National Research Council

The National Research Council of the USA is the working arm of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering, carrying out most of the studies done in their names. The Research Council is not a membership organization. It was organized in 1916 in response to the increased need for scientific and technical services caused by World War I. The Research Council is administered jointly by the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine, and its work is overseen by a Governing Board and an Executive Committee. The president of the National Academy of Sciences is the chair of both the Governing Board and Executive Committee; the president of the National Academy of Engineering is vice chair.

(Source: http://www.nationalacademies.org/about/faq3)