The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (, KNAW) is an

organization An organization or organisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences) is an legal entity, entity—such as ...

dedicated to the advancement of

science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...

and

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

in the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The academy is housed in the

Trippenhuis The Trippenhuis is a neoclassical canal mansion in the centre of Amsterdam. It was built in 1660–1662 for the wealthy Amsterdam weapons traders Louis and Hendrick Trip. Many references to weaponry can be seen on its facade. Since 1887 it has be ...

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...

. In addition to various advisory and administrative functions it operates a number of research institutes and awards many prizes, including the

Lorentz Medal Lorentz Medal is a distinction awarded every four years by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. It was established in 1925 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the doctorate of Hendrik Lorentz. The medal is given for imp ...

in theoretical physics, the Dr Hendrik Muller Prize for Behavioural and Social Science and the Heineken Prizes.

Main functions

The academy advises the Dutch government on scientific matters. While its advice often pertains to genuine scientific concerns, it also counsels the government on such topics as policy on careers for researchers or the Netherlands' contribution to major international projects. The academy offers solicited and unsolicited advice to parliament, ministries, universities and research institutes, funding agencies and international organizations. * Advising the government on matters related to scientific research * Providing a forum for the scientific world and promoting international scientific cooperation * Acting as an umbrella organization for the institutes primarily engaged in basic and strategic scientific research and disseminating information

Members and organization

The members are appointed for life by co-optation. Nominations for candidate membership by persons or organizations outside the academy are accepted. The acceptance criterion is delivered scientific achievements. Academy membership is therefore regarded as a great honor, and prestigious. Besides regular members, there are foreign members and corresponding members. Since a new membership system was introduced in 2011 there will be no new corresponding members. Each year a maximum of sixteen members are appointed to the academy. The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences has long embraced the entire field of learning. The Royal Academy comprises two departments, consisting of around 500 members: * Science (mathematics, physics,

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 ...

, life sciences, and engineering sciences) * Humanities and Social Sciences (humanities, law, behavioural sciences and social sciences) Both departments have their own board. The departments, in turn, are divided into sections. The highest organ in the academy is the general meeting of members, the united meeting of both departments. The president was Frits van Oostrom until 1 May 2008, after which he was succeeded by Robbert Dijkgraaf. Both van Oostrom in his leaving address and Dijkgraaf in his inaugural address have voiced their worries about the low level of funding in science in the Netherlands compared to almost all other western countries. A list of presidents of the academy is as follows: * 1973–1978 Hendrik Casimir * 1978–1981 Samuel Dresden * 1981–1984 André Donner * 1984–1990 David de Wied * 1990–1996 Pieter Drenth * 1996–1999 Pieter Zandbergen * 1999–2002 Robert S. Reneman * 2002–2005 Willem Levelt * 2005–2008 Frits van Oostrom * 2008–2012 Robbert Dijkgraaf * 2012–2015 Hans Clevers * 2015–2018 José van Dijck * 2018–2020 Wim van Saarloos * 2020–2022 Ineke Sluiter * 2022–present Marileen Dogterom

History

During the Kingdom of Holland, it was founded as the ''Koninklijk Instituut van Wetenschappen, Letterkunde en Schoone Kunsten'' (Royal Institute of Sciences, Literature and Fine Arts) by Lodewijk Napoleon on May 4, 1808. In 1816, after the occupation had ended, it was renamed to ''Koninklijk-Nederlandsch Instituut van Wetenschappen, Letteren en Schoone Kunsten''. In 1851, it was disbanded and re-established as the ''Koninklijke Akademie van Wetenschappen'' and in 1938 obtained its present name. Since 1812, the academy has resided in the ''Trippenhuis'' in Amsterdam. The institute was awarded the Gouden Ganzenveer in 1955.

Research institutes

The following

research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing research. Research institutes may specialize in basic research or may be oriented to applied research. Although the term often implies natural ...

s are associated with the KNAW: * Data Archiving and Networked Services (since 2005) * Fryske Akademy (since 1990, founded in 1938) * (''research institute for developmental biology and stem cells in the Netherlands'') (since 1917) * Huygens Institute for the History of the Netherlands (since 1992) *

International Institute of Social History International is an adjective (also used as a noun) meaning "between nations". International may also refer to: Music Albums * ''International'' (Kevin Michael album), 2011 * ''International'' (New Order album), 2002 * ''International'' (The T ...

(since 1979, founded in 1935) * Royal Netherlands Institute of Southeast Asian and Caribbean Studies (since 2001, founded in 1851) * Meertens Instituut (since 1952) * Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) (established in 2005 as a merger of the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research (NIH, established in 1909) and the Netherlands Ophthalmic Research Institute (IOI, established in 1988)) * Netherlands Institute of Ecology (Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie) (NIOO-KNAW) (since 1992) * NIOD Institute for War, Holocaust and Genocide Studies (since 1999, founded in 1945) * Nederlands Instituut voor Wetenschappelijke Informatiediensten (1997–2005) * Nederlands Interdisciplinair Demografisch Instituut (since 2003) * Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities and Social Sciences (since 1988) * Rathenau Instituut (since 1994, previously NOTA (1987-1994)) * Westerdijk Fungal Biodiversity Institute (since 1904)

Young Academy

De Jonge Akademie (The Young Academy) is a society of younger science researchers, founded in 2005 as part of the KNAW. Ten members are elected each year for a term of five years; members are scientists between 25 and 45 years old and are selected for a record of excellence in their research. It was modelled after the similar German Junge Akademie and both of these academies in turn were used as models for the Global Young Academy..

Society of Arts

The Society of Arts (Akademie van Kunsten) is a society of prominent artists from various disciplines, including architecture, visual arts, dance, film, photography, literature, music and performing arts. Its aim is to be the place "for debate about the value of art in society and about the relationship between art and science".The Society of Arts was established by the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2014. Both are seated in the 17th century Trippenhuis in Amsterdam. At the start the Society of Arts had 19 members. Each year the number of members increases with 6 new members who are offered a membership for life. In 2022 the Society of Arts has 76 members. Members of the Society of Arts are elected by nomination. Anyone can nominate leading artists from all disciplines who have distinguished themselves on the basis of demonstrable artistic achievements.

References

External links

*
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
official website
Young Academy (De Jonge Akademie)
official website
Society of Arts (Akademie van Kunsten)
official website
Netherlands Institute of Ecology (Nederlands Instituut voor Ecologie) (NIOO-KNAW)
official website {{Authority control 1808 establishments in the Netherlands Learned societies of the Netherlands

Organisations based in Amsterdam Academy of Arts and Sciences Scientific organisations based in the Netherlands Scientific organizations established in 1808 Members of the International Council for Science Members of the International Science Council Louis Bonaparte