A national academy is a body, usually operating with state financial support and approval, that co-ordinates the activities of research in (nearly always) the sciences and (sometimes) other disciplines. Typically the country's learned societies in individual disciplies will liaise with or be co-ordinated by the national academy. National academies play an important organizational role in academic exchanges and collaborations between countries. A state is an organized political community occupying a definite territory, having an organized government, and possessing internal and external sovereignty. ... Research is an active, diligent and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviours, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws or theories. ... // What is science? There are different theories of what science is. ... A learned society is a society that exists to promote an academic discipline or group of disciplines. ...

The extent of official recognition of national academies varies between countries. In some cases they are explicitly or de facto an arm of government; in others, as in the U.K., they are voluntary, non-profit bodies with which government has agreed to negotiate, and which may receive government financial support while retaining substantial independence. In the countries of the former Soviet Union, and in the People's Republic of China, the national academies have considerable power over policy and personnel in their areas. There is however a growing consensus among international federations of learned academies that bona fide national (or learned) academies need to adhere to certain criteria: Motto: Dieu et mon droit (Royal motto) (French: God and my right)2 Anthem: God Save the Queen3 Capital London 51°30′ N 0°7′ W Largest city London Official languages None; English de facto 4 Government Queen Prime Minister Constitutional monarchy Elizabeth II Tony Blair Establishment 18015 Area  â€¢ Total... A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ...

• The fellowship is elected, on the basis of excellence, by existing fellows
• The number of fellows is restricted either to a total number or to a rate of accretion
• The governance of the academy is democratic and “bottom up”. The fellowship is the ultimate source of the academy’s authority
• The academy is independent of government, industry and professional associations. Most, if not all, all academies derive some financial support from some or all of these other organizations but this support needs to be given in a manner that does not compromise the academy’s independence.

In some countries, a single academy covers all disciplines; an example is the Institut de France in France, which groups five academies, including the Académie française. In others, there are several academies, which work together more or less closely; for example, Australia has separate academies for the sciences, social sciences, and humanities. In the U.K., the Royal Society is recognised as the national academy for the sciences, the British Academy for the social sciences and the humanities, and the Royal Academy of Engineering and the Academy of Medical Sciences for their areas. In the United States, there are also four National Academies. The Institut de France (French Institute) is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is probably the Académie française. ... The Académie française, or French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. ... Terms like SOSE (Studies of Society & the Environment) not only refer to social sciences but also studies of the environment. ... The humanities are a group of academic subjects united by a commitment to studying aspects of the human condition and a qualitative approach that generally prevents a single paradigm from coming to define any discipline. ... The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is claimed to be the oldest learned society still in existence. ... The British Academy is the United Kingdoms national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. ... The Royal Academy of Engineering is a British learned society concerned with engineering. ... The United States National Academies consist of four organizations: the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council. ...

Within most countries, the unqualified phrase "National Academy" will normally refer to that country's academy. Within the United States, the plural phrase "National Academies" is widely understood to refer to the US National Academies.

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