What is IFORS ?

IFORS, the 'International Federation of Operational Research Societies', was founded in 1959 by Operational Research Society (UK), Operations Research Society of America (USA), and Societé de Recherche Operationnelle (F) as a formal framework for international cooperation within Operational Research.

IFORS is an international organization of national societies whose primary objective is the advancement of Operational Research. Its aims are the development of Operational Research as a unified science and its advancement in all nations of the world.

Presently the members of IFORS are the national OR Societies of 44 countries (plus 5 Kindred Members) which form the major parts of four regional groupings:

• EURO, The Association of European Operational Research Societies within IFORS (founded in 1975).
• ALIO, Associacion Latino-Ibero-Americana de Investigacion Operativa (founded in 1982): besides Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Portugal, and Spain, which are member countries of IFORS, ALIO has contact groups in Bolivia, Columbia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
• APORS, The Association of Asian-Pacific Operational Research Societies within IFORS (founded in 1985): ASOR (Australia), ORSC (China), ORSHK (Hong Kong), ORSI (India), ORSJ (Japan), KORS (Korea), MSORSM (Malaysia), ORSNZ (New Zealand), ORSP (Philippines), ORSS (Singapore).
• NORAM, The Association of North American Operations Research Societies within IFORS (founded in 1987): CORS/SCRO (Canada), INFORMS (United States of America).

IFORS XV in Beijing (August 16-20,1999)

Preliminary post-conference report : http://www.ifors.org/conferences/ifors99/post.html

IFORS XVI Edinburgh (UK) (July 8-12, 2002)

Preliminary announcement : http://www.ifors.org/conferences/ifors02/ifors02b.html

More information concerning the activities of IFORS can be obtained from

"http://www.ifors.org/"

Marino Widmer, ASRO representative to IFORS
marino.widmer@unifr.ch