Portrait

The «Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences»

The association of the «Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences» includes the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT), the Swiss Academy of Humanities and Social Sciences (SAHS), the Swiss Academy of Medical Sciences (SAMS), and the Swiss Academy of Engineering Sciences (SATW)as well as the two Centres for Excellence TA-SWISS and Science et Cité. Their collaboration is focused on early detection, ethic and the dialogue between science and society.
With regard to the international competition, science and education are the most important resources of Switzerland. The necessary investments to the science system depend on the confidence people have towards scientific achievements and their benefits for the society. Scientific knowledge shall and must be for the common good of everybody; however, always with the critical analysis of society and politics and also with their agreement. It is the aim of the Swiss Scientific Academies to succeed in getting an equal dialogue between science and society and to advise politics and society in scientifically based, society-relevant questions.
The academies stand for open and pluralistic understanding of science. Thus, they represent sciences comprehensively, inter-institutional as well as inter-departmental.
Established in the scientific community, they have access to expertise and excellence and therefore can contribute special knowledge to important political questions. Within a long-term perspective, they mutually commit to transdisciplinary questions within the following fields:

• They offer foresight to society-relevant subjects in the fields of education, research and technology.
• They commit to the perception of ethical-based responsibility in gaining and applying scientific knowledge.
• They build bridges between science, politics and society.

History and mission

History and Mission of the Swiss Academies of Arts and Sciences (pdf, 264 KB)

Mehrjahresplanung 2012–2016

Mehrjahresplanung 2012–2016 der vier Schweizerischen Akademien der Wissenschaften, dem Zentrum für Technologiefolgenabschätzung sowie Science et Cité