The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists

What The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists does

The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists (CSPB / La Société canadienne de la biologie végétale) is a Canadian not-for-profit professional society and registered charity founded in 1958 as the Canadian Society of Plant Physiologists and renamed to its present form in 2012. It is the largest plant science organization in Canada, with approximately 600 active members comprising undergraduate students, graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, new faculty, professional scientists in academic institutions and government research institutes, industry professionals, corporate members, and a significant international contingent. Members' interests span genomics, molecular and cell biology, bioinformatics, biotechnology, plant development, biochemistry, physiology, physiological ecology, stress biology, research instrumentation, and education.

CSPB delivers value through an integrated portfolio of member services rather than commercial products: a biannual bilingual (English/French) Bulletin featuring research highlights, the Growing Lessons education column, and the Budding Ideas column for early career members; an awards and scholarships program with 10+ named prizes including the CSPB Medal, Mary E. Spencer, Gleb Krotkov, Carl Douglas Postdoctoral, Ann Oaks Doctoral Scholarship, Ragai Ibrahim, David Gifford, C.D. Nelson, and Teaching awards, plus student travel bursaries; an events program anchored by annual meetings plus Eastern and Western Regional Meetings; an Education Resources portfolio led by a dedicated Education Director covering active learning, LUREs, and decolonizing teaching practices; Early Career Member resources including Postdoctoral and Student Representative roles; a job board; and an EDI program chaired by a Vice President with executive diversity goals and inclusive conference guidelines. Membership and event registration are managed through Wild Apricot membership software, and Botany, co-published with the Canadian Botanical Association via NRC Press, serves as the society's official journal.

CSPB operates as a registered charity with revenue derived primarily from recurring annual membership dues across student, professional, and corporate tiers, supplemented by sponsorship and advertising opportunities. The society is a founding member of both Plant Canada and the Global Plant Council and a member of the Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE), and is governed by a volunteer Executive Committee supported by 12 sub-committees. There is no disclosed revenue figure, no evidence of paid staff headcount beyond administrative roles, and no parent organization, M&A activity, or external equity involvement.

Name

The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists

Legal name

The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists / La Société canadienne de la biologie végétale

Website

https://cspb-scbv.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists is a Canadian not-for-profit professional society serving approximately 600 plant scientists, graduate and undergraduate students, postdocs, and industry professionals through conferences, awards, publications, education programs, and an EDI program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: The society operates as a not-for-profit organization and registered charity. Revenue is generated primarily through membership fees from undergraduate students, graduate students, professional scientists, and corporate members. The society was founded in 1958 and grew out of informal meetings and conferences.
2. Sponsorship and Advertising: The society offers sponsorship and advertising opportunities through its website, publications, and events. There is a dedicated Sponsorship & Advertising page on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists is a not-for-profit professional society that delivers member services to plant biologists in Canada. Its core offerings include tiered individual and corporate memberships, the biannual bilingual CSPB Bulletin, an annual and regional conference program, a portfolio of named research and teaching awards with student travel bursaries, and education resources delivered through workshops and the Growing Lessons teaching column.

Product overview

The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists (CSPB-SCBV) is a not-for-profit professional society, not a product company. It offers a unified membership-based service portfolio centered on professional development and community for plant biologists. The core offerings include the CSPB Bulletin (biannual bilingual publication), Awards and Scholarships program, Events and Meetings, Education Resources (teaching workshops and curriculum resources), Early Career Member Resources, Job Postings, and EDI Initiatives. These services are provided through Wild Apricot membership software and do not constitute commercial product offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSPB Awards and Scholarships Program A portfolio of named research, teaching, and student awards administered by CSPB to recognize excellence in plant biology among its members, including the CSPB Medal, several named research awards, doctoral scholarships, postdoctoral awards, a teaching award, and student travel bursaries for conference attendance.
• CSPB Events and Meetings Annual conferences, Eastern Regional Meeting, Western Regional Meeting, and co-sponsored events providing plant scientists with networking, research presentation, and student presentation award opportunities.
• CSPB Bulletin Biannual bilingual (English and French) publication featuring research articles, society news, member contributions, the Growing Lessons teaching column, and the Budding Ideas column for early career members.
• CSPB Education Resources Program Teaching resources including the Growing Lessons column, education workshops on active learning strategies, LUREs (Lab-Based Undergraduate Research Experiences), photosynthesis teaching, and decolonizing teaching practices, organized through the Teaching Community of Practice.
• CSPB Job Board Online job board listing plant biology positions including faculty roles, PhD/MSc openings, and postdoctoral fellowships at Canadian and international institutions, accessible to CSPB members.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 600 active members across Canada
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Plant CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSPB is a founding member of Plant Canada, which brings together Canadian plant science organizations. This partnership provides a unified voice for plant science in Canada and facilitates collaboration across the national plant science community.
• Global Plant CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSPB is a founding member of the Global Plant Council, an international organization connecting plant science societies worldwide. This provides CSPB members with international connectivity and collaboration opportunities.
• Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSPB is a member of PAGSE, which promotes science and engineering in Canada through advocacy and collaboration among professional societies.
• NRC Press (Botany Journal)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBotany, published by NRC Press, is the official journal of both CSPB and the Canadian Botanical Association. This partnership provides members with access to peer-reviewed plant science publications and positions CSPB as a key player in Canadian scientific publishing.
• Canadian Botanical AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSPB shares the official journal Botany with the Canadian Botanical Association. The two organizations also co-host events including the 61st Annual Meeting and Conference.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Australian Society of Plant Scientists: Australian counterpart with same discipline, member profile (academic researchers and students), and member-society model. Comparable in scale and offerings to CSPB.
• British Society for Plant Biology: UK-based national society for plant biology offering memberships, conferences, awards, and publications. Highly comparable structure, scale, and offerings to CSPB.
• American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB): The US national society for plant biologists — same discipline, same member archetypes (students, postdocs, faculty, industry), and same revenue model of dues plus conferences plus the Plant Cell/Plant Physiology journals. Operates at much greater scale, making it the closest functional peer to CSPB.
• Genetics Society of Canada / Société de génétique du Canada: Canadian professional society for geneticists using the same membership, conference, and award model. Strong structural peer operating in an adjacent Canadian academic discipline.
• Canadian Botanical Association / l'Association Botanique du Canada: Canadian partner and co-publisher of Botany; co-hosts the annual meeting and serves overlapping academic plant-science members. Operates as a direct national peer with shared governance and joint programs.

Broad incumbents

• Society for Experimental Biology (SEB): UK-based broader biological-sciences society covering plant, animal, and cell biology. Comparable member-society model but broader scope, providing a wider-incumbent benchmark for multi-disciplinary scientific society operations.
• International Society for Horticultural Science (ISHS): Global scientific society covering horticultural research, including plant biology subfields. Membership, conferences, and journals model is highly comparable; broader international scope puts it in the broader-incumbent bucket.

Others

• Plant Canada: Umbrella organization of which CSPB is a founding member. Provides advocacy and coordination rather than direct member services but is the closest ecosystem-level peer in the Canadian plant science community.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 The Canadian Society of Plant Biologists