Founded in 1846 as the Royal Saxonian Society for the Sciences, the Saxonian Academy of Sciences in Leipzig, like its sister institutions, is based on the traditional idea of uniting “theoriam cum praxi”, as formulated by Leibniz. More than 200 scholars of all disciplines meet regularly for exchanging views, discussing methods and results of specialist research in interdisciplinary fashion, and engaging in long-term basic research. Ordinary fellows of the Saxonian Academy must be habitually resident in Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt or Thuringia at the time of election. The Academy is currently responsible for approximately 25 research projects, most of which are carried out in close cooperation with universities and other non-university research institutions. The Academy looks back on a long tradition of compiling scientific dictionaries. Some of its extensive collections were started as early as in the 19th century; they are processed using cutting-edge philological methods, then entered into databases and subsequently printed one volume at a time. Additional research interests at the Academy include history and regional studies. Among its regular projects is the edition of collections of sources, maps, and research findings on medieval legal history and on Saxonian history. Annotated editions of complete works and letters are also considered classical Academy projects. They are prepared by musicologists, art historians, and epigraphers; research projects on the history of science encompass all three classes. Basic research in the natural sciences is a major focus in the Academy’s research portfolio; key fields of study include physiology and anatomy, geology, agriculture, and environmental studies. In 1997, the Academy added a new component by introducing short-term research projects on predicting the consequences of technology, e.g. technology assessment and design.