International Association for Great Lakes Research (Canada)

What International Association for Great Lakes Research (Canada) does

The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit scientific membership organization founded in 1957 and headquartered at 4840 South State Road, Ann Arbor, Michigan. Its mission is to advance understanding of the Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lake ecosystems worldwide by convening researchers, publishing peer-reviewed science, and supporting students and policymakers. Members include academic researchers, government and regulatory professionals, graduate students, and corporate sponsors, spanning North America and increasingly global freshwater research networks through a partnership with the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE, 2025–2029 MOU).

IAGLR's product surface centers on the Journal of Great Lakes Research (peer-reviewed, published with Elsevier since 1975 and now at Volume 52), the quarterly Lakes Letter magazine, the annual Conference on Great Lakes Research (the 70th edition is scheduled for May 2027 in Duluth, Minnesota), the State of Lake Conference Series, an online Job Board for the aquatic science workforce, a portfolio of scholarships (IAGLR Scholarship, David M. Dolan Scholarship, IDEA+ Research and Presenter Scholarships, Student Travel Awards), and membership services. The underlying technology is deliberately light: a member portal, conference registration system, job board, and Elsevier-distributed journal — IAGLR is a convener, not a platform company.

Revenue is generated through five streams: individual membership dues, conference registration fees (2026 Winnipeg tiers ranged from CAD$200 virtual/low-income to CAD$1,300 non-member full in-person), the Sustainers Circle monthly giving program, the Great Lakes Benefactors tiered corporate sponsorship program ($2,500 Bronze to $15,000 Platinum), and an institutional share of Journal of Great Lakes Research subscriptions via Elsevier. The organization is governed by a binational Board of Directors with balanced U.S. and Canadian representation, holds an Endowment Fund established in 1994, and operates without a parent company or subsidiaries. Day-to-day operations are led by a small core team including Executive Director Jérôme Marty, Business Manager Wendy Foster, and Conference Coordinator Brianna Ellis.

Name

International Association for Great Lakes Research (Canada)

Legal name

International Association for Great Lakes Research

Website

https://iaglr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1957

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit scientific membership organization founded in 1957 that advances understanding of large lake ecosystems through peer-reviewed publication (Journal of Great Lakes Research), annual conferences, scholarships, and member services for researchers, government agencies, students, and corporate sponsors in North America and beyond.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: IAGLR operates as a membership-based organization with individual members paying dues. Members receive access to the Journal of Great Lakes Research, conference discounts, Lakes Letter publication, and member portal access.
2. Conference Registration Fees: The annual Conference on Great Lakes Research generates revenue through registration fees. Registration tiers include full in-person passes, single-day passes, virtual passes, and student discounts. The 2026 joint conference registration ranged from CAD$400 (low-income countries) to CAD$1,300 (non-member full registration).
3. Donations and Contributions: General donations, monthly Sustainers Circle giving, directed scholarships, endowment contributions, and planned giving (bequests) provide revenue. The Great Lakes Benefactors program offers tiered annual sponsorship at Platinum ($15,000), Gold ($10,000), Silver ($5,000), and Bronze ($2,500) levels.
4. Publication Revenue: The Journal of Great Lakes Research (JGLR) is published by Elsevier and generates institutional subscription revenue. Platinum benefactors receive institutional subscriptions as a benefit.
5. Great Lakes Benefactors Program: Annual corporate/organizational sponsorships providing recognition benefits including logo placement, conference benefits, journal subscriptions, and IAGLR memberships. Four tiers from $2,500 (Bronze) to $15,000 (Platinum).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels13 records

Core offering

IAGLR is a member-based scientific association that convenes, supports, and disseminates research on large lake ecosystems. Its core offerings are the peer-reviewed Journal of Great Lakes Research, the annual Conference on Great Lakes Research, the State of Lake Conference Series, the Lakes Letter publication, scholarships and awards, and an online job board, all bundled around individual and institutional membership.

Product overview

IAGLR offers a unified portfolio of scientific research support services rather than a traditional product platform. The core offerings include the Journal of Great Lakes Research (JGLR) as the flagship peer-reviewed publication, Lakes Letter as a quarterly magazine, the annual Conference on Great Lakes Research as the primary gathering venue, the State of Lake Conference Series, an online Job Board for the research community, scholarship programs supporting student researchers, and membership services providing access to publications and conferences.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Journal of Great Lakes Research (JGLR): The organization's flagship peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 1975
• Lakes Letter
• IAGLR Scholarships
• Sustainers Circle
• Great Lakes Benefactors

Products and services

• Journal of Great Lakes Research (JGLR) A peer-reviewed scientific journal published since 1975, advancing understanding of large lakes by sharing the latest research from multiple disciplines and ecosystems worldwide. Published by Elsevier and distributed via ScienceDirect.
• Lakes Letter A quarterly online publication highlighting large lake science and scientists, featuring stories about research and researchers in the field.
• Conference on Great Lakes Research IAGLR's flagship annual conference providing a premiere venue for the research community to gather, share knowledge, and make connections across disciplines. The 2026 joint conference featured 700+ presentations across 65 sessions.
• State of Lake Conference Series A conference series focused on the state of large lake ecosystems, complementing the annual conference with specialized programming.
• IAGLR Job Board An online job board connecting employers with job seekers in the large lake research field, featuring positions in aquatic sciences, environmental research, and related disciplines.
• IAGLR Scholarships and Awards Program Multiple scholarship programs supporting students in fields of study related to the Great Lakes, including the IAGLR Scholarship, David M. Dolan Scholarship, IDEA+ Research Scholarship, IDEA+ Presenter Scholarship, and Student Travel Award.
• IAGLR Membership Services IAGLR membership providing access to the Journal of Great Lakes Research, conference discounts, Lakes Letter subscription, networking opportunities, member portal access, job board access, and participation in the organization's governance and committees.
• Great Lakes Benefactors Program Annual corporate/organizational sponsorship program with four tiers (Bronze $2,500, Silver $5,000, Gold $10,000, Platinum $15,000) offering recognition benefits including logo placement, conference sponsor packages, journal subscriptions, complimentary memberships, and exhibit space.

Quantifiable outcome

• The 2026 joint conference with SCAS-SCSA featured 700 presentations across 65 sessions
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• African Center for Aquatic Research and Education (ACARE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025IAGLR entered into a formal MOU with ACARE for 2025–2029 to build a stronger global freshwater research community. Key initiatives include joint efforts to enhance scientific exchange, support emerging researchers, increase conference participation, and promote collaborative publications in the Journal of Great Lakes Research—particularly research led by African scientists. ACARE facilitates IAGLR memberships for its African network members and sponsors participation in IAGLR's annual conference.
• Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCASS member organizations share interests in aquatic resources and collectively represent professionals combining deep subject-matter expertise, commitment to independent objectivity, and critical review of environmental information. CASS works to cohesively present the best available science on aquatic resources, including at joint conferences and science-based policy discussions.
• Council of Scientific Society Presidents (CSSP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounded in 1973, CSSP serves as a center for national science leadership development, a strong voice for science in the nation's capital, and the premier forum for national science policy development through open exchanges on science, engineering, and mathematics issues.
• Partnership Group for Science and Engineering (PAGSE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAGSE is a network of 20+ Canadian science and engineering societies educating elected officials and policymakers on research. Founded in 1995, its Bacon and Eggheads breakfast series brings academics to Parliament Hill in Ottawa to discuss research and policy implications. IAGLR collaboration aims to help educate Canadian leaders on Great Lakes importance.
• ACCESS+ (NSF ADVANCE Partnership)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerACCESS+ is an NSF ADVANCE partnership grant-funded initiative seeking to extend the breadth and number of STEM professional societies engaged in addressing disciplinary diversity, equity, and inclusion. It aims to accelerate awareness, adoption, and adaptation of evidence-based gender-related DEI policies, practices, and programs within and across STEM professional societies.
• IISD Experimental Lakes AreacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIISD-ELA is hosting the 2026 IAGLR & SCAS Joint Conference in Winnipeg. IISD-ELA is the world's freshwater laboratory where scientists manipulate lakes to discover human impacts on freshwater, comprising 58 small lakes set aside for whole-ecosystem experiments in northwestern Ontario, Canada.
• Society of Canadian Aquatic Sciences (SCAS-SCSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint conference partnership between IAGLR and SCAS-SCSA for the 2026 conference in Winnipeg. SCAS-SCSA's mission is to offer an impartial, diverse, and inclusive forum to share, integrate, and advance knowledge of fisheries, limnology, and aquatic sciences in Canada.
• NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatinum Great Lakes Benefactor. NOAA GLERL and its partners conduct innovative research on dynamic environments and ecosystems of the Great Lakes and coastal regions to provide information for resource use and management decisions.
• Great Lakes Fishery CommissioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGold Great Lakes Benefactor. The commission engages with IAGLR as the premier body of researchers studying large lake ecosystems. IAGLR serves as a conduit connecting the commission with established researchers, new talent, and people who care about healthy Great Lakes ecosystems.
• International Joint CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze Great Lakes Benefactor. IJC works to prevent and resolve water quantity and quality conflicts between the U.S. and Canada through governance and science advisory roles relevant to IAGLR's research community.
• Great Lakes CommissionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBronze Great Lakes Benefactor. The GLC is a binational agency of Great Lakes states and provinces working to develop common positions on Great Lakes issues and advance collaboration.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ecological Society of America (ESA): ESA is a large, established scientific society publishing multiple journals (e.g., Ecology, Ecosphere) and running a major annual meeting. Comparable as a broader ecology society whose membership overlaps with IAGLR's ecosystem-ecology segment.
• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS): AAAS is a broad scientific society publisher of Science, with a large membership across disciplines. Less directly comparable on aquatic focus, but analogous in the nonprofit scientific-society publishing and membership model at much larger scale.
• American Geophysical Union (AGU): AGU is a large scientific society with extensive journal portfolio, a massive annual meeting, and members in hydrology and Earth sciences. Comparable as a research-publishing society whose hydrology section overlaps with Great Lakes physical-science research.
• International Society of Limnology (SIL): SIL is the global umbrella society for limnology, convening international congresses and publishing research. It is a broader, longer-established incumbent relative to IAGLR's large-lakes specialty, with overlapping membership of lake researchers worldwide.

Direct peers

• Society for Freshwater Science (SFS): SFS is a parallel freshwater-science professional society with member dues, an annual meeting, a peer-reviewed journal (Freshwater Science), and student awards. Highly comparable membership-society operating model, though SFS focuses on streams and freshwater broadly rather than large lakes specifically.
• North American Lake Management Society (NALMS): NALMS is a U.S.-focused lake management society with an annual conference, peer-reviewed journal (Lake and Reservoir Management), and membership serving lake managers and researchers. Directly comparable operating model and overlapping audience with IAGLR's applied lake research community.
• Society of Canadian Aquatic Sciences (SCAS-SCSA): SCAS-SCSA is the Canadian counterpart aquatic science society, which jointly hosted the 2026 Winnipeg conference with IAGLR. Highly comparable as a binational sister society with overlapping mission in fisheries, limnology, and aquatic sciences.
• American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO): ASLO is the most directly comparable scientific society, also serving researchers in limnology, oceanography, and aquatic sciences through peer-reviewed journals (e.g., Limnology and Oceanography), an annual conference, and member programs. Overlaps with IAGLR on limnology membership, aquatic science publishing, and conference-driven engagement.

Others

• Consortium of Aquatic Science Societies (CASS): CASS is a coalition of aquatic-science societies including IAGLR that collectively advocate on policy. Comparable as an ecosystem peer in the aquatic-science association landscape, though CASS itself is an umbrella rather than a competitor.
• Elsevier (journal publishing partner): Elsevier is the commercial publisher of the Journal of Great Lakes Research via ScienceDirect, making it a key distribution and revenue partner rather than a direct peer. Relevant because IAGLR's publication-revenue stream is structurally tied to this relationship.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/IAGLR
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCJnfE3drxlpr9JQBTMyzBFA
• Facebookfacebook.com/iaglr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/international-association-for-great-lakes-research
• Instagraminstagram.com/iaglrscience

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about International Association for Great Lakes Research (Canada)