International Council for Science
Encyclopedia
The International Council for Science (ICSU), formerly the International Council of Scientific Unions, was founded in 1931 as an international non-governmental organization devoted to international co-operation in the advancement of science. Its members are national scientific bodies, and international scientific unions, including the International Mathematical Union
International Mathematical Union
The International Mathematical Union is an international non-governmental organisation devoted to international cooperation in the field of mathematics across the world. It is a member of the International Council for Science and supports the International Congress of Mathematicians...
, the International Astronomical Union
International Astronomical Union
The International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations that represents chemists in individual countries. It is a member of the International Council for Science . The international headquarters of IUPAC is located in Zürich,...
.
Mission and principles
To identify and address major issues of importance to scienceScienceScience is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
and societySocietyA society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
, by mobilising the resources and knowledge of the international scientific community; to promote the participation of all scientists, irrespective of race, citizenship, language, political stance or gender in the international scientific endeavour; to facilitate interactions between different scientific disciplines and between scientists from ‘Developing’ and ‘Developed’ countries; to stimulate constructive debate by acting as an authoritative independent voice for international science and scientists.
ICSU was founded to bring together natural scientists in international scientific endeavour. , it comprises 113 multi-disciplinary National Scientific Members, Associates and Observers (scientific research councils or science academies) representing 133 countries and 29 international, single-discipline Scientific Unions. ICSU also has 24 Scientific Associates.
An ICSU fundamental principle is that of science's universality, which affirms the right and freedom of scientists to associate in international scientific activity without regard to such factors as race, citizenship
Citizenship
Citizenship is the state of being a citizen of a particular social, political, national, or human resource community. Citizenship status, under social contract theory, carries with it both rights and responsibilities...
, language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
, political stance
Ideologies of parties
This is a list of political ideologies. Many political parties base their political action and election program on an ideology. In social studies, a political ideology is a certain ethical set of ideals, principles, doctrines, myths or symbols of a social movement, institution, class, and or large...
, or gender
Gender
Gender is a range of characteristics used to distinguish between males and females, particularly in the cases of men and women and the masculine and feminine attributes assigned to them. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary from sex to social role to gender identity...
.
The Council acts as a focus for the exchange of ideas and information and the development of standards. Hundreds of congresses, symposia and other scientific meetings are organized each year around the world, and a wide range of newsletters, handbooks and journals is published.
Finances
The principal source of ICSU's finances is the contributions it receives from its members. Other sources of income are the framework contracts from UNESCOUNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
(United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and grants and contracts from United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
bodies, foundations and agencies, which are used to support the scientific activities of the ICSU Unions and interdisciplinary bodies.
Member Scientific Unions
- International Astronomical UnionInternational Astronomical UnionThe International Astronomical Union IAU is a collection of professional astronomers, at the Ph.D. level and beyond, active in professional research and education in astronomy...
- International Brain Research OrganizationInternational Brain Research OrganizationThe International Brain Research Organization was founded in 1961 in response to the growing demand from neuroscientists in many countries for the creation of a central organization that would cut across world boundaries and improve communication and collaboration among brain researchers...
- International Geographical UnionInternational Geographical UnionThe International Geographical Union is an international geographical society. The first International Geographical Congress was held in Antwerp in 1871. Subsequent meetings led to the establishment of the permanent organization in Brussels, Belgium, in 1922. The Union has 34 Commissions and four...
- International Mathematical UnionInternational Mathematical UnionThe International Mathematical Union is an international non-governmental organisation devoted to international cooperation in the field of mathematics across the world. It is a member of the International Council for Science and supports the International Congress of Mathematicians...
- International Union for Quaternary ResearchInternational Union for Quaternary ResearchThe International Union for Quaternary Research was founded in 1928. It has members from a number of scientific disciplines who study the environmental changes that occurred during the glacial ages, the last 2.6 million years...
- International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing
- International Union of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences
- International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyInternational Union of Biochemistry and Molecular BiologyThe International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology is an international non-governmental organisation concerned with biochemistry and molecular biology...
- International Union of Biological Sciences
- International Union of CrystallographyInternational Union of CrystallographyThe International Union of Crystallography is a member of the International Council for Science and exists to serve the world community of crystallographers....
- International Union of Food Science and TechnologyInternational Union of Food Science and TechnologyInternational Union of Food Science and Technology]]The International Union of Food Science and Technology is the international non-governmental organization established in 1962, devoted to the advancement of food science and technology...
- International Union of Forest Research OrganizationsInternational Union of Forest Research OrganizationsThe International Union of Forest Research Organizations is a non-profit, non-governmental international network of forest scientists, headquartered in Austria....
- International Union of Geodesy and GeophysicsInternational Union of Geodesy and GeophysicsThe International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the scientific study of the Earth using geophysical and geodesic techniques. The IUGG was established in 1919. Some areas within its scope are environmental preservation, reduction of the effects of...
- International Union of Geological SciencesInternational Union of Geological SciencesThe International Union of Geological Sciences is an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the field of geology.-About:...
- International Union of History and Philosophy of ScienceInternational Union of History and Philosophy of ScienceThe International Union of History and Philosophy of Science is one of the members of the International Council for Science . It was founded in 1955 by merging the International Union of History of Science and the International Union of Philosophy of Science , and consists of two divisions, the...
- International Union of Immunological SocietiesInternational Union of Immunological SocietiesThe International Union of Immunological Societies, a member of the International Council for Science, is an organization which serves as an umbrella organization for many national immunological societies. The organization was founded in 1969....
- International Union of Materials Research Societies
- International Union of Microbiological SocietiesInternational Union of Microbiological SocietiesThe Internation Union of Microbiological Societies or IUMS, founded in 1927 as the International Society of Microbiology, is now one of 27 Scientific Unions of the International Council of Science ....
- International Union of Nutritional SciencesInternational Union of Nutritional SciencesThe International Union of Nutritional Sciences is an international non-governmental organization established in 1948 to devote the advancement of nutrition...
- International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics
- International Union of Pure and Applied ChemistryInternational Union of Pure and Applied ChemistryThe International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations that represents chemists in individual countries. It is a member of the International Council for Science . The international headquarters of IUPAC is located in Zürich,...
- International Union of Pure and Applied PhysicsInternational Union of Pure and Applied PhysicsThe International Union of Pure and Applied Physics is an international non-governmental organization devoted to the advancement of physics...
- International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in MedicineInternational Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in MedicineThe International Union for Physical and Engineering Sciences in Medicine is the umbrella organization for the International Organization for Medical Physics and International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering , and other affiliate organizations that represent the fields of...
- International Union of Basic and Clinical PharmacologyInternational Union of Basic and Clinical PharmacologyThe International Union of Basic and Clinical Pharmacology is a voluntary, non-profit association representing the interests of scientists in pharmacology-related fields to facilitate Better Medicines through Global Education and Research around the world.-History:Established in 1959 as a section...
- International Union of Physiological Sciences
- International Union of Psychological Science
- International Union of Soil Sciences
- International Union of Theoretical and Applied MechanicsInternational Union of Theoretical and Applied MechanicsThe International Union of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics is believed to have been founded when Aachen professor Theodore von Kármán held a conference in Innsbruck in September of 1922. The purpose of the 1922 conference was to discuss questions of hydrodynamics and aerodynamics. The...
- International Union of Toxicology
- Union Radio Scientifique Internationale
See also
- Scientific Committee on Problems of the EnvironmentScientific Committee on Problems of the EnvironmentThe Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment was established by the 10th meeting of the Executive Committee of the ICSU in 1969. SCOPE's members include 38 national science academies and research councils, and 22 international scientific unions.The current president is Lu Yonglong...
(SCOPE) - CODATA
- Scientific Committee on Antarctic ResearchScientific Committee on Antarctic ResearchThe Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is an interdisciplinary body of the International Council for Science . It was established in February 1958 to continue the international coordination of Antarctic scientific activities that had begun during the International Geophysical Year of 1957-58...
(SCAR)
External links
- ICSU.org, the official website