International AIDS Society

What International AIDS Society does

The International AIDS Society (IAS) is a Geneva-based non-profit association founded in 1988 and recognized as the world's largest independent membership organization for HIV professionals, with more than 10,000 members across 170+ countries. The organization operates a platform-plus-programmes model anchored on three flagship international conferences (the International AIDS Conference, the IAS Conference on HIV Science, and the HIV Research for Prevention Conference, taken on in 2021), the open-access Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS, launched 2004), and the IAS+ digital learning platform for on-demand conference content, e-learning courses, regional meetings, and webinars. Beyond convening, the IAS runs eleven thematic programmes spanning scientific gap-closing (Towards an HIV Cure, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, CIPHER), dissemination (Educational Fund, JIAS), and health service improvement (Differentiated Service Delivery, Person-Centred Care, Heart of Stigma, Community-Led Monitoring, Mark Wainberg Fellowship, Youth Hub).

The business model combines tiered individual membership subscriptions (USD 30-540, World-Bank-stratified), multi-tier conference registration fees (USD 525-1,260 per delegate depending on country income classification and timing), a three-tier Corporate Partnership Programme (Bronze, Silver, Gold) for pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies, competitive research grants (e.g., CIPHER up to USD 140,000 over two years), and donations/scholarship funding. Distribution is executed directly through in-person conferences with a five-region global rotation (implemented 2023), regional Educational Fund meetings delivered in local languages, and self-serve digital access via IAS+ and the Members' Area. A six-director permanent Secretariat in Geneva (101-250 staff) executes operations under the direction of a Governing Council elected biennially, with the 2026-2028 council led by incoming President Beatriz Grinsztejn of Fiocruz.

Name

International AIDS Society

Legal name

International AIDS Society

Website

https://iasociety.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The International AIDS Society (IAS), founded in 1988 and headquartered in Geneva, is the world's largest association of HIV professionals, with 10,000+ members in 170+ countries. It operates three major HIV conferences, the JIAS open-access journal, the IAS+ learning platform, and eleven programmatic initiatives spanning research, dissemination, and health service improvement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Tiered annual membership fees ranging from USD 30-540 depending on country classification (middle/low-income vs high-income), duration (1-3 years), and category (standard, student/youth, patron). Provides access to network, resources, and conferences.
2. Conference Registration: Four-tiered fee structure for conferences based on World Bank country classification (high-income, upper-middle, lower-middle, low-income) and delegate type (regular, student/postdoc, young persons, media). Fees range from free (media) to USD 1,260 for late registration.
3. Corporate Partnership Programme: Three-tiered corporate partnership (Bronze, Silver, Gold) providing industry partners with exclusive access to networks, speaking opportunities, and recognition. Partners include pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies.
4. Grants and Scholarships: IAS provides grant programmes including CIPHER Research Grants (up to USD 140,000 over two years), Vaccine Enterprise Grants, Youth Hub Seed Grants (USD 10,000 each), and conference scholarships funded through partnerships and donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The International AIDS Society (IAS) is a non-profit professional association that organizes the world's largest HIV/AIDS conferences, publishes the open-access Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS), and runs the IAS+ digital learning platform. It also operates multiple year-round scientific, advocacy, and capacity-building programmes (e.g., Towards an HIV Cure, CIPHER, Mark Wainberg Fellowship, Youth Hub) and a tiered Corporate Partnership Programme for industry engagement.

Product overview

The International AIDS Society (IAS) operates a platform-plus-programmes model centred around its digital learning platform IAS+, which provides access to conference content, e-learning courses, webinars, and regional meetings. The society organizes three major scientific conferences: the International AIDS Conference (the world's largest on HIV/AIDS), the IAS Conference on HIV Science, and the HIV Research for Prevention Conference. The IAS also publishes the Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS), an open-access scientific journal, and manages the Members' Area portal for its 10,000+ members. Beyond conferences and publications, the IAS implements eleven programmatic initiatives including the Towards an HIV Cure, Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, and CIPHER programmes for closing scientific gaps; the IAS Educational Fund and JIAS for disseminating research; and Differentiated Service Delivery, Person-Centred Care, Heart of Stigma, Community-Led Monitoring, Mark Wainberg Fellowship, and Youth Hub programmes for improving health services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS): The IAS in-house open-access scientific journal covering various aspects of HIV science, with a special focus on implementation science.
• IAS+
• Differentiated Service Delivery Programme
• Person-Centred Care Programme
• Heart of Stigma Programme
• Community-Led Monitoring Programme
• Mark Wainberg Fellowship Programme
• Youth Hub
• Towards an HIV Cure
• Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise
• CIPHER (Collaborative Initiative for Paediatric HIV Education and Research)

Products and services

• IAS Membership Tiered annual membership (standard, student/youth, patron) priced USD 30-540 depending on country income classification and duration, providing access to the network, IAS+ resources, and conference discounts for HIV professionals worldwide.
• International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) The 26th International AIDS Conference, the world's largest conference on HIV and AIDS, taking place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and virtually on 26-31 July 2026, bringing together researchers, policy makers, activists, and people living with HIV.
• IAS Conference on HIV Science The world's most influential meeting on HIV research and its applications, presenting critical advances in basic, clinical, and operational HIV research. IAS 2025 was held in Kigali, Rwanda and virtually; IAS 2027 is scheduled for Geneva.
• HIV Research for Prevention Conference (HIVR4P) Conference focused on the latest research on HIV prevention, hosted by the IAS since 2021.
• Journal of the International AIDS Society (JIAS) Open-access scientific journal covering various aspects of HIV science with a special focus on implementation science, published in partnership with Wiley.
• IAS+ Digital Learning Platform Interactive digital learning platform providing access to conference sessions, e-learning courses, regional meetings, and webinars on HIV research and science.
• Corporate Partnership Programme Three-tiered corporate partnership (Bronze, Silver, Gold) offering pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies exclusive access to scientific networks, speaking opportunities, and recognition at IAS conferences.
• Mark Wainberg Fellowship Programme Two-year fellowship training HIV physicians in Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America to provide tailored, stigma-free HIV care.
• IAS Educational Fund Programme keeping regional stakeholders updated on the latest HIV research through workshops, symposia, webinars, and scholarships for IAS conferences, with content delivered in local languages.
• Members' Area Exclusive online platform for IAS Members providing access to the membership directory, networking features, knowledge toolkits, and member-exclusive content.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4,219 scientific studies shared through conferences and JIAS in 2022/23
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gilead SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor pharmaceutical partner supporting IAS initiatives including the Me and My Healthcare Provider campaign. Representatives participate in Corporate Partnership Programme, Industry Liaison Forum, and Cure group activities.
• ViiV HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner participating in Corporate Partnership Programme and Industry Liaison Forum. Active in PrEP delivery discussions in Latin America and Caribbean.
• MSD (Merck)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPharmaceutical partner engaged in Industry Liaison Forum and HIV prevention discussions, particularly around PrEP uptake barriers in various regions.
• Roche DiagnosticscoreTechnology or IntegrationDiagnostic company partner in Industry Liaison Forum working on regulatory pathways for HIV diagnostics in low- and middle-income countries and expanding access to quality diagnostics.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey normative partner; WHO participates in Industry Liaison Forum discussions on diagnostics regulation and collaborated on Global Accelerator for Paediatric Formulations (GAP-f).
• Medicines Patent PoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNon-profit partner collaborating on improving access to medicines, featured in Industry Liaison Forum discussions on PrEP delivery and regulatory pathways.
• AVACcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal advocacy organization co-organizing Advocacy-for-Cure Academy and Cure Advocacy Grant Programme; represented in Vaccine group and Industry Liaison Forum.
• Differentiated Service Delivery NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerExternal programme linking to IAS Differentiated Service Delivery programme for evidence-based HIV service delivery models.
• University of British ColumbiaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in organizing IAS 2015 conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Vancouver, Canada.
• ANRS (France Recherche Nord & Sud Sida-HIV Hépatites)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench research agency co-organized IAS 2017 Conference on HIV Science in Paris, France.
• Dira SengweminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner for IAS 2009 Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention in Cape Town, South Africa.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• American Public Health Association (APHA): Large US-based public health professional association hosting the APHA Annual Meeting and producing the American Journal of Public Health. Comparable as a large professional society hosting major conferences and journals with broader public health rather than HIV-specific focus.
• UNAIDS: UN joint programme coordinating global action on HIV/AIDS, headquartered in Geneva. Comparable as a Geneva-based, HIV-focused organization convening stakeholders and shaping policy, but operates at the intergovernmental level rather than as a professional association.
• World Health Organization (WHO): UN specialized health agency producing HIV treatment and prevention guidelines, headquartered in Geneva. Comparable as a Geneva-based, HIV-relevant convener and standard-setter; collaborates with IAS but operates at a much larger governmental scale.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM): Large US-based scientific society hosting Microbe (formerly ICAAC/ASM Microbe) and publishing major journals. Comparable as a large professional society hosting major scientific conferences and journals, but with a broader microbiology scope that includes but is not specialized in HIV.

Direct peers

• Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI): Premier annual HIV science conference focused on retrovirus research and clinical applications. Direct competitor in the HIV conference space, attracting overlapping researcher and clinician audiences with comparable scientific content depth.
• AVAC: Global HIV advocacy organization focused on HIV prevention research and access. Direct peer in mission and partner of IAS through the Advocacy-for-Cure Academy and Industry Liaison Forum, serving overlapping advocacy and biomedical research communities.
• Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA): Large US-based professional association for infectious disease specialists that hosts IDWeek and produces clinical guidelines and educational content. Directly comparable as a medical professional society hosting major conferences and journals in overlapping HIV/infectious disease topics.
• International Society for Infectious Diseases (ISID): Global professional society focused on infectious diseases, hosting international congresses and publishing knowledge resources. Comparable in structure (membership, conferences, peer-reviewed publications) with overlapping HIV-related scientific scope.
• European AIDS Clinical Society (EACS): European regional professional society for HIV clinicians producing HIV treatment guidelines and hosting the European AIDS Conference. Comparable as a peer professional association serving overlapping HIV clinical and scientific communities with a different geographic anchor.

Regional players

• International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (The Union): International scientific organization headquartered in Paris addressing tuberculosis, lung health, and HIV co-infection. Comparable as a global professional organization hosting international conferences (World Conference on Lung Health) and operating multi-disease programmes that intersect with HIV.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/iasociety
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@InternationalAIDSConference
• Facebookfacebook.com/iasociety
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-aids-society
• Instagraminstagram.com/aids_conference

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International AIDS Society