IUPAP Executive Council and Commission Chairs, October 2026

26 Oct 2026, 14:00 → 29 Oct 2026, 21:30 Europe/Zurich

Principia Institute; ICTP-SAIFR

Silvina Ponce Dawson

The EC&CC meeting is hybrid. Registered users who want to connect online shall participate via the Zoom room: [[to be provided later]]

Registered participants will receive the access code per email. If you do not have the code, contact secretariat@iupap.org.

Executive Council and Commission chairs meeting on October 27, 28 and 29 from 14.00 to 17.00 CET (Geneva time) --> the time in São Paulo will be: 10:00 to 13:00 (10:00 AM to 1:00 PM).

The IUPAP General Assembly will be held on October 30, in principle, between 13:00 and 17:00 CET (this is between 9:00AM and 1:00PM in São Paulo). If necessary, we will start half an hour earlier. The exact starting time will be confirmed when the final agenda will be shared.

This agenda might be (slightly) updated in the coming months. We expect to have its final version in September 2026. All the times in the agenda correspond to the Europe/Zurich time zone (CET). Please be aware that Europe changes time zone (from CEST to CET) on October 25th, just before the week of this meeting. 

 

Monday 26 October

1 C1: Committee on Policy and Finance: Financial matters restricted meeting, to be held in Michel Spiro's Zoom room]

The material for this meeting will be shared elsewhere.

Attendees: members of C1
- President
- Past-President
- President-Designate
- Secretary General for Administrative Affairs
- Deputy Secretary General for Administrative Affairs
- Secretary General
- Deputy Secretary General
- Associate Secretary General
- Treasurer
- Vice President for Membership and Development
- Vice President for Special Projects

Meeting to review the matters to be discussed at the EC&CC meeting, the conduct of that meeting as well as general matters on decisions that are made on a daily basis, especially related to expenses and their control.

2 Coffee Break if necessary

3 C1: Committee on Policy and Finance: Financial matters restricted meeting, continuation

Meeting with representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean

The aim of this meeting, which is scheduled to take place during two consecutive afternoons in Sao Paulo (on Monday and Tuesday) is to discuss options for IUPAP to engage better with the physical societies and communities of the region helping with their development and impact. Presentations will be made of IUPAP, IUPAP members from the region and of various regional initiatives and organizations. These presentations will be followed by discussions on potential collaborative activities in the region as well as of funding options. A more detailed agenda will be announced soon.

Tuesday 27 October

4 Welcome by Presidency

Speakers: Silvina Ponce Dawson, Dr Michel Spiro (Université Paris-Saclay (FR)), Sunil Gupta

5 Introduction of the Participants

Speaker: Mr Jens Vigen (CERN)

6 Approval and adoption of the Agenda

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

7 Report on the Trieste Office

• IUPAP administrative issues
• Communication channels
• IUPAP awards and medals

Speakers: Marina Cobal (Universita degli Studi di Udine (IT)), Stefano Fantoni

8 Report on the Association in Geneva

• IUPAP tax exempt for a period of five years, starting in 2021. Needs to be renewed in 2025. It's advancing.
• Continuation with accountant and auditor: Moore Stephens Refidar SA

Speaker: Mr Jens Vigen (CERN)

9 Minutes of the previous EC&CC meeting, "to do list" and matters arising

Approval of the minutes of the EC&CC meeting held online on October 28-30, 2025 available here.

We include below the to do list that came from this EC&CC meeting:

• Advance with designated Commission Chairs.
• Advance with reorganization of Standing Committees.
• Advance with new SC on Major Neutron Facilities.
• Advance with transformation of WG15 into Commission C7 on Soft Matter.
• Advance agreement with Frontiers in Physics to publish contributions by awardees of ECSPs.
• Collect information from all Commissions to advance with new MOU with CERN.
• Advance with appointment of chairs of new WGs.
• Advance agreement with Frontiers in Physics to publish contributions by awardees of ECSPs.
• Discuss possible actions to increase the impact of IUPAP on physics education. Contact physical societies to learn what they are doing in this regard.
• Advance organization of EC&CC meeting in 2026 in hybrid format with the in-person part in Sao Paulo.
• Improve and increase engagement with CODATA. Alex Hansen (chair of WG20 and IUPAP representative on CODATA) and Cyrus Walther (member of the board of CODATA proposed by IUPAP, former IAPS president and now member of the SC on Physics outside Academia) have helped in this regard. In particular, their collaboration has been key for IUPAP to receive the invitation to nominate someone to take part on CODATA's Task Group on the Digital Representation of Units of Measurement (DRUM). After consulting with C2 we nominated Richard Brown (current C2's Vice Chair). The nomination was immediately accepted.
• Major updates on website to accommodate all structural changes.
• Allow one Commission to change its own page on the IUPAP website (pilot with C14).

Matters arising:

• New MOUs with several organizations (UNESCO, IAEA, COSPAR, AUI).
• Possible new Commissions (Quantum Technologies, Fluid Physics).
• Statement on Space Research.
• Statement to be released during the in person GA in 2027. Inspirational example: IUPAC Stockholm Declaration on Chemistry for the Future. See also ISC page about it.

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

IUPAP EC&CC MEETING Minutes Oct 2025.pdf

10 Decisions made by Council since the 34th IUPAP General Assembly

Resolution to be presented for the approval of the 35th GA:

The 35th IUPAP General Assembly notes the decisions made by Council after the previous GA and approves them all (see details here). This implies approving:
It also takes note of other decisions made by Council that do not require the specific approval of the GA (see details here). They are:

Speakers: Michel Spiro (Université Paris-Saclay (FR)), Silvina Ponce Dawson

11 Group photo

15:15 Tea and coffee break

12 Membership issues

Speakers: Igle Gledhill, Prof. Irvy (Igle) Gledhill (U. Witwatersrand, South Africa)

13 Special Projects and Sponsorship

• LAAAMP
• Project presented by (former) WG16 on Physics and Industry and collaborators on Education and Physics outside academia.
• Project to strengthen the relations with IAEA and the accelerator science community.
• Transdisciplinary Research Platform (Zenodo). Proposal developed with CERN colleagues to expand the the use of Zenodo for transdisciplinary research initiatives associated with the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development.
• Contribution with Physics without Frontiers

Speakers: Boris Sharkov (JINR), Boris Sharkov, Christophe Rossel, Jens Vigen (CERN), Mr Jens Vigen (CERN), Kuijuan Jin (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Silvina Ponce Dawson

14 Conferences proposed for sponsorship

Speaker: Rudzani Nemutudi (South African National Research Foundation: iThemba LABS)

Meeting with representatives from Latin America and the Caribbean

The aim of this meeting, which is scheduled to take place during two consecutive afternoons in Sao Paulo (on Monday and Tuesday) is to discuss options for IUPAP to engage better with the physical societies and communities of the region helping with their development and impact. Presentations will be made of IUPAP, IUPAP members from the region and of various regional initiatives and organizations. These presentations will be followed by discussions on potential collaborative activities in the region as well as of funding options. A more detailed agenda will be announced soon.

Wednesday 28 October

15 Review of Day 1

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

16 Commission Matters

• a) Reports from Commissions and Affiliated Commissions.
  • Please see attached documents below for the reports received.
• b) Commission Prizes and fund allocation. Also, see Word file below with form that could be shared for the submission of candidates of ECSPs.
• c) Early Career Scientist Prizes Form
• d) Incoming commission chairs who will be voted as "designated chairs" by the 35th GA. The designated chairs will participate in person of the 2027 GA and become Commission Chairs following this GA.
  • Reminder of the balance of current IUPAP CCs and of EC members.
• e) ECSPs and Frontiers in Physics.
• f) Commission contributions to Newsletter.
• g) Advancement with C7, Commission on Soft Matter.
• h) Creation of new Commissions (Quantum Technologies and Fluid Physics).
• i) Storing information on decisions, activities, etc on Zenodo.

Presentations by selected commissions

Speakers: Gabriella Marra, Dr Michel Spiro (Université Paris-Saclay (FR)), Silvina Ponce Dawson, Sunil Gupta

17 Advancement with IUPAP's rejuvenation.

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

18 Standing Committees

Advancements with SCs

• SCs under Commissions
• SCs under VPs at Large

15:40 Tea and coffee break

19 Working Groups

• a) Progress reports from Working Groups
  • Please see documents attached below for the reports received so far.
• b) Presentations by selected WGs
• c) Status of newly created WGs
  • Working Group on new IUPAP Standing Committees
  • Working Group on AI and Machine Learning

Speakers: Igle Gledhill, Silvina Ponce Dawson

20 Financial matters

Speakers: Boris Sharkov, Boris Sharkov (JINR)

Thursday 29 October

21 Review of Day 2

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

22 Communications

• IUPAP internet, website
• Newsletter

Speaker: Sandro Scandolo

23 Outreach activities

Speakers: Christine Darve (ESS - European Spallation Source (SE)), Prof. Irvy (Igle) Gledhill (U. Witwatersrand, South Africa), Silvina Ponce Dawson

24 Report from Vice President for DEI

Speaker: Gillian Butcher

25 Activity report

Speaker: Mr Jens Vigen (CERN)

26 Discussion on the 2027 EC&CC meeting, GA and ICP. Call for the 2030 GA.

Speakers: Prof. Irvy (Igle) Gledhill (U. Witwatersrand, South Africa), Silvina Ponce Dawson

27 ISC matters, IDSSD and relationship with other bodies

• IYQ 2025 Closing ceremony. Participation in UNESCO led Global Quantum Initiative as a founding partner.
• Participation in the Quantum Diplomacy in Action Conference on May 6, 2026 and in the 2026 Global Conference on the International Decade of Sciences for Sustainable Development 2024-2034.
• IUPAP presence at IAEA 2nd International Conference on Accelerators for Research and Innovation
• IUPAP/UNESCO series of colloquia on Physics for Society.
• IUPAP Presence at the 2026 COSPAR Scientific Assembly. New MOU with COSPAR. Discussions with representatives of IAU, COSPAR and other organizations to advance with the creation of a SC on Multi-messenger Astrophysics and to draft a statement on the use of space for research and other purposes.
• Participation in the Beijing Science Dialogue and ISC mid-term meeting, October 2026 where, among other things, we co-organized with IAU, COSPAR and Chinese colleagues and organizations a one-day symposium on Space Science.
• Agreement with Frontiers
• MOUs with various organizations (CERN, UNESCO, AUI, COSPAR)

Speakers: Dr Michel Spiro (Université Paris-Saclay (FR)), Silvina Ponce Dawson, Sunil Gupta (Tata Inst. of Fundamental Research (IN)), Sunil Gupta

28 Comments from observers and any other business

• Comments

Speakers: Sunil Gupta (Tata Inst. of Fundamental Research (IN)), Sunil Gupta

29 Review of meeting, resolutions proposed for GA and future procedures

An idea on how to advance regarding some "rejuvenating" issues that we have left behind so far (a survey for national physical societies to fill out).

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

30 Close of EC&CC meeting

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

16:15 Tea and coffee break

31 Executive Council Meeting [Michel Spiro's Zoom room]

• To consider decisions proposed by EC&CC meeting and resolve on them
• To consider future actions and assign responsibility for them

Speaker: Silvina Ponce Dawson

Visit and Activities, IFUSP: Visit and Activities, IFUSP (to be confirmed)

We are trying to coordinate a visit to the Institute of Physics of USP located in Sao Paulo City. The idea is to visit some of its labs, meet its researchers and give a talk about IUPAP.