Organization of the National Academies

What are the National Academies? How and when did the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Medicine, and the National Research Council come into existence?

The 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.

The National Academy of Sciences was created in 1863 by a congressional charter approved by President Abraham Lincoln.

Under this charter, the National Research Council was established in 1916, the National Academy of Engineering in 1964, and the Institute of Medicine in 1970.

What is the relationship of the National Academies to the government?

The National Academy of Sciences was created by the federal government to be an adviser on scientific and technological matters. However, the Academy and its associated organizations are private, not governmental, organizations and do not receive direct federal appropriations for their work. Studies undertaken for the government by the National Academies usually are funded out of appropriations made available to federal agencies. The great majority of the studies carried out by the National Academies are at the request of government agencies.

How many staff members are associated with the work of the National Academies?

There are approximately 1,100 staff members.

What is the Research Council's major source of funding?

The federal government funds about 85 percent of the institution's work.

Is there an annual congressional appropriation for the National Academies?

No. Support from the federal government comes in the form of individual contracts and grants.

Is there a committee in Congress that has continuing legislative, budgetary, or oversight responsibility for the National Academies?

Overall, no. However, the Committee on the Judiciary of the U.S. House of Representatives reviews the Treasurer's Report of the National Academy of Sciences each year.

Do the National Academies respond to both the executive and the legislative branches of government? Do they also work with state governments and quasi-public institutions?

Yes. The National Academies strive to be similarly responsive to requests from the executive and the legislative branches of government for guidance on scientific and technological issues.

In special cases, the National Research Council undertakes a project or study or sponsors a meeting at the request of a state government. Some such projects carried out in recent years have involved joint requests to the National Research Council from a unit of a state government and a federal agency. The institution would not normally undertake a project on a state or local issue in the absence of significant national policy implications of federal agency interest.

Quasi-public institutions, private companies, and foundations may participate in sponsoring work by the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine. However, industry cannot provide more than 50 percent of the support for a project. Similar criteria are applied by the institution to all prospective projects, including self-initiated ones. Generally, projects will be undertaken only if they address national or international issues involving science, technology, human health, or environmental quality.

Does the National Research Council do classified work? Under what circumstances?

Yes, the National Research Council will accept classified work if it feels it can contribute useful scientific and technological guidance. The Governing Board of the National Research Council must, in any case, approve all classified studies. For all such studies, unclassified summaries are made available on request. Further, for the National Research Council to accept a classified study it must be satisfied that (1) the particular study is an appropriate activity for the Research Council and for the unit within which it will be done; and (2) that classification is necessary and that the proposed level of classification is warranted.

The congressional charter of the National Academy of Sciences contains the statement that the Academy "shall receive no compensation whatever for any services to the Government of the United States." What does this statement mean?

Committee members generally are not paid for the time they contribute to the Research Council's work, but the institution is reimbursed by the federal government for costs associated with operating committees, such as subsistence and travel costs for committee members, staff support, and charges connected with preparing reports of the committees' findings and disseminating reports.

Various rulings by the Comptroller General of the United States interpreting the Academy's congressional charter have had the effect of limiting the Academy's recovery of expenses from the federal government for work performed for federal agencies to "actual expenses" incurred, subject to any limitation on the maximum amount payable under a particular contract as provided for in that contract and to applicable government procurement regulations. As a result of the Comptroller General's interpretations, the National Academies cannot recover a fee or profit for their services to the federal government, and must comply with applicable government procurement regulations regarding allowable costs.

The language in the Academy's congressional charter, which is the source of these limitations, has been in the charter since its enactment in 1863. The simplicity of the charter's charge has enabled it to serve as a dynamic document capable of responding appropriately to the changing needs of the nation during the 128 years that have passed since it was signed by President Abraham Lincoln.

What is the National Academies Press?

The National Academies Press is the publisher for the National Academies. The Press offers the full range of services available from a commercial publishing house, from publication planning and editing to marketing and distribution.

Does the National Academies Press generate income for the institution?

No. It is intended that the Press's operating costs break even with its income. That is, the policy of the Press is to price its volumes so as to generate a self-supporting income, with neither gains nor losses.

Is the work of the National Academies limited to study projects?

No. While study projects comprise much of the institution's work, the organization fulfills other important roles. These include:

• as a convener, through activities such as those of the Government-University-Industry Research Roundtable;

• as a focus, for long-term activities such as the administration of associateship programs by the Policy and Global Affairs Division and the multifarious missions of the Transportation Research Board; and

• as a locus, for the continuing representation of U.S national committees on organizations overseas, for scholarly communication with other countries, for a resident fellows program, and for scientific and technical cooperation programs with developing countries.

What are the relationships of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine to scientific organizations overseas? To state and local academies of science?

The NAS, NAE, and IOM cooperate with numerous foreign scientific and engineering organizations, including other academies. For example, officers of the National Academy of Sciences usually meet every two or three years with officers of the Royal Society of Great Britain; similarly, officers of the National Academy of Engineering participate in convocations with officers of engineering academies from other countries; and, through its Board on International Health, the Institute of Medicine is establishing a broader network of contacts with relevant organizations overseas.

On behalf of American scientists, the National Academy of Sciences is the institutional member of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU). The ICSU Advisory Committee is housed in the Research Council's Office of International Affairs. The Advisory Committee is the focal point for ensuring effective participation by American scientists in international scientific unions and it provides liaison among U.S. national committees for the individual scientific unions. As an adhering body to a number of international scientific organizations, the National Academy of Sciences has established U.S. national committees to facilitate the participation of U.S. scientists in these organizations. At the present time, there are about 40 such represented in the National Academies.

Also, the National Academy of Engineering is the U.S. member of the Council of Academies of Engineering and Technological Sciences, a non-governmental, international organization promoting engineering and technology throughout the world.

In addition, the presidents of the two Academies and the Institute deal regularly with foreign academies of science and with scientific and engineering organizations abroad.

There are no formal relations with state and local academies of science, although often there is informal dialogue.