Royal Society of Canada

What Royal Society of Canada does

The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) is Canada's senior national body of distinguished scholars, humanists, scientists, and artists. It was founded in 1882 by Royal Charter under the patronage of the Governor General and operates as a federal corporation established by act of Parliament, giving it a unique statutory position among Canadian learned societies. The Society is headquartered in Ottawa at Walter House and operates with a small staff of 11–50 employees.

Its core function is the election and convening of approximately 3,000 members organized across three Academies (Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science) together with the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The Society produces peer-reviewed policy and scholarly outputs—most notably a series of 750+ COVID-19 policy briefs—and runs recurring programs including the ARDAA initiative, the Tri-Academy Partnership on Indigenous Engagement, the international S20 and S7 engagement processes, and the annual COEE event.

The Society's business model is non-commercial. It does not receive government operating funding and is sustained through member contributions, donations, and program-related support. It is therefore a membership- and grant-funded institution whose 'revenue' is best understood as restricted and unrestricted contributions rather than sales of goods or services.

Name

Royal Society of Canada

Legal name

Royal Society of Canada

Website

https://rsc-src.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1882

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Royal Society of Canada is Canada's senior national body of distinguished scholars, humanists, scientists, and artists, electing and convening approximately 3,000 members across three Academies and a College of New Scholars to produce policy briefs and scholarly programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Honor Society and Scholarly Recognition Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (813920), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK), Social Sciences Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAD), Humanities & Arts Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAE), Academic & Scientific Conferences (MPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Scholarly recognition society
• Academic fellowship programs
• Policy research publications
• Interdisciplinary science awards
• Learned society Canada

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The RSC is an independent not-for-profit that does not receive operating funding from government. It relies on expert volunteers and financial contributions from members and supporters to provide analyses and Policy Briefings as a public good.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Royal Society of Canada is Canada's senior national learned society that elects distinguished scholars, humanists, scientists, and artists into its Fellowship and the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. It operates three Academies (Arts and Humanities, Social Sciences, and Science) and delivers scholarly recognition through awards, publishes the FACETS multidisciplinary science journal, produces policy briefings for governments, hosts events such as the Canadian Open access to Educational Resources (COEE), and sells branded RSC merchandise.

Product overview

The Royal Society of Canada is a federal corporation and national academic society that functions as a platform for recognizing excellence in arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. The organization operates a Fellowship Program for established scholars, the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists for emerging leaders, and an Awards and Excellence Program. It produces policy briefings and research reports, publishes the FACETS open access journal, and maintains programs including Science 20 (S20) and Science 7 (S7) for international scientific collaboration, ARDAA for at-risk academics, and the Tri-Academy Partnership on Indigenous Engagement. The Society also publishes Voices of the RSC expert perspectives, provides COVID-19 resources, and sells official merchandise. The RSC has approximately 3000 members distributed across three Academies and hosts the annual COEE celebration event.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RSC: Common abbreviation for Royal Society of Canada / Société royale du Canada

Products and services

• Fellowship Program Peer-elected Fellowship recognizing distinguished Canadian scholars across the disciplines of arts and humanities, social sciences, and science; for established senior scholars with significant contributions to their fields.
• College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists Mid-career recognition body within the RSC that honours emerging leaders in Canadian scholarship, arts, and science; for distinguished scholars typically within 15 years of their first significant academic appointment.
• Awards and Excellence Program Portfolio of medals, prizes, and awards recognizing outstanding scholarly, scientific, and artistic achievement by individuals and teams across Canada.
• Policy Briefings and Reports Independent, evidence-based policy briefings, position statements, and reports prepared by RSC Fellows for governments and public policy stakeholders; includes the annual Pre-Budget Submission to the Government of Canada.
• FACETS Multidisciplinary Science Journal Multidisciplinary open-access science journal published by the Royal Society of Canada, covering cross-cutting research across the natural and social sciences.
• Canadian Open access to Educational Resources (COEE) Event Recurring RSC event series focused on open access to educational resources and scholarly communication, convening members, institutions, and stakeholders.
• Voices of the RSC Publication series featuring opinion, analysis, and commentary from RSC Fellows and Members on issues of public importance, science policy, and Canadian scholarship.
• RSC Branded Merchandise Branded merchandise and publications sold by the RSC, including apparel, mugs, and printed materials bearing the Society's brand.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Science 20 (S20) - G20 Science AcademiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerS20 brings together national science academies from G20 countries as a platform for dialogue between the scientific community and policymakers. The RSC participates in annual cycles producing joint declarations with recommendations for G20 leaders based on scientific evidence.
• Science 7 (S7) - G7 Science AcademiescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerS7 is a grouping of science academies from G7 countries, with the RSC representing Canada. It serves as a forum for scientific collaboration and policy advice ahead of G7 summits.
• Tri-Academy Partnership on Indigenous EngagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership between RSC, Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi, and Australian Academy of Science focused on Indigenous engagement. RSC representatives (Marie Battiste, David Garneau, Françoise Baylis) attended meetings in Auckland, New Zealand to promote Indigenous identity, reconciliation, and collaboration.
• At-Risk and Displaced Academics and Artists (ARDAA) ProgrammecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgramme welcoming scholars and artists from around the world whose voices and contributions are threatened by conflict, persecution, or displacement. RSC works to expand the reach of this programme under College President Audrey Moores' leadership.
• COVID-19 Expert Network (750+ experts)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOver 750 experts engaged in preparing policy briefs and informed perspectives during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure Canadians had access to independent, evidence-based science.
• FACETS JournalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOpen access multidisciplinary journal published by the RSC, providing a platform for scholarly publishing across all three Academies.
• University of Montréal, HEC Montréal, and Polytechnique MontréalminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHost partners for the 2025 Celebration of Excellence and Engagement (COEE) held in Montréal from November 13-16, 2025.
• A.G. Huntsman FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe President of the RSC Academy of Science serves on the board of the A.G. Huntsman Foundation, which awards the annual Huntsman Prize for excellence in marine sciences. Located at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina: Germany's oldest independent academy of sciences (founded 1652) and the country's official advisory body on science policy. Comparable as a federally chartered, Fellowship-based, government-advisory national academy.
• French Académie des Sciences: France's national science academy, established in 1666. Comparable as a state-recognized learned society that advises government and confers membership on distinguished scientists.
• Australian Academy of Science: Australia's national science academy, established by Royal Charter in 1954. A direct peer through the Tri-Academy Partnership on Indigenous Engagement with the RSC, sharing the Fellow-based recognition model and government advisory role.
• British Academy: The UK's national academy for the humanities and social sciences, established by Royal Charter in 1902. Closely mirrors the RSC's three-Academy (Arts & Humanities, Social Sciences, Science) structure on the humanities/social-science side.
• American Academy of Arts and Sciences: US honorary society founded in 1780 that recognizes excellence across sciences, humanities, and public life. Closely parallels the RSC's interdisciplinary Academy structure and election-based Fellowship.
• Royal Society of New Zealand Te Apārangi: New Zealand's national academy covering sciences, humanities, and mātauranga Māori. A direct peer through the Tri-Academy Partnership on Indigenous Engagement and similar Crown-chartered, Fellow-driven operating model.
• Indian National Science Academy: India's national academy of science, established in 1935. Comparable in its government-advisory, Fellowship-based, and tri-academy structure aligned with national scholarly recognition.
• Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences: Sweden's national science academy, established in 1739 and best known for the Nobel Prizes. Comparable as a Royal-chartered, election-based academy that advises government and convenes internationally.
• Royal Society (UK): The UK's national academy of sciences and the world's oldest scientific society in continuous existence (since 1660). Shares the RSC's Royal-charter identity, Fellowship model, and role in advising government on scientific issues.
• National Academy of Sciences (USA): The United States' national academy of sciences, established by an Act of Congress in 1863 to advise the government on scientific matters. Closely parallel to the RSC in its federal-charter status, member-recognition model, and policy advisory function.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/rsc.src
• Xx.com/rsctheacademies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-royal-society-of-canada

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Royal Society of Canada