What are Associate Members?

At its 15^th General Assembly in August 2006 at Santiago de Compostela, Spain the IMU introduced Associate Members as new type of IMU membership. In contrast to ordinary membership an Associate Member does not need independent scientific activity. It is assumed that an Associate Member is determined to develop its mathematical landscape and has the will to become an IMU Member after four to eight years of associate membership.

The IMU welcomes its first two Associate Members. As of October 1, 2007,

• Ecuador
• Kyrgyzstan

The IMU asks countries interested in Associate Membership to contact the IMU Secretary <secretary@mathunion.org> concerning the application procedure.

The IMU Statutes describe this type of membership as follows:

III. Associate Membership

7. To encourage a country to become a Member of IMU, a country may adhere to the Union as an Associate Member through an Adhering Organization as described in article 3.
8. The Adhering Organization of an Associate Member shall form a Committee for Mathematics as described in article 5.
9. When an application is made for Associate Membership of the Union, the Executive Committee shall examine the application and make a recommendation thereon to the Members of the Union by correspondence or at a meeting of the General Assembly. The Members shall accept or reject the application in the light of this recommendation and of any other considerations before them either by postal ballot or at a meeting of the General Assembly.
10. A country that has previously been a Member of the Union is not eligible to apply for Associate Membership.
11. Associate Membership is for a period of four years from the date of election, renewable for one further period of four years on request to the Secretary of the Union. Associate Members are normally expected to apply for membership of the Union beginning no later than eight years from the date of election.
12. Extensions of Associate Membership beyond a period of eight years from the date of election may be granted for further periods of four years at a time. A request for such a four-year extension must be made to the Secretary of the Union. The Executive Committee shall examine the request and make a recommendation thereon to the Members of the Union by correspondence, by e-mail, or at a meeting of the General Assembly. The Members shall accept or reject the application in the light of this recommendation and of any other considerations before them either by postal or at a meeting of the General Assembly.