Directory of Foreign Science and Technology Associations (Volume I)

Science and technology community is the result of the socialization, organization and institutionalization of scientific and technological activities. It usually refers to the non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-profit organization (NPO) whose main business is to engage in related activities in the field of science and technology. Since the establishment of the Royal Society, the first modern science and technology association in the world in the middle of the 17th century, a large number of science and technology associations have been established in Britain, the United States, Japan and other countries. Through academic exchanges, academic evaluation, academic norms, scientific and technological services and other activities, it is an important platform for attracting talents and an important force for promoting scientific and technological progress to spread scientific knowledge, advocate scientific spirit and nurture innovative culture, in the history of the development of science and technology to write a rich page.

Regarding the connotation and extension of science and technology associations, there is no unified definition in the world. The nature identification, registration, supervision and management of science and technology associations are not the same in various countries, showing diverse characteristics. In order to systematically understand the basic situation and pattern of science and technology associations in major countries in the world, and to provide reference for the construction of science and technology associations with Chinese characteristics facing the world and the future, the Science and Technology Innovation Department of the China Association for Science and Technology, in collaboration with the China Science and Technology Policy Research Association, organized the compilation of the Foreign Science and Technology Association List of Associations. The writing team obtains the basic information of science and technology organizations by searching the official websites and relevant databases of the centralized management departments of science and technology organizations such as the National Tax Service (Internal Revenue Service), the British Charity Commission (The Charity Commission), and the Science Council of Japan (Japan), and selects the preliminary list of science and technology organizations through keywords such as association, society, academy, council, etc, from the preliminary list, organizations including proper terms of relevant disciplines, science and technology were selected. At the same time, 5285 selected scientific and technological associations were finally determined in combination with their objectives, missions and activities, including 2911 in the United States, 1058 in the United Kingdom and 1316 in Japan. They were divided into five categories: science, engineering, agriculture, medicine and interdisciplinary.

With the rapid development of modern science and technology, the deepening of interdisciplinary integration, and the increasingly obvious development trend of the internationalization of science and technology associations, the definition and discipline classification of science and technology associations have become particularly complex and difficult. This book's combing of foreign science and technology societies is tentative and exploratory, and the list of science and technology societies and their disciplinary classifications are the result of limited conditions and can only be used as a reference rather than a definition. We will conduct more in-depth research and discussion on the connotation, extension and development law of science and technology associations.

The development of science and technology associations has always been in profound changes. In addition, we inevitably have omissions and shortcomings in our work. Readers are welcome to criticize and correct them.