Professor Vsevolod M. IGNATOVSKII, Academician (History) was called the first President of the Academy. The inauguration of the Academy was in Minsk on January 1, 1929, in tenth anniversary of the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic foundation. At first there were only 128 specialists working at the Academy, with 87 researchers among them. But from the very outset the Academy has became the leading scientific center influencing the economic, engineering, social and cultural development of the Republic of Belarus. In early 1941 the number of the Academy personnel increased up to 750. There were 12 research bodies, including 9 scientific institutes, in its organizational structure.

The normal research and development activities of the Academy was interrupted by the World War II. A part of scientists continued their research work in Russia or other regions of the former Soviet Union. Many specialists of the Academy took part in military actions against Nazi invaders. The biggest tragedy brought about by the war was the loss of scientific staff. The whole number of the Academy personnel was about 360 in 1945. The scientific laboratories, equipment, buildings, the library's funds were burnt or robbed.

After Minsk liberation in July 1944, by the beginning of 1945 eight Academy's institutes renewed their activities, and in 1951 twenty nine research institutions were restored or created anew. A number of researchers, technicians and supporting personnel increased to 1234, among them there were 33 Academicians, 27 Corresponding Members, 55 Professors and Doctors of Sciences, and 165 Candidates of Sciences working in the Academy. The structure of further research activities was developed under the influence of changes in the structure of national economy of Belarus, the requirements of science development, national traditions and the existing scientific potential. The development of the Academy and training the researchers for its institutes was supported by the governments of Belarus and USSR, and also by the famous scientific centers of Moscow, Leningrad and other cities of the former Soviet Union.

During its 80-year history, the well-known and authoritative scientific schools were formed in the NAS of Belarus. The Academy scientists achieved significant success in R&D activities, a series of the large scale theoretical and practical problems in the field of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, Earth science, social sciences and the humanities are solved by them. The research results obtained by the Academician Yevmenii G. KONOVALOV (Physics, 1972), Academician Afanasii A. AKHREM (Chemistry, 1975), Academician Nikolai A. BORISEVICH (Physics, 1977), Academician Fyodor I. FEDOROV (Physics, 1980), Veniamin I. VOTYAKOV (Medicine & Biology, 1986), Corresponding Member Vladimir S. ULASHCHIK (Medicine & Biology, 1991), and Candidate of Chemical Sciences Viktoriya A. LAPINA (Biophysics & Biochemistry, 1991) were registered as scientific discoveries in the former Soviet Union and are widely recognized abroad.