The Slovak Academy of Sciences ( sk, Slovenská akadémia vied, or SAV) is the main scientific and

research institution A research institute, research centre, research center 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 i ...

Slovakia Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

fostering basic and strategic basic

research Research is "creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

. It was founded in 1942, closed after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, and then reestablished in 1953. Its primary mission is to acquire new knowledge of

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. Although humans are ...

society A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Soc ...

and

technology Technology is the application of knowledge to reach practical goals in a specifiable and reproducible way. The word ''technology'' may also mean the product of such an endeavor. The use of technology is widely prevalent in medicine, scien ...

, specifically targeted at ensuring scientific basis for the advancement in Slovakia. It comprises 58 scientific institutes and 13 ancillary institutions. The SAV edits 44 scientific and scholarly journals and 100–120

monograph A monograph is a specialist work of writing (in contrast to reference works) or exhibition on a single subject or an aspect of a subject, often by a single author or artist, and usually on a scholarly subject. In library cataloging, ''monogra ...

s per annum. Moreover, 41 scientific and scholarly societies, which associate

scientist A scientist is a person who conducts scientific research to advance knowledge in an area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engaged in the philosop ...

s and

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

s from various disciplines, are affiliated with SAV.

History

The commencement of modern science in the 16th and 17th centuries resulted in the establishment of new institutions that supplemented classical

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United State ...

and created a broader forum for fostering

science communication Science communication is the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments. Science communicators and audiences are ambiguously def ...

. These institutions, which were built on the ancient Platonic traditions, became the starting point of our present day academies of sciences.

Matej Bel Matthias Bel or Matthias Bél (german: link=no, Matthias Bel; hu, Bél Mátyás; sk, Matej Bel; la, Matthias Belius; 22–24 March(?), 1684 – 29 August 1749) was a Lutheran pastor and polymath from the Kingdom of Hungary. Bel was active in ...

’s project, submitted in 1735, marked the first attempt to establish such an institution on the territory of modern Slovakia. He suggested the founding of a Societas litteraria in

Bratislava Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

. His project, however, never materialized. In 1792, upon a proposal issued by a group of patriotic philologists, (The Slovak Learned Society) was founded. In 1844, under the impetus of Ludovit Stur, the nationwide cultural association, Tatrin, was instituted. A few years later, in 1892, Andrej Kmet published in Narodne noviny (National News) his appeal to establish (Slovak Scientific Association), or (Slovak Academy of Sciences). This idea led to the formation of (Slovak Association of Museums). On 2 July 1942, the Parliament of the

Slovak Republic Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the ...

instituted (Slovak Academy of Sciences and Arts), which developed into a representative and, concomitantly, working institution fostering scientific scholarly research. During the post-World War II period the SAVU was transformed into (Slovak Academy of Sciences; hereinafter the Academy or the SAS as an abbreviation). Its establishment was legally grounded in an act passed by the

Slovak National Council The Slovak National Council ( sk, Slovenská národná rada (SNR)) was an organisation that was formed at various times in the 19th and 20th centuries to act as the highest representative of the Slovak nation. It originated in the mid-19th century ...

on 18 June 1953. The arrangement of its operation was regulated further by appurtenant legislation. On 17 November 1989, significant changes at the Academy were introduced. Since then, far–reaching transformations enabled the Academy to become similar to counterpart organisations of science and research in advanced countries abroad.

Present

Nowadays, the Slovak Academy of Sciences successfully presents itself nationally and worldwide through the results in basic and applied research. It consists of 69 organisations, of which 48 are budgetary and 21 are subsidised. The Academy publishes 57 scientific and professional journals and 8 yearbooks. There are 51 scientific and scholarly associations, societies and unions affiliated with the SAS, which operate in accordance with the Law on Civic Associations. The Assembly, the Scientific

Council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/ shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or nati ...

, and the

Presidium A presidium or praesidium is a council of executive officers in some political assemblies that collectively administers its business, either alongside an individual president or in place of one. Communist states In Communist states the presid ...

are the Academy’s self-governing bodies. The Assembly is the supreme self-governing Academy’s body. Its members are elected by the

academic staff Academic personnel, also known as faculty member or member of the faculty (in North American usage) or academics or academic staff (in British, Australia, and New Zealand usage), are vague terms that describe teachers or research staff of a school ...

of the respective scientific organisations from the academic staff of the SAS. The Scientific Council is a self-governing body of the Academy that deliberates upon scientific and conceptional tasks. It is composed of the President of the Academy and other members of the Academy’s Presidium, representatives delegated from the

higher education Higher education is tertiary education leading to award of an academic degree. Higher education, also called post-secondary education, third-level or tertiary education, is an optional final stage of formal learning that occurs after compl ...

sector, and a representative from the sector of business enterprising engaged in scientific research and development. Membership of the Scientific Council also includes representatives from organisations and institutions engaged in scientific research and development outside the Academy, appointed by the Chair of the Academy’s Assembly on the basis of elections of the members in the Scientific Council held by the Assembly. The Presidium is an executive self-governing body of the Academy. The Presidium is composed of the President, vice-presidents, Scientific Secretary, and other members of the Presidium, appointed by the Chair of the Academy’s Assembly on the basis of the electoral returns for the Academy’s Presidium. The Academy is presided by the President, who is appointed and recalled by the

President of the Slovak Republic The president of the Slovak Republic ( sk, Prezident Slovenskej republiky) is the head of state of Slovakia and the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The president is directly elected by the people for five years, and can be elected for ...

. The Presidium of the Academy coordinates and supervises the activities of the Academy and the performance of its organisations via the sections for the respective groups of science branches.

External links

Slovak Academy of Sciences official site
{{Authority control Slovak Academy of Sciences Members of the International Council for Science Members of the International Science Council

History

Present

See also

External links