The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus
Founded in October 1928 and officially inaugurated on January 1, 1929 under the name of the Belarusian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the guiding research center of Belarus, which unites the highly-skilled scientists of different specialties and dozens of research, scientific-production, design and inculcation organizations. The staff of the Academy of Sciences includes more than 17,470 researchers, technicians and supporting personnel. There are more than 6,100 researchers, about some 510 Doctors of Sciences and some 1,870 Candidates of Sciences (equivalent to Ph.D.) among them.
At first there were only 128 specialists working at the Academy, with 87 researchers among them. But from the very outset the Academy has became the leading scientific center influencing the economic, engineering, social and cultural development of the Republic of Belarus. In early 1941 the number of the Academy personnel increased up to 750. There were 12 research bodies, including 9 scientific institutes, in its organizational structure.
The normal research and development activities of the Academy were interrupted by the World War II. After Minsk liberation in July 1944, by the beginning of 1945 eight Academy's institutes renewed their activities, and in 1951 twenty nine research institutions were restored or created anew. A number of researchers, technicians and supporting personnel increased to 1234, among them there were 33 Academicians, 27 Corresponding Members, 55 Professors and Doctors of Sciences, and 165 Candidates of Sciences working in the Academy. The structure of further research activities was developed under the influence of changes in the structure of national economy of Belarus, the requirements of science development, national traditions and the existing scientific potential. The development of the Academy and training the researchers for its institutes was supported by the governments of Belarus and USSR, and also by the famous scientific centers of Moscow, Leningrad and other cities of the former Soviet Union.
At present NAS of Belarus has in its organizational structure 7 Departments: the Department of Agrarian Sciences, the Department of Biological Sciences, the Department of Humanitarian Sciences and Arts, the Department of Medical Sciences, the Department of Physics, Mathematics and Informatics, the Department of Physical-Engineering Sciences, the Department of Chemistry and Earth Sciences. They comprise 8 research and practical centers, 50 scientific institutes and centers and 2 state scientific-production associations.
The NAS of Belarus has the following main objectives within the frameworks of the state priorities and research activities. They include development and introduction of resource and energy-saving and energy efficient technologies to manufacture competitive products, new materials and new energy sources, development of medicine and pharmacy, information and telecommunication technologies, technologies to produce, process and store agricultural products, research activities in the field of industrial biotechnologies, ecology and environmental management.
Address: Minsk, Belarus, 66 Nezavisimosti Ave.
Phone: +375 17 284 18 01,
Fax: +375 17 284 28 16.
E-mail: nasb@presidium.bas-net.by
Web: http://nasb.gov.by
