International Union of Microbiological Societies

What International Union of Microbiological Societies does

The International Union of Microbiological Societies (IUMS) is a non-governmental scientific union founded in 1927 and registered in Utrecht, the Netherlands, serving as the global umbrella organization for national and regional microbiology societies. It coordinates the international microbiology community through three scientific divisions — Bacteriology & Applied Microbiology (BAM), Mycology and Eukaryotic Microbiology (MEM), and Virology — supported by six committees, nine international commissions, and two federations including the World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC) and the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). IUMS's core deliverables are its biennial international congresses (most recently IUMS 2024 Florence with nearly 1,500 attendees and 1,596 abstract submissions; upcoming IUMS 2026 Lisbon), a portfolio of administered awards (Arima Award for Applied Microbiology, Stuart Mudd Award), the IUMS Outreach Programme delivering courses in developing countries, and scientific publications covering antimicrobial resistance, microbial diversity, and climate-microbe solutions. Its customers are national microbiology societies (113 member societies and 14 associate members across more than 40 countries), supporting organizations, and individual microbiologists who participate in congresses and outreach. Revenue is generated primarily through annual membership dues (approximately US$1.30 per microbiologist, minimum US$100 per society), congress registration fees (with US$20 per participant retained by IUMS), and contributions from supporting organizations and partners. IUMS operates under the umbrella of the International Science Council (ISC) as one of 41 Scientific Unions, and has formal partnerships with ASM (climate change, 2024), IUCN Microbial Conservation Specialist Group (2025), and other international bodies.

Name

International Union of Microbiological Societies

Legal name

International Union of Microbiological Societies

Website

https://iums.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1927

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

IUMS is a non-profit scientific union founded in 1927 and headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands, serving as the global umbrella for 113+ national microbiology societies. It coordinates international microbiology through biennial congresses, three scientific divisions, commissions, and an outreach programme to developing countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Scientific Union

NAICS

Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Health, Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Regulatory Cooperation (BPADANAJ)

Keywords

• Scientific society membership
• Microbiology research collaboration
• International scientific congress
• Microbial sciences association
• Scientific union governance

Headquarters

HQ city

Utrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IUMS generates revenue through annual membership dues from national committees, calculated on a pro rata basis depending on the number of microbiologists in member societies. The dues are approximately US$1.30 per microbiologist with a minimum of US$100 annually. Supporting organizations contribute a minimum of US$100 per year.
2. Congress Registration Fees: IUMS organizes international congresses every 2 years with registration fees from participants. A sum of US$50 per participant is included in registration, with US$20 retained by the Union and US$10 transferred to each Division.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

IUMS is a non-profit scientific union that brings together national and regional microbiology societies worldwide to coordinate research and knowledge exchange across bacteriology, virology, and mycology. It organizes biennial international congresses, administers international awards, runs an educational outreach programme for developing countries, and represents microbiological sciences within the International Science Council. Membership is held by national and international microbiology societies rather than individuals.

Product overview

IUMS is a professional membership organization (not a software product company) that serves as the collective union of microbiology, bringing together regional and national societies of microbiology worldwide. The organization offers a portfolio of scientific programs including biennial International Congresses integrating Bacteriology & Applied Microbiology (BAM), Mycology and Eukaryotic Microbiology (MEM), and Virology divisions; international awards (Arima Award, Stuart Mudd Award) recognizing outstanding contributions in microbiology; an Outreach Programme providing educational courses to developing countries; and publications on microbial science and climate solutions. IUMS organizes congresses, supports meetings and initiatives, and coordinates through its three specialist divisions, multiple commissions, and federations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IUMS Congress Biennial international congress bringing together scientists working on Bacteriology, Virology, and Mycology worldwide to share and discuss the latest advancements in microbiology. Integrates three divisions — Bacteriology and Applied Microbiology (BAM), Virology (VIR), and Mycology and Eukaryotic Microbiology (MEM) — with multidisciplinary sessions encouraging collaboration across fields.
• Arima Award for Applied Microbiology IUMS-administered award given to an individual deemed to have made outstanding contributions to applied microbiology. Consists of a certificate, US$1,000, and support to attend IUMS International Congresses; the awardee delivers a Plenary Lecture at the congress.
• Stuart Mudd Award for Studies in Basic Microbiology Award given in recognition of outstanding, selfless endeavors and contributions in Microbiology for the good of society. Consists of a certificate, US$1,000, support to attend IUMS Congresses, and Fellowship in the World Academy of Art and Science.
• IUMS Outreach Programme Educational outreach programme to developing countries offering courses for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and practicing professionals. Includes IUMS Regional Courses held periodically in various regions on different topics of interest.
• IUMS Scientific Divisions (Bacteriology & Applied Microbiology, Mycology and Eukaryotic Microbiology, Virology) Three scientific divisions conducting the scientific activities of the Union through 6 Committees, 9 Commissions, and 2 Federations (COMCOFs), with subgroups of working groups concerned with bacteriological, mycological, and virological research.
• IUMS Scientific Publications Scientific publications and papers on microbiology including climate-microbe relationships, antimicrobial resistance, microbial diversity, and conservation. Includes position papers on climate change, microbial conservation, and antimicrobial resistance and joint publications with the American Society for Microbiology.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1,500 attendees at IUMS 2024 Congress, with 1,596 abstract submissions - demonstrating global engagement
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• IUCN Microbial Conservation Specialist Group (MCSG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025The Microbial Conservation Specialist Group was launched as a Species Survival Commission (SSC) by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in July 2025. It convenes a coalition of microbiologists, ecologists, traditional knowledge experts and conservation leaders to develop and advocate for conservation tools, strategies and policies that integrate microbiology into global biodiversity governance.
• American Society for Microbiology (ASM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024IUMS and ASM formed a partnership to address climate change through microbial solutions. They convened a Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) that identified key microbial innovations for climate mitigation including microbes for non-fossil carbon economy, food security and ecosystem resilience, and methane mitigation. Joint reports and publications have been released.
• International Science Council (ICS/ISC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIUMS is one of 41 Scientific Unions of the International Science Council. ICS is a non-governmental organization with a global membership that brings together international scientific unions and national scientific bodies. IUMS works with ICS at the intersection of science and policy to ensure science is integrated into international policy development.
• International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV)coreTechnology or IntegrationICTV is charged with developing, refining, and maintaining a universal virus taxonomy within the Virology Division of IUMS. ICTV publishes the standard and definitive reference for virus taxonomy.
• International Committee on Food Microbiology & Hygiene (ICFMH)coreTechnology or IntegrationFounded in 1953, ICFMH officially represents IUMS in all issues related to food microbiology. It contributes to food safety internationally through symposia, workshops, publications including the International Journal of Food Microbiology, and education support especially in developing countries.
• International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP)coreTechnology or IntegrationICSP is responsible for matters relating to prokaryote nomenclature and taxonomy. It oversees the publication of the International Code of Nomenclature of Bacteria and the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology.
• World Federation for Culture Collections (WFCC)coreTechnology or IntegrationWFCC is concerned with the collection, authentication, maintenance and distribution of cultures of microorganisms and cultured cells. It operates as a Federation within IUMS structure.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• American Society for Microbiology: The largest single life-sciences society in the world, ASM serves microbiologists globally through journals, conferences, and advocacy. IUMS has an active strategic partnership with ASM on climate-microbe solutions, making ASM both a peer and a partner.
• European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases: ESCMID is a Europe-based clinical microbiology society that organizes conferences, training, and publications. While clinically focused rather than basic-science focused, it operates in the same microbiology ecosystem and overlaps with IUMS's virology and bacteriology communities.
• Federation of European Microbiological Societies: FEMS is a pan-European umbrella federation of microbiology societies, comparable in structure and mission to IUMS but regionally focused on Europe. Several FEMS member societies are also IUMS member societies, making FEMS both a peer and a constituent-layer organization.
• International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry: IUPAC is a sister International Scientific Union under ISC with a comparable governance model, organizing international congresses, commissions, and standards work. The structures (divisions, commissions, congresses, nomenclature bodies) are explicitly parallel, making IUPAC the closest structural analog to IUMS in a different discipline.
• International Society for Microbial Ecology: ISME is the leading international scientific society focused on microbial ecology, organizing major conferences and journals. Its subject-matter scope is narrower than IUMS's but it operates as a comparable scientific membership and conference organization in the same field.

Broad incumbents

• International Science Council: ISC is the global non-governmental umbrella organization of which IUMS is one of 41 Scientific Unions. ISC provides the policy and international coordination layer above IUMS, giving it a comparable governance and convening structure but at a higher aggregation level.
• The World Academy of Sciences: TWAS is a UNESCO-affiliated global science academy that supports scientific capacity building in developing countries. It overlaps with IUMS's Outreach Programme in serving developing-country microbiologists but operates across all scientific disciplines.
• International Union of Biological Sciences: IUBS is a parallel scientific union under the International Science Council covering all biological sciences. It is structurally and operationally analogous to IUMS but with a broader mandate beyond microbiology, including biology more generally.

Regional players

• British Society for Microbiology: The Microbiology Society (UK) is a national membership organization for microbiologists, directly analogous to IUMS in structure but operating at a single-country scale. Many of its members are also reachable through IUMS member societies.

Emerging players

• International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses: ICTV operates under IUMS's Virology Division and develops the universal virus taxonomy. As a subsidiary body of IUMS, ICTV is a peer in the standards-setting niche but is structurally nested within IUMS rather than independent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iums

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Union of Microbiological Societies