The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium (RASAB)

1816

“The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium” association (RASAB) was founded by the “Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique”, the French speaking academy of Belgium, and the “Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten”, the Dutch speaking academy of Belgium.

The Royal Academies’ mission is to promote sciences and arts in Belgium. To realize this demand, the Academies organize scientific and cultural activities, they attempt to create cooperation between universities of Belgium, they ensure the Belgian representation in international organizations, they are pushing scientists to make recommendations to government, industry, research and education institutions and offer prizes to artists and researchers. For all these initiatives, the academies can rely on their members, representatives of the scientific, industrial and cultural community.

RASAB is responsible for coordinating the national and international activities of the Academies, such as the National Scientific Committees and the representation of Belgium in international scientific organizations such as IAP, ALLEA, ICSU and EASAC.

Mention must be made of the following joint initiatives of the Academies: the Royal Commission on History, the Royal Commission on Dialectology and Toponymy and the Royal Belgian Academy Council of Applied Sciences (BACAS).

The Academies publish a National Biography - each in its own language - and are members of the “Union Académique internationale” (UAI), which has its administrative seat at the “Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique” since 1919. RASAB also hosts and manages the Brussels Office of the European Academies Science Advisory Council (EASAC).