International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics (IUPAB)
IUPAB is devoted solely to biophysics. Information about the Union is available on the web page www.iupab.org
The International Union for Pure and Applied Biophysics is a member of the ICSU (International Council for Science) family. Affiliated to it are the national adhering bodies of 50 countries. The adhering bodies are typically the national biophysical societies, or (where separate societies do not exist) the national academies of sciences. Its function is to support research and teaching in biophysics. Its principal regular activity is the triennial International Congresses and General Assemblies during the Congress. The last (15 th International Biophysics Congress) was held in Montpellier, France, between Aug.27 th and September 1 st 2005 and the General Assembly took place on Aug.28 th, 2005.
The mandate of the Union is detailed in the Statutes as defined in the present form in 1999. The aims are the organization of research and education in biophysics at the international level. The main areas are: 1. to organize international co-operation in Biophysics and to promote communication between the various branches of Biophysics and allied subjects. 2. to set up task forces, commissions or other bodies for special purposes, to organize international meetings and conferences, to collaborate with other scientific organizations.
The executive body of the General Assembly is the Council. The Council consists of five officers and twelve ordinary members. These are elected in the General Assembly from the members of the General Assembly. A member serves for three years and can be re-elected once. The meetings of the Council are held during the General Assembly and normally at one additional interim occasion. The Council was last elected on August 28 th, 2005, for the period 2005-2008.
The following extra task forces were established to deal with areas of special importance:
Task Force on Bioinformatics
Details of the above are all listed in the IUPAB home page: www.iupab.org
Szeged, September 26 th, 2005.
Pal Ormos