The International Mathematical Union (IMU) is an international organization devoted to global cooperation in the field of mathematics. It is a member of the International Science Council (ISC) and supports the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM). Its members are national mathematics organizations from more than 80 countries.
The objectives of the International Mathematical Union are: promoting international cooperation in mathematics, supporting and assisting the International Congress of Mathematicians and other international scientific meetings/conferences, acknowledging outstanding research contributions to mathematics through the awarding of scientific prizes, and encouraging and supporting other international mathematical activities, considered likely to contribute to the development of mathematical science in any of its aspects, whether pure, applied, or educational.
History The IMU was established in 1920, but dissolved in September 1932 and reestablished in 1950 at the Constitutive Convention in New York, de jure on September 10, 1951, when ten countries had become members. The last milestone was the General Assembly in March 1952, in Rome, Italy where the activities of the new IMU were inaugurated and the first Executive Committee, President and various commissions were elected. In 1952 the IMU was also readmitted to the ICSU. The past president of the Union is Carlos Kenig (2019–2022). The current president is Hiraku Nakajima.
At the 16th meeting of the IMU General Assembly in Bangalore, India, in August 2010, Berlin was chosen as the location of the permanent office of the IMU, which was opened on January 1, 2011, and is hosted by the Weierstrass Institute for Applied Analysis and Stochastics (WIAS), an institute of the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Scientific Community, with about 120 scientists engaging in mathematical research applied to complex problems in industry and commerce.
Commissions and committees IMU has a close relationship to mathematics education through its International Commission on Mathematical Instruction (ICMI). This commission is organized similarly to IMU with its own Executive Committee and General Assembly.
Developing countries are a high priority for the IMU and a significant percentage of its budget, including grants received from individuals, mathematical societies, foundations, and funding agencies, is spent on activities for developing countries. Since 2011 this has been coordinated by the Commission for Developing Countries (CDC).
The Committee for Women in Mathematics (CWM) is concerned with issues related to women in mathematics worldwide. It organizes the World Meeting for Women in Mathematics as a satellite event of ICM.
The International Commission on the History of Mathematics (ICHM) is operated jointly by the IMU and the Division of the History of Science (DHS) of the International Union of History and Philosophy of Science (IUHPS).
The Committee on Electronic Information and Communication (CEIC) advises IMU on matters concerning mathematical information, communication, and publishing.
Prizes The scientific prizes awarded by the IMU, in the quadrennial International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), are deemed to be some of the highest distinctions in the mathematical world. These are: the Fields Medals (two to four awarded per Congress, since 1936); the IMU Abacus Medal (previously known as the Rolf Nevanlinna Prize; awarded since 1986); the Carl Friedrich Gauss Prize (since 2006); the Chern Medal (since 2010); and the Leelavati Award (since 2010).
Membership and General Assembly The IMU's members are Member Countries and each Member country is represented through an Adhering Organization, which may be its principal academy, a mathematical society, its research council or some other institution or association of institutions, or an appropriate agency of its government. A country starting to develop its mathematical culture and interested in building links with mathematicians all over the world is invited to join IMU as an Associate Member. For the purpose of facilitating jointly sponsored activities and jointly pursuing the objectives of the IMU, multinational mathematical societies and professional societies can join IMU as an Affiliate Member. Every four years, the IMU membership gathers in a General Assembly (GA), which consists of delegates appointed by the Adhering Organizations, together with the members of the executive committee. All important decisions are made at the GA, including the election of the officers, establishment of commissions, the approval of the budget, and any changes to the statutes and by-laws.
Members and associate members The IMU has 83 (full) Member countries and two Associate Members (Bangladesh and Paraguay, marked below by light grey background).
+ Country Adhering Society National mathematics societies Algeria Société Mathématique d’Algérie Argentina Unión Matemática Argentina Armenia Institute of Mathematics, National Academy of Sciences of RA Armenian Mathematical Union Australia Australian Academy of Science Australian Mathematical Society Australian Association of Mathematics Teachers Austria Austrian Academy of Sciences Austrian Mathematical Society Bangladesh Bangladesh Mathematical Society Belarus Institute of Mathematics, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Belgium The Royal Academies for Science and the Arts of Belgium Belgian Mathematical Society Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnian Mathematical Society Brazil Sociedade Brasileira de Matemática Associação Brasileira de Estatística Associação Nacional dos Professores de Matemática na Educação Básica Sociedade Brasileira de Educação Matemática Sociedade Brasileira de História da Matemática Sociedade Brasileira de Matemática Aplicada e Computacional Bulgaria Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Union of Bulgarian Mathematicians Cameroon Cameroon Mathematical Union Canada National Research Council of Canada Canadian Mathematical Society Canadian Society for the History and Philosophy of Mathematics Statistical Society of Canada Canadian Applied and Industrial Mathematics Society Chile Sociedad de Matemática de Chile China Chinese Mathematical Society Mathematical Society of the Republic of China Colombia Sociedad Colombiana de Matemáticas Croatia Croatian Mathematical Society Cuba Universidad de la Habana Cyprus Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Cyprus Czech Republic Union of Czech Mathematicians and Physicists Czech Mathematical Society Denmark Det Kongelige Danske Videnskabernes Selskab Danish Mathematical Society Ecuador Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Matemática Egypt Academy of Scientific Research and Technology Egyptian Mathematical Society Estonia Estonian Academy of Sciences Estonian Mathematical Society Finland Council of Finnish Academies Finnish Mathematical Society France Comité National Français des Mathématiciens Société Française de Statistique Société de Mathématiques Appliquées et Industrielles Société Mathématique de France Georgia Georgian Mathematical Union Germany Deutsche Mathematiker-Vereinigung Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik Gesellschaft für Didaktik der Mathematik Greece Academy of Athens Greek Mathematical Society Hong Kong The Hong Kong Mathematical Society Hungary János Bolyai Mathematical Society Iceland Icelandic Mathematical Society India Indian National Science Academy Indonesia The Indonesian Mathematical Society Iran Iranian Mathematical Society Ireland Irish Mathematical Society Israel Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Israel Mathematical Union Italy Istituto Nazionale di Alta Matematica Francesco Severi Unione Matematica Italiana Ivory Coast Société Mathématique de Côte d'Ivoire Japan Science Council of Japan Kazakhstan Institute of Mathematics and Mathematical Modeling Kenya Mathematics Association of Kenya South Korea Korean Mathematical Society Kyrgyzstan Mathematical Society of Kyrgyzstan Latvia Latvian Mathematical Society Lithuania Lithuanian Mathematical Society Luxembourg Luxembourg Mathematical Society Malaysia The Malaysian Academy of Mathematical Scientists Mexico Mexican Mathematical Society Mongolia The Mongolian Mathematical Society Montenegro Society of Mathematicians and Physicists of Montenegro Montenegro Mathematical Society Morocco Le Centre de Recherches Mathématiques de Rabat Netherlands Het Koninklijk Wiskundig Genootschap New Zealand Royal Society Te Apārangi New Zealand Mathematical Society Nigeria Nigerian Mathematical Society Norway The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters Norwegian Mathematical Society Oman Sultan Qaboos University Pakistan National Mathematical Society of Pakistan All Pakistan Mathematical Association Pakistan Mathematical Society Punjab Mathematical Society Paraguay Sociedad Matemática Paraguaya Peru Sociedad Matematica Peruana Philippines Mathematical Society of the Philippines Poland Polish Academy of Sciences Polish Mathematical Society Portugal Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia Sociedade Portuguesa de Matemática Sociedade Portuguesa de Estatística Romania Romanian Academy Romanian Mathematical Society Russia Russian Academy of Sciences Moscow Mathematical Society St. Petersburg Mathematical Society Siberian Mathematical Society Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology Saudi Association for Mathematical Sciences Senegal Senegalese Mathematical Society Serbia Mathematical Society of Serbia Singapore Singapore Mathematical Society Slovakia Union of Slovak Mathematicians and Physicists Slovak Mathematical Society Slovenia Society of Mathematicians, Physicists and Astronomers of Slovenia Slovenian Discrete and Applied Mathematics Society South Africa National Research Foundation South African Mathematical Society Association for Mathematics Education of South Africa Spain Comité Español de Matemáticas Royal Spanish Mathematical Society Catalan Mathematical Society Spanish Statistics and Operations Research Society Spanish Society of Applied Mathematics Spanish Society of Research on Mathematics Education Spanish Federation of Mathematics Teachers Associations Sweden The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Swedish Mathematical Society Switzerland Swiss Mathematical Society Thailand The Center for Promotion of Mathematical Research of Thailand Tunisia Société Mathématique de Tunisie Turkey Turkish Mathematical Society Ukraine Ukrainian Mathematical Society Kyiv Mathematical Society Kharkiv Mathematical Society Donetsk Mathematical Society Lviv Mathematical Society Ivano-Frankivsk Mathematical Society United Kingdom London Mathematical Society Edinburgh Mathematical Society Institute of Mathematics and its Applications Royal Statistical Society United States U.S. National Academy of Sciences Board on International Scientific Organizations American Mathematical Association of Two-Year Colleges American Mathematical Society Association of Mathematics Teacher Educators American Statistical Association Association for Symbolic Logic Association for Women in Mathematics Association of State Supervisors of Mathematics Benjamin Banneker Association Institute of Mathematical Statistics Mathematical Association of America National Council of Supervisors of Mathematics National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics Society of Actuaries Uruguay Área Matemática - Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas Uzbekistan Uzbek Mathematical Society Venezuela Asociación Matemática Venezolana Vietnam Vietnam Mathematical Society
Affiliate members The IMU has five affiliate members:
African Mathematical Union (AMU) European Mathematical Society (EMS) Mathematical Council of the Americas (MCofA) Southeast Asian Mathematical Society (SEAMS) Unión Matemática de América Latina y el Caribe (UMALCA)
Organization and Executive Committee