Liaison With Other Organizations

IUPAP collaborates with other Unions and organizations. These collaborations are organized either through bilateral agreements or within the framework of multi-lateral projects and/or associations. Many of the multidisciplinary collaborative projects that the IUPAP has participated in have been coordinated or sponsored by the International Science Council (ISC) of which IUPAP is member. The IUPAP also collaborates with national and regional physical societies that are not directly involved in its organizational structure.

IUPAP has established long term relationships with many international associations that have been set up around physics related subjects. Most of these relations have been strengthened through the creation of Affiliated Commissions. As stated in the Union’s Articles and Internal Regulations, Affiliated Commissions mainly represent international groups of scientists that are constituted as an independent body.

The 30th General Assembly approved the creation of the Affiliated Commission of Physics Students (AC5) in collaboration with the International Association of Physics Students ({iaps}).

Many IUPAP territorial members adhere to the Union through a body that is not the physical society of the corresponding country. There are also regional physical societies in many regions of the world with no direct representation in the Union. The IUPAP has been trying to keep close ties with both these national and regional societies, representatives of whom have been invited to participate of Council and Commission Chairs Meetings or of the General Assembly. These Observer Organizations include:

• American Physical Society (APS)
• European Physical Society (EPS)
• Association of Asia Pacific Physics Societies (AAPPS)
• African Physical Society (AfPS)
• UK Institute of Physics (IoP)
• Ibero-American Association of Physical Societies (FEIASOFI)

The IUPAP is founding partner of the Standing Committee for Gender Equality in Science (SCGES). Building upon the very fruitful interdisciplinary collaboration that grew out of the Gender Gap in Science Project (see below), the international scientific unions that were partners in this project decided to set up a more permanent structure. To this end they signed a Memorandum of Understanding giving birth to SCGES, a committee that seeks to promote gender equality in science and in science education.

Currently with 18 international partners, SCGES has now launched a Webinar series to highlight various topics of interest around the focus tasks of the Committee.

IUPAP signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPST) to create the Inter-Union  Commission on the History and Philosophy of Physics.  The 30th General Assembly approved that this Inter-Union Commission be the Affiliated Commission on the History and Philosophy of Physics (AC6) of IUPAP.  With three members from the Division of History of Science and Technology of IUHPST and another three representing IUPAP, AC6 will actively participate in the organization of the conference on the history of physics and of IUPAP that is planned to take place within the framework of the celebrations for the IUPAP Centennial.

IUPAP has been the leading advocate for the proclamation of 2022/2023 as International Year of Basic Sciences for Sustainable Development (IYBSSD). Many international scientific unions and other partners are currently involved in the organization of the several activities that are expected to take place from mid 2022 through mid 2023.

IUPAP is a supporting the organization of the International Year of Sound 2020-2021. IUPAP Affiliated Commission AC3 (International Commission for Acoustics) is a founding member of this year.

IUPAP was a founding partner of the International Year of the Periodic Table (IYPT2019) that was celebrated in 2019 in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the discovery of the Periodic System by Dmitry Mendeleev. The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science, capturing the essence not only of chemistry, but also of physics, medicine, earth sciences and biology.

IUPAP led, together with the International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), the project entitled:“Utilization of Light Source and Crystallographic Sciences to Facilitate the Enhancement of Knowledge and Improve the Economic and Social Conditions in Targeted Regions of the World” which received a grant from ISC for the period 2017-2019. The project continues as “Lightsources for Africa, the Americas, Asia, Middle East and the Pacific” (LAAMP) with the support of IUPAP, IUCr, ICTP and various other partners. The aim of the project is to enhance Advanced Light Sources (AdLS) and crystallographic sciences in Africa, Mexico, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, Middle East and the Pacific Islands.

• International Science Council (ISC).
• Committee on Data of the International Science Council (CODATA)
• Committee for Space Research (COSPAR)
• Consultative Committee for Units (CCU) and Joint Committee for Guides in Metrology (JCGM) of Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM)
• Interdivisional Committee on Terminology, Nomenclature and Symbols (IDCNS) of IUPAC.

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