Nina Balashenko

The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NAS of Belarus, or NASB) is the highest state scientific organization of the Republic of Belarus, a country in the middle of Europe. The National Academy of Sciences carries out the organization and coordination of fundamental and applied research performed by all subjects of scientific activities, provides fundamental and applied research and developments in the main directions of natural, engineering, social sciences, the humanities and arts with the purposes of obtaining new knowledge about human, society, nature and artificial objects, increasing the scientific and technical, intellectual and spiritual potential of the Republic of Belarus. The National Academy of Sciences carries out the organization, conduction and coordination of the state of scientific expertise, pursues common state policy, coordination and state regulation of activities of organizations in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, serves as an umbrella organization of Belarus on scientific and methodological support of informatization development, and also carries out, accordingly to the Law of the Republic of Belarus «On the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus», some functions of a republican body of state management in the field of science. Founded in October 1928 and officially inaugurated on January 1, 1929 under the name of The Belarusian Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus is the guiding research center of Belarus, which unites the highly-skilled scientists of different specialties and dozens of research, scientific-production, design and inculcation organizations. The staff of the Academy of Sciences includes more than 18,000 researchers, technicians and supporting personnel whose average age is under 48 years old. There are about 5,870 Researchers, 482 Doctors of Sciences and 1,822 Candidates of Sciences (equivalent to Ph.D.), 247 Professors and 506 Associate Professors among them.