History of NAS of Ukraine

On November 27, 1918 the constituent General Meeting of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences elected the first President of the Academy – V.I. Vernadsky, an internationally recognized scholar, outstanding scientist – geologist and geochemist.

On November 14, 1918 Hetman Pavlo Skoropadskyi signed the law of the Ukrainian State “On Founding the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv”. On the same day, the Hetman appointed the first 12 full members of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences – D.I. Bagaliy, A.Yu. Krymsky, M.I. Petrov, S.Yo. Smal-Stotsky, V.I. Vernadsky, S.P. Tymoshenko, M.F. Kashchenko, P.A. Tutkovsky, M.I. Tugan-Baranovsky, F.V. Taranovsky, V.A. Kosynsky and O.I. Levytsky. As the constituent meeting of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences of November 27, 1918 was held in military environment, it was a small meeting chaired by the eldest member O.I. Levytsky; naturalist, geologist and geochemist V.I. Vernadsky was elected the Chairman-President, and the Orientalist scholar, expert in Arab studies and Turkologist A.Yu. Krymsky was elected the Permanent Secretary. Both intellectuals were scholars of European and global scale.

M.P. Vasylenko, O.I. Levytsky, V.I. Lipsky, D.K. Zabolotny, O.O. Bogomolets, O.V. Palladin, B.E. Paton were elected the presidents of the Academy over the course of many years of its history. Since 2020, A.G. Zagorodny leads the Academy.

The name of the Academy changed four times. In 1918–1921 it was the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences; from 1921 to 1936 – All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, in 1936–1991 – Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, from 1991 to 1993 – Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and since 1994 – National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine.

The Academy is a universally recognized symbol of knowledge, education, and science. Its origins date back to ancient times. In 387 B.C., Plato, a great Greek philosopher, founded the famous “gymnasium” in the suburbs of Athens, in the grove of Academus, a legendary Attic hero. Hence the most prestigious scientific schools have the name of “academy”. Plato’s Academy existed for almost a thousand years, building up its fame. Young talents from Europe, Asia, and Africa joined it, wishing to master the art of wisdom. In 529, Emperor Justinian closed Plato’s Academy as a center of free thought. Since then, theological scholasticism dominated Europe for at least seven centuries. However, during the Renaissance, when advanced circles gave priority to rationalism, realism, and scientific research, the idea of the academy resurrected and triumphantly expanded all over the world. Emperors, tsars, kings, other rulers either founded academies themselves, or became their patrons, and often headed them. Quite often, scholars themselves united and organized academies. The presence or absence of the academy of sciences was a criterion for the prestige of states and nations.

The process of formation of new academies of sciences continues, although there are already about 300 academies of sciences and a large number of research organizations of an academic model in the world, which specialize exclusively in the creation of new knowledge and the development of new technologies based on it. The academies are the intellectual drivers of progress.

The idea of creating the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences arose in the community of Trans-Dnieper intellectuals – community members. M.S. Hrushevsky, Academician of All-Ukrainian Academy of Sciences, called it the Kyiv academic circle. The initiators of the project were a number of community members and persons close to them, such as writer O.Ya. Konysky, historian V.B. Antonovych, composer M.V. Lysenko, linguists K.P. Mykhalchuk and P.G. Zhytetsky, economist T.R. Rylsky, entrepreneur V.F. Symyrenko, doctor and translator V.N. Vovk-Karachevsky and others. The Galician initiator-driver of the project was the political, social and cultural figure O.H. Barvinsky. In 1889 an anonymous note written by O.Ya. Konysky was published in the Lviv monthly “Pravda”. It announced an ambitious goal – to transform the Shevchenko Society into a scientific organization and, on its basis, to achieve recognition of the Ukrainian-Rus Academy of Sciences by the Austrian crown. Since then, the hard work of Ukrainian scientists focused on creation of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences started on both sides of the imperial borders. The historian, political, social and cultural figure M.S. Hrushevsky played an exceptional role in the creation and development of the Ukrainian scientific community. It was M.S. Hrushevsky, a Chairman of the Shevchenko Scientific Society in Lviv and a founding Chairman of the Ukrainian Scientific Society in Kyiv, who headed academic organization work in both the sub-Austrian and sub-Russian Ukraine, which continued in various forms until the First World War and resumed in 1917.

The Ukrainian Academy of Sciences (UAS) was founded in 1918 during the period of the Ukrainian State under Hetman P. P. Skoropadskyi. A decisive role was played by V.I. Vernadsky and M.P. Vasylenko, who were like-minded persons, outstanding scholars and science organizers, individuals with classical views on academic science as an organic combination of fundamental and applied research.

M.P. Vasylenko headed the Ministry of Education and Arts in the Hetman’s government. He drew up a comprehensive plan for the development of science and education in Ukraine. In particular, the plan provided for the foundation of national institutions: an academy of sciences, a library, a museum, an archive, and higher education institutions. A special commission was formed under the Ministry in order to draft a Bill on the foundation of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv. V.I. Vernadsky, a person knowledgeable in academic affairs, was appointed its Chairman. V.I. Vernadsky was a member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences and the State Council of the Russian Empire on the part of the Academy of Sciences and Higher School, he participated in the creation of the International Association of Academies and the “Academic Union” in Russia. After the February Revolution of 1917 in Russia, V.I. Vernadsky worked in the Provisional Government as a Deputy Minister of Public Education and was in charge of the organization of scientific research. Then he met M.P. Vasylenko, who also held the post of Deputy Minister. “He was the first who had the idea of creating a Ukrainian academy,” V. I. Vernadsky recalled. “He died being its academician”.

The first meeting of the Commission for drafting a bill on the foundation of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv was held on July 9, 1918, in the ministerial office of M.P. Vasylenko (at present, the address is 14, Taras Shevchenko Boulevard). M.P. Vasylenko began the meeting with impressive address to the audience. He spoke about the need for state concern for the Academy foundation and functioning, and, in particular, emphasized its nation-wide importance: “The foundation of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences has great national significance, because there are still many people who are skeptical and scornful of the Ukrainian movement and revival, have no faith in the vitality of the Ukrainian people, do not consider the development of the Ukrainian language and science possible. For those who believe in the vitality of the Ukrainian people, for whom its revival is the “holy of holies”, the foundation of the Academy of Sciences is of great importance, it is a national need and an ongoing issue.”

The next speaker at the meeting, V.I. Vernadsky made a report “On the foundation of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv”; he outlined the concept of the UAS structure and functions. The speech-report by V.I. Vernadsky was closely related to the “Explanatory Note of the Ministry of National Education and Art to the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian State to the Bill on the foundation of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in Kyiv”, drafted by M.P. Vasylenko at the beginning of October 1918. The interweaving of thoughts of these two tireless fighters for the implementation of the Academy idea is obvious.

Implementing the concept of the development of Ukrainian academic science drafted by the great scholar of the 20th century V.I. Vernadsky and his close associates, the Academy, from the first years of its activity, focused the efforts of Ukrainian leading scholars on the development of a wide range of fundamental and applied research in the most promising spheres, which were supposed to determine the scientific, technological, and intellectual vectors of social progress. Despite the difficult life conditions at that time, vicissitudes in the Academy functioning, in particular, its relations with the state authorities, especially in the 1920s and 1930s, the chosen course turned out to be surprisingly life-giving and played a major role in the formation and continuous rise of the scientific, educational and cultural potential of Ukraine, its entry into the circle of economically, scientifically, technologically, socially, and culturally developed countries; within the borders of the then USSR Ukraine was recognized as a republic with a high scientific human potential and the priority progress of high-tech branches of industry, in particular machine engineering and instrument building, energy, aerospace industry, as well as agriculture, medicine. Powerful national scientific schools were formed at the Academy, their founders were outstanding scholars: mathematicians D.O. Grave, M.M. Krylov, M.M. Bogolyubov, Yu.O. Mytropolskyi; in the field of mechanics – S.P. Tymoshenko, O.M. Dynnyk, M.O. Lavrentiev, G.S. Pysarenko; in physics – K.D. Synelnykov, L.V. Shubnykov, V.Ye. Lashkaryov, O.I. Akhiezer, O.S. Davydov, A.F. Prykhotko, O.Ya. Usykov; astronomers O.I. Orlov, M.P. Barabashov, Ye.P. Fedorov, S.Ya. Braude; in geological sciences – P.A. Tutkovsky; in materials science – I.M. Frantsevych, V.I. Trefilov; in power engineering – G.F. Proskura, S.O. Lebediev; in chemical sciences – L.V. Pysarzhevsky, O.I. Brodsky, A.V. Dumansky; in biology and medicine – D.K. Zabolotny, F.G. Yanovsky, M.D. Strazhesko, O.O. Bogomolets, V.P. Filatov, M.G. Kholodny, I.I. Schmalhausen, O.V. Palladin, V.P. Komisarenko, R.Ye. Kavetsky, M.M. Amosov, P.G. Kostiuk. Ukrainian scientific schools of electric welding founded by E.O. Paton and cybernetics founded by V.M. Glushkov won world recognition. A significant contribution to the development of national science, education and culture was made by academic schools in the field of social sciences and humanities, whose founders were the demographer M.V. Ptukha, economists K.G. Voblyi, P.M. Pershyn, I.V. Lukinov, historians M.S. Hrushevsky, I.P. Krypyakevych, lawyer V.M. Koretsky, philosophers P.V. Kopnin, V.I. Shynkaruk, M.V. Popovych, orientalist A.Yu. Krymsky, linguists L.A. Bulakhovsky, V.M. Rusanivsky, literary scholars S.O. Yefremov, M.S. Wozniak and O.I. Biletsky. The strategy of active participation of academic institutions in solving important problems of scientific and technological progress, forming the scientific and technological potential of Ukraine played a decisive role in the development of the Academy and realization of its opportunities and achievements. This strategy is implemented in the development of an effective system of cooperation with leading sectoral ministries and departments, large science-intensive industrial enterprises, and in formation of a powerful scientific and industrial base, as well.

The attainment of independence by Ukraine significantly changed the status of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, increased its role and importance as the main scientific institution of the country. It faced the task of confirming the scientific and technical independence of the state, promoting positive changes in the economy, effectively solving the tasks of Ukraine’s access to the paths of stable elevation, dynamic innovative development, ensuring its close integration into the global scientific space, effective entry into the international differentiation of scientific labor.

Despite the significant economic difficulties of the transition period, the presidium, sections, departments and scientific institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine focused their activities on the development of fundamental and applied research, the implementation of scientific and engineering projects in the priority areas of science and technology, and the implementation of their results in the practice of economic life.

International cooperation of the Academy with leading scientific centers, academies and universities of European countries and the world has been significantly expanded. In recent years, the participation of institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the implementation of scientific programs and projects with the support of the European Union has become more extensive. The publishing activity of academic scholars has increased, in particular, there has been an increase in publications in foreign scientific journals, primarily those indexed in the world’s leading scientometric databases Web of Science and Scopus.

Significant results were also achieved in the scientific support for the development of national education, combining the possibilities of academic science with the needs of higher education. The creation of a number of joint research centers and laboratories, educational departments, has become an effective form of academic and university science unification. Besides, significant results have been achieved in the deployment of the system of higher education institutions in the Academy itself.