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.