The Brazilian Academy of Sciences (Academia Brasileira de Ciências - ABC) is an independent, non-governmental, scientific organization. It acts both as an honorific scientific society and an adviser to government, when requested to conduct policy and technical studies. The Academy is supported by contributions from its membership, as well as by grants from governmental agencies; mainly those related to the Ministry of Science and Technology: the Financing Agency for Studies and Projects (FINEP) and the National Research Council (CNPq). In recent years, the Academy also received grants from the Ministry of Environment and from the Ministry of Health.
The Brazilian Academy of Sciences participates in international activities through the International Council for Science (ICSU) and its Unions and is responsible for the national Brazilian commissions for several multidisciplinary programs, like IGBP, IHDP, IGCP, IWCO and ILP.
The Academy also works at the international level through the Global Network of Academies of Sciences (IAP); the InterAcademy Council (IAC); the InterAcademy Medical Panel; the Inter American Network of Academies of Sciences (IANAS) stressing priority to stimulate the establishment of a cooperation network between the Latin-American and Caribbean academies; and the IAP and IANAS program for Capacity Building in Water Resources Management. The Academy is also active in Regional independent programs like the Latin-American Network of Earth Sciences (RELACT); the Geological Evolution of the South American Continent Project ; and the Brazilian Commission of Geological and Paleobiological Sites (SIGEP).
