Royal Society of NSW

What Royal Society of NSW does

The Royal Society of NSW (legally Royal Society of New South Wales, ABN 76 470 896 415) is Australia's oldest learned society, founded in Sydney in 1821 and operating as a registered non-profit charity. It functions as a peer-recognized scientific membership body across New South Wales, serving researchers, academics, Fellows, early-career researchers, and industry professionals through a portfolio of publications, events, and awards. Its core offerings include the Journal and Proceedings (a peer-reviewed scientific publication established in the 1850s and one of the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere, published twice yearly in June and December), The Bulletin monthly newsletter (February–December), the Events and Lectures Program (OGMs, branch meetings, Ideas@theHouse at Government House), and an Awards Program encompassing medals such as the James Cook, Clarke, Edgeworth David, Warren, Walter Burfitt, Jak Kelly, History and Philosophy of Science Medals, plus scholarships and named lectureships (Liversidge, Poggendorff, Pollock Memorial, Clarke Memorial, Archibald Ollé).

The Society operates from Sydney with four regional branches — Hunter (Newcastle), New England North West (Armidale), Southern Highlands (Mittagong), and Western NSW — delivering venues at State Library of NSW, Government House, NEX Newcastle, and the Dixson Library, University of New England, where its historical 40,000+ volume library collection is housed as a Special Collection. Revenues derive from annual membership subscriptions across tiers (Full Member NSW/ACT $79.50, Interstate $53, Fellow NSW/ACT $132.49, Associate Members with waived joining fee), a $50 one-time joining fee for new Full Members and Fellows, journal subscriptions ($70 members, $150 non-members), per-event pricing (e.g., OGMs Members $20 / Non-members $30; Hunter Branch Members $15 / Non-members $25), donations, and bequests. Distribution extends to a global audience via the Smithsonian Biodiversity Heritage Library (digitized journals 1862–2000), Informit indexing, a YouTube channel launched March 2020, and journal-exchange agreements with hundreds of international institutions. A ~23-person staff supports operations across publishing, events, governance, and member services.

Name

Royal Society of NSW

Legal name

Royal Society of New South Wales

Website

https://royalsoc.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1821

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Royal Society of NSW is Australia's oldest learned society (founded 1821), serving researchers, academics, Fellows, and early-career scientists through a peer-reviewed Journal, monthly Bulletin, awards program, regional branches across NSW, and lectures hosted at Government House Sydney and the State Library of NSW.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Learned Society and Scientific Membership Organization

NAICS

Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAGAFAK

Scholarly Society & Association Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

SECONDARYMPAJABAK

Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYEDAGAFAI

Interdisciplinary & Multidisciplinary Scholarly Publishing

Education/Educational Publishing & Learning Content/Academic & Scholarly Publishing (Journals, Monographs)

SECONDARYTHAHACAA

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies)

Travel & Hospitality/MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences & Exhibitions)/Professional Conference Organizers (PCOs) & Meeting Planners

SECONDARYMPAJABAC

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed)

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Publishing (Books, News, Magazines)/Educational & Academic Publishing (Textbooks, Scholarly, STM)

SECONDARYMPAGAGAD

Academic & Scientific Conferences

Media, Entertainment & Sports/Live Entertainment & Events (Concerts, Theater, Festivals)/Conventions & Conferences (Business Events)

Keywords

• Learned society
• Scientific publishing
• Membership organization
• Research awards
• Academic lectures

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Royal Society of NSW is a non-profit learned society that delivers scholarly publishing, scientific events, an awards program, and membership services to researchers and academics. It publishes the peer-reviewed Journal and Proceedings twice yearly, distributes the monthly Bulletin newsletter, runs Ordinary General Meetings, branch meetings, and the Ideas@theHouse series at Government House, and administers one of Australia's oldest scientific awards programs. Members receive access to events, publications, networking, and eligibility for recognition, funded through membership fees, donations, and bequests.

Product overview

The Royal Society of NSW operates as a learned society offering a unified portfolio of scholarly publishing, events, and membership services. Its core offerings include the Journal and Proceedings (one of the oldest peer-reviewed journals in the Southern Hemisphere), The Bulletin monthly newsletter, an annual awards program, branch meetings and lectures, forums, published books, and a historical library collection. These products collectively support the Society's mission of enriching lives through knowledge and inquiry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of NSW

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• University of New England (Dixson Library)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society's library collection, including journals and monographs acquired, bequeathed or donated, is housed at the Dixson Library, University of New England as a Special Collection. The collection is fully catalogued and available to researchers through the University's online catalogue. This partnership enables preservation and access to the Society's historical scientific materials.
• Royal Australian Chemical InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Liversidge lectureship is awarded biennially for research in chemistry and is presented in conjunction with the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.
• University of SydneyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Pollock Memorial Lectureship is sponsored jointly by the University of Sydney and the Society in memory of Professor J.A. Pollock, Professor of Physics at the University of Sydney (1899-1922).
• State Library of NSWcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrdinary General Meetings and open lectures are held at the State Library of NSW, specifically the Michael Crouch Room in the Mitchell Building. This provides the Society with a prestigious venue for its main events program.
• Government House SydneycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Ideas@theHouse series is presented at Government House Sydney, hosted by His Excellency the Honourable Andrew Bell AC KC, Lieutenant-Governor of NSW. This prestigious partnership enables the Society to hold exclusive events at the historic venue.
• Smithsonian Biodiversity Heritage LibraryminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Society's journals from 1862 to 2000 have been scanned by the Smithsonian's Biodiversity Heritage Library in the USA, with OCR enabling text searches and PDF downloads. This partnership provides global access to the Society's historical publications.
• InformitminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Journal is archived and articles indexed via Informit, providing another access pathway for researchers through institutional subscriptions.
• NSW National Parks and Wildlife ServiceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMentioned in context of the Wild Deserts project collaboration led by UNSW's Centre for Ecosystem Science and Ecological Horizons. The Society hosts lectures related to this ecosystem restoration initiative.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Australian Academy of Science: Australia's national scientific academy, operating a much larger fellowship and grants program. A broader incumbent in the same learned-society space, with overlapping audiences of distinguished researchers.
• Royal Society of London: The original Royal Society and global benchmark for learned societies. Operates a much larger publication, fellowship, and grants portfolio but shares the same Royal-charter, multidisciplinary, and awards-based model.
• Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE): National academy with an engineering/technology focus, similar fellowship and awards structure. Overlaps with RSNSW's Warren Prize and engineering events but operates at national scale.

Direct peers

• Royal Society of Tasmania: Tasmania's equivalent learned society, publishing the Papers and Proceedings journal and hosting scientific lectures. Same historical-institution model and nonprofit structure.
• Royal Society of Queensland: State-level learned society in Queensland publishing proceedings, recognising scientific achievement, and hosting lectures. Same Australia-wide learned society ecosystem and member/non-profit structure.
• Royal Society of Victoria: State-level learned society in Victoria, Australia, operating on an almost identical model: peer-reviewed journal, awards program, membership tiers, and monthly lectures. Directly comparable in scope, audience, and operating model.
• Royal Society of South Australia: Another Australian state-level Royal Society publishing a peer-reviewed journal and awarding medals for scientific contribution. Closely mirrors RSNSW's mission, membership tiers, and programming.

Regional players

• Australian Academy of the Humanities: National humanities academy with a parallel fellowship model. Comparable to RSNSW's multidisciplinary charter but focused on humanities rather than natural sciences.

Emerging players

• Royal Institution of Australia (RiAus): Australian spin-off of the Royal Institution, focused on public science communication via events and digital content. Comparable in public-engagement mission but with a younger, more media-oriented profile.

Others

• Australian Council of Learned Academies (ACOLA): Umbrella body coordinating Australia's four learned academies. Not a direct competitor but a peer ecosystem participant that informs and convenes the same scholarly community RSNSW serves.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/royalsocnsw
• YouTubeyoutube.com/royalsocnsw
• Facebookfacebook.com/RoyalSoc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royalsocnsw

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Royal Society of NSW