The International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) is a
non-profit organization
A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...
and
non-governmental organization
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
, founded in 1919, that promotes the biological sciences internationally. As a scientific umbrella organization it was a founding member of the
International Council for Science
The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the advancement of science. Its members ...
(ICSU).
Objectives
The union has several key objectives:
* to promote the study of
biological sciences
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary ...
;
* to initiate, facilitate and coordinate research and other scientific activities necessitating international, interdisciplinary cooperation;
* to ensure the discussion and dissemination of the results of cooperative research, particularly in connection with IUBS scientific programmes;
* to support the organisation of international conferences and assist in the publication of their reports.
Networking and cooperation
The Union was a founding member of the
ICSU
The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to multilateralism, international cooperation in the advancement of scie ...
Scientific Committee and works closely with
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
. It also maintains relations with the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO), the
Food and Agriculture Organization
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)french: link=no, Organisation des Nations unies pour l'alimentation et l'agriculture; it, Organizzazione delle Nazioni Unite per l'Alimentazione e l'Agricoltura is an intern ...
(FAO) and the
United Nations Environment Programme
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the United Nations Conference on th ...
(UNEP). It cooperates with the
European Commission
The European Commission (EC) is the executive of the European Union (EU). It operates as a cabinet government, with 27 members of the Commission (informally known as "Commissioners") headed by a President. It includes an administrative body o ...
and numerous other organizations, agencies and foundations.
Organisation
The Union currently consists of:
* 44 national members, consisting of national science academies, research and scientific organizations,
* 80 scientific members, including international scientific associations, societies or commissions of the various biological disciplines, from
biology
Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...
to
zoology
Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...
. New members are allowed under strict scientific guidelines.
The national and the academic members identify promising areas of biological science and bring them to the attention of the Union and in the reverse, promote the programs of the Union in their own country to stimulate research projects. The Union reviews the member's suggestions, checks them against the international academic and scientific-political background and develops the programs, if they have sufficient support. Approval is given in the General Assembly and the project progresses through international conferences for accreditation and then implementation through national or international funding agencies.
Board
The Executive Committee consists of: the President, the former president, two Vice-Presidents, the Secretary, the Treasurer and other members of the Extended Board. The Board meets annually. The Secretariat, with its Executive Director coordinates the programs and activities.
General Assembly
In the General Assembly, each national member has one vote. The scientific members are invited to send one representative each to the talks and make programmatic proposals. The General Assembly elects the Executive Board for the proposed projects, selects the scientific programs of the Union, reviews the progress of scientific programs, collaborates with other international organizations and decides on the allocation of funding. The General Assembly takes place in parallel to a scientific conference, organized in cooperation with the National Union Committee of the host country.
Programmes
The scientific programmes of the General Assembly are approved in accordance with the Statutes of the Union. Where necessary and possible, the EU has granted start-up funding for individual programs, that supports the further funding from national or international donors or by negotiated agreements with the Union.
Examples of programmes
Diversitas, Human Dimensions of Biodiversity, Climate Change Integrative Biology (ICCB), Systematics Agenda, Biological Education (BioED), IUBS Bioethics Ethics Committee earlier, Bionomenclature, Biology and Traditional Knowledge, Biological Consequences of Global Change (BCGC) Darwin200, Biosystematics, Species 2000, Genomics and Evolution, Modernizing the codes to meet future needs of scientific communities (Biocode), Biology Research and Education Resources in Africa, Reproductive Biology, Aquaculture, Bio-Energy and Towards an Integrative Biology (TAIB),
Global Species List Working Group
The Global Species List Working Group (GSLWG) is a non-profit organization and non-governmental organization, founded in 2020, developed under the umbrella of the IUBS with the aim of creating a governance system that imbues global taxon lists wit ...
(GSLWG).
Publications
The institution publishes four times a year ''Biology International'' and other publications such as ''IUBS Monograph Series'', ''Methodology Manual Series'' and the ''Proceedings of the IUBS General Assemblies''.
Legal status and finance
The International Union of Biological Sciences is non-profit and does not pursue economic goals. It is funded from the following sources:
* annual dues of full members;
* assistance received from UNESCO and other international organizations that support the scientific programs of the Union;
* other sources
The activities of the Union are within an annual budget of about 340,000, - € (2006). Of these, the salaries of a director and a secretary are paid, who run the Union's office in Paris. All other offices (President, Secretary General, Treasurer, etc.) are honorary offices for which only the direct expenses will be paid for.
History
The Union was founded in 1919 following the work of the ''Conference of Allied Academies of Sciences'' held in Brussels. Originally the 'S' was not for science but for Societies.
After defining its constitution and organization in 1925, the IUBS adheres to the International Research Council (International Council for Science), which is now known by the acronym ICSU (International Council of Scientific Unions).
From 1925 to 1939, the IUBS worked on two main themes: information science and the environment. This second project resulted in the creation of the ''World Conservation Union'' or IUCN.
After being dormant for 1935 to 1949, the IUCB developed a highly original program of international research:
* In the eighties, it developed a number of scientific programs, such as the Decade of the Tropics, bioindicators, biological complexity and biodiversity.
* Since the 2000s the organization has been working on various projects: Diversity, Biosystematics, Species 2000 and Bionomenclature.
See also
*
Academy of Sciences
An academy of sciences is a type of learned society or academy (as special scientific institution) dedicated to sciences that may or may not be state funded. Some state funded academies are tuned into national or royal (in case of the Unite ...
External links
Official International Union of Biological Sciences−IUBS website
;Programmes of the IUBS
BioethicsDiversitas
{{Authority control
Biology organizations
International scientific organizations
Scientific supraorganizations
Members of the International Council for Science
Organizations based in Paris
Scientific organizations based in France
Scientific organizations established in 1919
Members of the International Science Council