Our History
Recognising and celebrating Wales's scholarship and research
In a short period of time, the Learned Society of Wales has emerged as a significant and respected institution that plays a leading role in the intellectual and public life of the country.
Here are just a handful of the key moments from our history…
2010: A Society Is Born
March: The Learned Society of Wales is launched on 25th March, one week after it was incorporated, at a ceremony at the National Museum in Cardiff. The founding Fellows signed the new Roll of Fellows as inaugural President, Sir John Cadogan told the audience of the Society’s aim to ensure “that Wales should come to widely be seen, justifiably – I repeat justifiably – as a small but clever country.”
December: The Society takes its first steps by hosting a series of lectures, including one on learned societies and the making of national identity, by Professor Robert Evans FLSW, Regius Professor of History, Oxford University.
The early history of the Society is described in detail in the following e-book:
2011: First Steps
May: The Society holds its first symposium, a one-day event that asks , ‘What are Universities For?’
October: The Society publishes ‘The Funding Gap’ a paper that is part of correspondence with then Minister for Education and Skills, Leighton Andrews about underfunding of Welsh universities.
2012: Finding a Voice
March: The Astronomer Royal, Professor Martin Rees FLSW, delivers the Menelaus Lecture, part of a new partnership formed with SWIEET2007, that will include a grant for a bibliography of science, technology and engineering in Wales.
April: Three-day event on ‘Poetry under Pressure’ held at Chapter Arts Centre, as part of a busy year of events and lectures, with a focus on ‘Frontiers’ and ‘Anniversaries’.
August: The inaugural Learned Society of Wales National Eisteddfod Lecture sees Professor Kenneth Morgan FLSW talk about the Bloodhound supersonic car.
2013: Diversity moves and a new medal
May: The Society publishes the report and recommendations from the gender balance working group, chaired by Professor Teresa Rees FLSW, part of initial efforts to improve diversity and inclusion.
July: Sir Terry Matthews receives the first Learned Society of Wales medal, the Menelaus medal, awarded to recognise excellence in engineering and technology.
2014: Royal connections
March: The Prince of Wales accepts an invitation to become the Society’s Royal Patron.
2015: Economic affairs
January: The Society submits its detailed response to the Diamond Review into higher education funding and student finance in Wales.
April: The Society, together with Bangor University, holds international symposium at Portmeirion, with guests from Harvard University, the University of California and University of Utrecht, and examines the scope for regional economic development in a globalised economy.
September: The Society receives its Royal Charter.
2016: Promoting women scientists and the study of Wales
May: The Society launches its Hoggan Medal to celebrate outstanding research by women in STEMM. “The creation of this medal will hopefully also inspire others, particularly girls in Wales, to enter STEMM subjects and grasp the opportunities these offer”, says Dame Jean Thomas, inaugural Hoggan medallist.
December: Professor M Wynn Thomas FLSW delivers the annual lecture of the Learned Society of Wales and the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. ‘Studying Wales Today: A Micro-cosmopolitan Approach’ marks the start of the Society’s involvement in Wales Studies.
2017: Global connections
March: The Society, along with the six other UK national academies issued a joint statement in reaction to the Government’s decision to trigger Article 50 as part of the European Union.
May: The Hugh Owen Medal, for outstanding educational research, and the Dillwyn Medals for early career researchers are added to the Society’s roster of medals.
September: Publication of ‘Wales and the World’, a Times Higher Education featured supplement showcases the global impact of Welsh Higher Education research and innovation.
2018: Symposium success
September: Three-day symposium is held in Cambridge on ‘The Ethics of Sustainable Prosperity for All’, drawing participants from Europe, Africa and Australia. “I particularly appreciated the breadth of experience from so many parts of the world. It gave me a sense of Wales as a ‘connecting force,’” says one of the attendees.
2019: Convening experts
January: Our Future Health lecture series, inspired by the 70th anniversary year of the NHS and featuring seven public talks across Wales on health, kicks-off with Sir Leszek Borysiewicz FLSW on ‘The NHS: a success story but where next?’
March: Workshop with the Royal Society entitled “Net-zero Carbon Wales 2040: A vision of the future” brings together expertise from academia, government and industry to consider Wales’ potential as a leader in low-carbon technology.
2020: Adapting to the pandemic
January: ‘Wales Studies Research Snapshot’ is published, highlighting almost 60 examples of Wales Studies projects across institutions and academic disciplines. ‘Wales’s qualities include its culture, values, history, bilingualism, the importance of community and cynefin, political and social traditions, diversity and much more… These are not backward-looking clichés?; they are assets which set Wales apart.’
March: Covid marks a permanent shift towards hybrid working for the Society staff.
May: The Society marks its ten-year anniversary forced by the COVID-19 Pandemic to hold its AGM online. Outgoing President, Sir Emyr Jones Parry FLSW marks the occasion by saying “the Learned Society has a distinct contribution to make to life in Wales and to the opportunities and challenges facing Wales. We will do that more effectively, the more we mobilise the expertise of the Fellowship, our strongest asset.”
July: The Society’s Early Career Researchers Network launches. “It is my privilege to lead a Society that, increasingly, is investing in our next generation of leaders and Fellows,” says new President, Professor Hywel Thomas FLSW.
November: Three-day symposium on bilingualism and multilingualism, originally planned as in-person event takes place online, featuring 40 speakers, 450 attendees, and a poem from Hanan Issa, the National Poet of Wales.
2021: Developing partnerships
March: Launch of the Celtic Academies Alliance, with Royal Society of Edinburgh and Royal Irish Academy.
August: Partnership with HEFCW leads to the launch of the Society’s researcher development scheme, building on the Early Career Researchers Network.
October: Professor Margaret MacMillan HonFLSW and Professor Richard Evans FLSW take part in online debate on ‘Pandemics and more: learning from crises.’
2022: Grant scheme launched
March: The Society puts its name to a statement from ALLEA that condemns the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine while also recognising the bravery of researchers and the many others in Russia who have condemned the war.
May: Research Workshop Grant Scheme is launched after a pilot run. It encourages collaborative investigation into a research proposition that is at an early stage of its development.
2023: A year of innovation
February: ‘Considerations for Innovation Strategy in Wales’ report published, following year-long series of expert roundtables which informed the Welsh Government’s Innovation Strategy for Wales.
May: For the first time, 50% of new Fellows elected are women.
July: Inaugural Early Career Researchers Colloquium, is held in Swansea on the theme of ‘A Prosperous Wales’.
November: Publication of ‘The Impacts of Research from Universities in Wales’, a comprehensive review of the REF 2021 impact case studies.
2024: Major milestones
April: A third of new Fellows elected are from ethnic minority backgrounds, the highest percentage ever.
May: The Society’s AGM features a Nobel Prize Winner, American physicist Professor William Phillips who joins as a new Honorary Fellow.
July: The Society is part of the new Wales Arts and Humanities Alliance that has its inaugural meeting in Aberystwyth.
2025: Forward thinking
March: ‘Where next for Wales Studies’ Welsh version conference held in Aberystwyth to advance the Society’s work to promote Wales Studies.
July: Third Early Career Researchers Colloquium takes place, this time over two days as its popularity continues to grow.
September: New partnership created with The Williamson Trust to launch new ‘Trusted Voices’ grant scheme, and project to measure the Society’s impact.
Today
Today, the Society is a national institution with international reach. The increasingly diverse fellowship includes Nobel Prize winners, Archdruids of the National Eisteddfod, Supreme Court Judges, board members of Race Council Cymru, science communicators, and many more extraordinary people brought together by a shared mission to serve Wales.
Details of our mission and current strategy can be found here.