The National Academy of Sciences of Belarus (NAS of Belarus, or NASB) is the highest state scientific organization of the Republic of Belarus, a country in the middle of Europe. The National Academy of Sciences is reported to the President of the Republic of Belarus, accountable to the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus and carries out the organization and coordination of fundamental and applied research performed by all subjects of scientific activities, provides fundamental and applied research and developments in the main directions of natural, engineering, social sciences, the humanities and arts with the purposes of obtaining new knowledge about human, society, nature and artificial objects, increasing the scientific and technical, intellectual and spiritual potential of the Republic of Belarus. The National Academy of Sciences carries out the organization, conduction and coordination of the state of scientific expertise, pursues common state policy, coordination and state regulation of activities of organizations in the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes, serves as an umbrella organization of Belarus on scientific and methodological support of informatization development, and also carries out, accordingly to the Law of the Republic of Belarus 'On the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus' and the Statute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, some functions of a republican body of state management in the field of science.