The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium (RASAB) is an association without lucrative purpose which has been founded in order to coordinate the national and international activities for which the Académie royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux- Arts de Belgique (ARB) and the Koninklijke Vlaamse Academie van België voor Wetenschappen en Kunsten (KVAB) have a mutual responsibility.
Its statutes were published in the Belgian Official Journal from the 19th of April 2001. The association is headquartered in the former stables of the Palace of the Academies in Brussels, nearby the Royal Palace and the Warandepark.
The Royal Academies of Belgium work to promote science and art in Belgium. In order to meet this demand, the Academies organize scientific and cultural activities, they try to promote interuniversity cooperation in Belgium, they provide representation in international and European organizations, they offer a platform for researchers to formulate recommendations to the government, industry, education and research.
RASAB is responsible for coordinating the activities carried out at national as well as international level by both Academies, for the coordinating the National scientific Committees and the representation of Belgium in international scientific organisations like ICSU, IMU, IUPAC, ... and in federations of academies like IAP, EASAC and ALLEA ... The RASAB is also responsible for the EASAC liaison office with the European institutions in Brussels.
The assignments of the association are:
- to coordinate and, if necessary, create national deliberative assemblies, such as the National Committees;
- to pay the memberships to international institutions where both Academies are members of;
- to provide funds to make sure that Belgian representatives are present at the General Assemblies and other meetings of these international institutions, because presence is required due to the membership of Belgium in these organisations;
- to provide Belgian representation in those scientific, artistic and cultural international organisations where KVAB and ARB are members of and which accept only one representative from each country;
- to improve the international cooperation between individual scientists by reimbursing travel- and accommodation costs;
- to fulfil assignments where both Aacademies are responsible for.