Scientific institutions

Learned societies for the communication and promotion of scientific thought and experimentation have existed since the Renaissance period.[22] The oldest surviving institution is the Accademia dei Lincei in Italy.[23] National Academy of Sciences are distinguished institutions that exist in a number of countries, beginning with the British Royal Society in 1660[24] and the French Académie des Sciences in 1666.[25]
International scientific organizations, such as the International Council for Science, have since been formed to promote cooperation between the scientific communities of different nations. More recently, influential government agencies have been created to support scientific research, including the National Science Foundation in the U.S.