The Latvian Academy of Sciences

Founded in 1946


The Latvian Academy of Sciences was founded on 14 February 1946. Earlier an academy of sciences had effectively operated as part of the Riga Latvian Society which was established in 1932. The Academy operated with Institutes where scientists undertook research.

Research work in mathematics took place in the Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences until 1950 when mathematics was abandoned in this Institute and it was reorganized as the Institute of Physics. Some mathematicians remained in the Institute of Physics until the creation of the Institute of Electronics and Computers in 1961 when they moved to this new Institute. The Mathematical Institute was founded on 16 May 1991 after pressure from Reizins. It was composed partly from the Institute of Physics of the Latvian Academy of Sciences and partly from the Departments of Differential Equations and General Mathematics of the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of the University of Latvia.

Latvia declared its independence from the USSR on 21 August 1991 and its sovereignty was recognized by the USSR on 6 September. This had a major impact on the structure of the Academy. The Latvian Academy of Sciences (Academia Scientiarum Latviensis) adopted a new charter and statutes on 14 February 1992. The new statutes proposed an Academy of 100 full Latvian members under 70 years of age, 100 foreign members, 60 corresponding members under 65 years of age, and 60 honorary members. By this process the Academy moved away from the Russian style Academy that had existed before and moved towards the type of Academy which had existed for centuries in western Europe. After 1994 the Institutes became independent of the Latvian Academy of Sciences but the Academy continued to cooperate with its former Institutes, as well as Latvian universities.

Among the aims of the Latvian Academy of Sciences are: encouraging research in the basic and applied sciences; active participation in establishing a Latvian science policy and consultation with the Government about scientific issues; undertaking publishing scientific literature; organising congresses, conferences, discussions, and competitions; popularising scientific achievements and the history of Latvian sciences; maintaining international contacts for Latvian scientists; protecting, maintaining, and improving research ethics, discussion principles, and traditions.

The Academy has published important mathematical papers in the Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B. Natural Sciences which was renamed the Proceedings of the Latvian Academy of Sciences. Section B: Natural, Exact and Applied Sciences. From 1994 the papers in this journal have been written in English.

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Last Updated August 2004