Institute of Advanced Studies

The Academy of Sciences of Lisbon founded its Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS), aiming at reaching out a wider audience and provide knowledge on a lifelong learning basis.

In this way, it aims to open up to the outside world by organizing conferences, meetings or other activities to provide information and debate on issues of relevant scientific or other importance, with the participation of national and international professors and scientists of outstanding prestige in all areas of knowledge.

IAS is thus a link to the advancement of the information and knowledge society, enabling participants to keep up with scientific and technological innovations in a global world, capable of providing greater scientific literacy and lifelong learning.

The IAES's fundamental objective is the development of citizen science and the creation of a greater awareness of the value of Science, Literature and the Arts for building an informed and active society at different levels, reinforcing the recognition of the role of Science, Technology and Innovation for informed decision-making in a scenario of emerging challenges for development, in the context of changes in 21st century society.

The IAS has a flexible organization, capable of adapting to the needs arising from the evolution of knowledge and the need for rigorous information on new topics that should be made known due to their foreseeable importance in the near future.

We live in a global world, called upon to respond to the challenges we are constantly faced with.

Scientists are known for their commitment to science, in an attempt to put advances in scientific knowledge at the service of citizens. However, this extraordinary effort is not always known in society without misrepresentation or voluntary or involuntary exploitation. Is this failure due to problems in communicating science?

Communicating science is no easy task. Today, science and technology have an impact on every aspect of human life. As a result, there is a growing need for rigorous scientific information that provides knowledge and possible acceptance by citizens, according to individual values and decisions to be made.

Among the issues adressed in the IAS's activities the following topics should be enfasized:

The social challenges of 21st-century society;

The consequences of desertification;

The demands for solidarity and tolerance in the face of conflicts and discrimination; and

The role of cultural diversity in development and the respect for human rights..