Academy also oversees a number of independent research institutes, including Stockholm University’s Institute for Solar Physics.
Alfred Nobel, a Swedish scientist and the inventor of dynamite, founded the Nobel Foundation, which is administered by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The Nobel Prizes in physics and chemistry, as well as the award for Economic Sciences, are presented by the Academy each year. It also chairs the Nobel Prize selection committee in a number of areas. The Crawford Prize for research in astronomy and other sciences, as well as the Rolf Schock Prizes for achievements in philosophy and the visual arts, are among the prizes and scholarships awarded by the organization.
Ambio, also known as “the Journal of the Human Environment,” is one of the scientific journals published by the Academy. The journals are distributed to more than 100 countries worldwide and are also available online in both English and Chinese.