IPSERA

What IPSERA does

IPSERA (International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association) is a Netherlands-registered non-profit academic association founded in 1991 and headquartered in Enschede. It operates as one of the world's largest communities dedicated to purchasing, procurement, and supply management research and education, serving academic researchers, PhD students, and practitioners from sectors including government, healthcare, retail, NGOs, and consulting across more than 29 countries. Membership is governed by an elected Executive Committee and structured around Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Regional Interest Centres (RICs/RICCs), bursaries, and an awards program tied to the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management.

The association's core products are the Annual IPSERA Conference (held in rotating global venues: Rotterdam 2025, Helsinki 2026, Bari 2027), a multi-day IPSERA Doctoral School (launched as a standalone paid program; €750 in-person / €350 online for the 2026 edition at Audencia Business School), pre-conference Doctoral and Educators' Workshops, Professional Development Workshops, SIG workshops (Purchasing & Innovation, Sustainability, IoT, Supply Chain Finance, Public Domain Procurement), and member-only conference proceedings. The technology stack is non-proprietary and operational rather than product-facing: Wild Apricot for member management and Oxford Abstracts for conference submissions, supplemented by a public website (ipsera.com), LinkedIn, Twitter/X, and Facebook channels, and a bi-monthly newsletter.

IPSERA's revenue model is a hybrid of individual subscriptions and event-based fees: annual membership at €50 per year (1-year subscription starting January 1, with no auto-recurring payments and free/discounted access for PhD students), tiered conference and Doctoral School registration fees (varying by in-person vs. online, member vs. non-member, and early-bird vs. late-bird), institutional sponsorship (notably from Dutch purchasing association Nevi and Inchainge), and a donation channel. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: the annual conference is the primary acquisition and engagement moment, supplemented by SIGs and RICs that sustain participation between conferences, and the Africa Initiative (first convened digitally September 2023) signals deliberate geographic expansion beyond the European core. The association runs with a lean staff of approximately 12 people, relying heavily on volunteer academic leadership for governance, teaching, and editorial roles.

Name

IPSERA

Legal name

International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association

Website

https://ipsera.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

IPSERA is a Netherlands-registered non-profit academic association, founded in 1991, that operates one of the world's largest communities in purchasing and supply management research and education, serving academic researchers, PhD students, and practitioners through an annual global conference, Doctoral School, Special Interest Groups, and Regional Interest Centres.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Enschede

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual membership fee of €50 per year. The membership runs on a subscription period of 1 year starting January 1st with no automatically recurring payments.
2. Conference Registration: Revenue generated from conference registrations. IPSERA 2025 Doctoral School registration: €750 in-person, €350 online. Conference fees vary by registration type and timing.
3. Donations: IPSERA accepts donations to support the community. A donation page is available on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IPSERA is a non-profit academic association that provides a global community platform for purchasing, procurement, and supply management education and research. It delivers an annual international conference, pre-conference Doctoral and Educators' Workshops, an intensive multi-day Doctoral School, Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Regional Interest Centres (RICCs), a bi-monthly newsletter, conference proceedings, bursaries, and academic awards. Its offerings are aimed at academic researchers, doctoral students, educators, and practitioners worldwide.

Product overview

IPSERA (International Purchasing and Supply Education and Research Association) is a professional association offering a portfolio of services centered around its annual conference, specialized workshops, and community networking platforms. The core offering consists of the Annual IPSERA Conference held in rotating locations worldwide, accompanied by pre-conference Doctoral and Educators' Workshops. The association operates multiple Special Interest Groups (SIGs) covering areas such as Purchasing & Innovation, Education, Internet of Things, Supply Chain Finance, Sustainability, and Strategic Procurement in the Public Domain. Regional Interest Centres (RICCs) support regional development in countries including France and the Netherlands. Additional offerings include the IPSERA Doctoral School (a multi-day intensive program), Professional Development Workshops, a bi-monthly newsletter, conference proceedings, bursaries for early-career scholars, and prestigious academic awards. The association uses Wild Apricot membership software for member management and Oxford Abstracts for conference submissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• IPSERA Annual Conference The flagship annual conference bringing together academics, consultants, and practitioners in purchasing, procurement, supply management, and supply chain management from around the world to share research, network, and advance the field. Includes paper presentations, workshops, networking, and awards. IPSERA 2025 drew 320 participants from 29 countries and 249 paper submissions.
• IPSERA Doctoral School A multi-day intensive educational program for doctoral students in purchasing and supply management research, taught by leading faculty including Prof. Mark Pagell, Prof. Tingting Yan, Prof. Finn Wynstra, Prof. Thomas Johnsen, and Dr. Leonardo Marques, focusing on classical and emerging management theories suited for PSM research. Registration: €750 in-person, €350 online.
• Doctoral Workshop (DW) Pre-conference workshop where doctoral students share and discuss their research plans, receiving feedback from faculty mentors in a supportive IPSERA atmosphere. Held annually before the main conference.
• Educators' Workshop (EW) Pre-conference workshop for educators focusing on teaching and learning techniques in purchasing and supply management, including sessions on AI and sustainability in education.
• Professional Development Workshops (PDWs) Workshops offering professional development opportunities for IPSERA community members on various topics in purchasing and supply management. Seven PDWs were held at IPSERA 2025 as part of the submission program.
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs) Focused interest groups including Purchasing & Innovation SIG, Education SIG, Internet of Things SIG, Supply Chain Finance SIG, Sustainability SIG, and Strategic Procurement in the Public Domain SIG that organize workshops and networking activities throughout the year.
• Regional Interest Centres (RICCs) Regional centers of competence that support expertise development in purchasing and supply management in specific geographic regions, including Audencia RICC in France and RICC at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
• IPSERA Membership Annual membership to the IPSERA community, providing access to conference proceedings, publications, job vacancies, bi-monthly newsletter, free workshops including SIGs and doctoral/educators workshops, and significant discount on the Annual Conference. Priced at €50/year with non-recurring subscription.
• Africa Initiative Conference The flagship event of IPSERA's Africa Initiative, a digital conference connecting African PSM scholars and practitioners with the global IPSERA community. Targets researchers and practitioners from across the African continent.
• IPSERA Awards Programme Prestigious awards programmes including the IPSERA Lifetime Achievement Award, Doctoral Dissertation Award, JPSM Best Paper Award, Best Reviewer Award, and Best Associate Editor Award, presented at IPSERA conferences.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Politecnico di BaricoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 April 2027Technical university in Bari, Italy hosting IPSERA 2027 conference (36th Annual Conference, April 11-14, 2027) with theme 'Regenerative Visions'. Located near city centre and Adriatic coast.
• Audencia Business SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 November 2026French business school hosting IPSERA Doctoral School 2026 (November 23-26, 2026) in Nantes, France. Home to Audencia IPSERA RICC (Regional Interest Centre of Competence) focusing on sustainable supply chain management.
• NevicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2025Dutch professional purchasing association. Nevi sponsors IPSERA conferences and has financially supported PhD students to attend IPSERA conferences for free. Strong collaborative relationship including joint PSM Summer School organization.
• Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2025One of Europe's top-ranked business schools. Co-host of IPSERA 2025 conference with ESHPM. RSM's Technology & Operations Management department houses chairs in Purchasing & Supply Management.
• Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2025Leader in health policy and management education and research in the Netherlands. Co-host of IPSERA 2025 conference. Research themes include market organization, quality of care, and business management of healthcare organisations.
• InchaingeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2025Sponsor of IPSERA 2025 conference, contributing to making the conference possible through financial support.
• IFPSM (International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal platform in purchasing and supply chain management with 45 full members. IPSERA collaborates on PSM Summer School and shares research studies through IFPSM networks. IFPSM organizes World Summits that IPSERA participates in.
• Supply Chain Finance CommunityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity focused on Supply Chain Finance research. Co-sponsored IPSERA conferences and collaborates on joint SIG events.
• Jönköping UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwedish university that hosted IPSERA 2022 conference (31st Annual Conference, April 10-13, 2022) with theme 'Build Bridges'.
• Journal of Purchasing and Supply ManagementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIPSERA has strong editorial connections with JPSM. IPSERA members serve as editors and reviewers. JPSM Best Paper and other awards presented at IPSERA conferences.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Operations Management Association (EurOMA): Academic association for operations management with annual conference, doctoral workshops and SIGs — structurally the closest academic-association peer to IPSERA in conference model and member composition.
• Institute for Supply Management (ISM): Major US-based association for supply management professionals. Comparable in offering memberships, conferences and research dissemination in the same purchasing/procurement discipline.
• Decision Sciences Institute (DSI): Academic association running an annual conference, doctoral consortium and journals. Comparable as a peer academic-management association, though covering a broader decision-sciences portfolio than IPSERA.
• International Federation of Purchasing and Supply Management (IFPSM): Global umbrella federation in purchasing and supply management with 45 full members. IPSERA is already a partner via PSM Summer School and joint research, making IFPSM the closest comparable in mission and global scope.
• Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply (CIPS): UK-based professional body serving procurement and supply practitioners worldwide. CIPS operates a similar membership + content + events model in the same purchasing/supply discipline, though more practitioner-oriented than IPSERA.

Regional players

• NEVI: Dutch professional purchasing association and active IPSERA partner/sponsor. Comparable as a purchasing community, but region-specific (Netherlands) and more practitioner-oriented than IPSERA's academic focus.

Broad incumbents

• INFORMS: Major professional society for operations research and analytics with annual meeting, journals and special interest groups. Comparable in scale and academic-association model, though broader in topic.
• Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM, formerly APICS): Largest global supply chain membership association with strong certification and corporate training programs. Adjacent to IPSERA's mission but broader in scope (end-to-end supply chain vs. purchasing research).
• Academy of Management (AOM): Largest US-based academic association for management scholars with annual meeting, divisions and journals. Comparable as an academic association running SIG-like divisions, though serving a much broader research community.

Emerging players

• Supply Chain Finance Community: Community focused on Supply Chain Finance research that has co-sponsored IPSERA conferences and collaborated on joint SIG events. Comparable as a thematic sub-community in the broader purchasing/SCM ecosystem IPSERA serves.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ipsera

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IPSERA