Academy of Sciences and Literature | Mainz
The Academy of Sciences and Literature was founded on 9th July 1949 with the declared objective to preserve and foster culture. This original dictum to cultivate the sciences, humanities and literature has remained the Academy’s core aim ever since. To this day the Academy of Sciences and Literature stays true to its maxims and seeks multiple ways to put them into practice: To name but a few, it actively promotes interdisciplinary discourse, facilitates research projects and organizes a variety of public events. Moreover, it regularly awards several different scholarships designed especially for young researchers.
Like its fellow Academies elsewhere, the Mainz Academy supervises research projects all over Germany. Many of these projects are of international importance. They focus on basic research such as academic editions of historic material and sources, editions of dictionaries and thesauri and similar ventures. These projects are realized in close cooperation with the ›Digital Academy‹, an academic research department for digital humanities.
Amongst these undertakings the musicological research projects coordinated by the Academy of Sciences and Literature play an accentuated role. Those research projects are for example complete editions of outstanding composers such as Brahms, Gluck, Haydn and Schumann.
Another focus lies on the edition of the so called ›Mainzer Reihe, Neue Folge‹. Here, literary works and complete work editions are published by the ›Klasse der Literatur‹ (Class of Literature). For this edition series the ›Klasse der Literatur‹, an institution unique within the framework of the Academies across Germany, assembles and publishes outstanding literary works and complete work editions. The ›Klasse der Literatur‹ also grants awards like the Alfred Döblin Medal, the Joseph Breitbach Award and the Robert Schuhmann Award for Poetry and Music.
Following the holistic Leibniz philosophy, the Academy of Sciences and Literature puts special emphasis on encouraging interdisciplinary discourse. In order to do so it hosts public lectures and debates such as the series of lectures/discussions ›Zukunftsfragen der Gesellschaft‹ (›Central Questions of Future Society‹). This series centres upon key issues such as globalization, bio-medical ethics and new technologies.
The ›Young Academy‹ which was founded in 2016 is a new way of supporting young scientists. The main idea of the Young Academy is not only to cultivate interdisciplinary discourse but also to establish forums for discussions for scientists of all ages.
The Academy of Sciences and Literature also offers its rooms as a venue for external use