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Get involved in the global IFAC community

From joining a Technical Committee to chairing a Symposium, sitting on a governance Board, or signing your organisation up as a National Member — IFAC offers many ways to engage with the international automatic control community.

IFAC Structure

IFAC is governed by a General Assembly that elects a Council each triennium. Day-to-day technical and operational work is delegated to Executive Officers and three Boards (Technical, Conference, Publications) and a network of dedicated Committees and Task Forces. Together they steward the activity of 9 Coordinating Committees, 41 Technical Committees, and the federation’s annual calendar of conferences and publications.
What is our structure? All the IFAC Officials
Structure of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) during the 2023–2026 triennium.

Structure & Governance Documents

Reference articles tagged both Participate in IFAC and Guidelines – the nomination procedures, terms of reference, and guides for new members.

The Aims of IFAC

Learn about the aims of IFAC and its commitment to promoting the science and technology of automatic control worldwide.

Dimitri Peaucelle IFAC Secretary
11-Aug-2026
About IFAC Guidelines
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Affiliates

Affiliate members are organisations — research institutes, learned societies and professional bodies — that align with IFAC’s mission and contribute to the federation’s activities. Affiliates have voice in the Federation and contribute to international cooperation in control.
See all Affiliates in the Portal → Apply to become an Affiliate →
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TC Members

Technical Committee members are the backbone of IFAC’s scientific activity — running Symposia, organizing special sessions, peer-reviewing papers, mentoring early-career colleagues, and coordinating technical Working Groups. Membership is open to researchers and practitioners working in the relevant area, regardless of nationality.
See all TC Members in the Portal →
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TC Senior Members

Senior Member status recognises sustained, substantive contribution to a Technical Committee — typically through chairing, organising flagship events, leading working groups, or shaping the TC’s scientific direction.
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National Member Organizations

IFAC operates through a network of National Member Organizations (NMOs) — typically the leading professional body for control engineering in each country/region. Each NMO appoints a representative to the IFAC General Assembly and contributes to federation governance, nominations, and event hosting.
List of NMOs on the Portal → How to become an NMO →
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Associate Member Organizations

IFAC Associated Member Organizations (AMOs) are a way for countries/regions who previously have not been able to be part of IFAC’s National Member Organizations (NMOs) due to financial limitations or other challenges, to participate fully in the IFAC community. AMOs are comprised of well-defined groups of researchers, practioners, other formally-recognized groups, active in the field of automatic control, from within a given country/region in which there is no NMO.
List of AMOs on the Portal How to become an AMO

Committees & Boards

All IFAC governance bodies run on volunteers. All Official Positions are voluntary and unpaid. The Officials’ activities, even travel expenses for the IFAC meetings, are supported from their own resources. The members, chairs and vice-chairs are nominated for a triennium which starts at a World Congress. All members are appointed after being proposed by the Election Committee from the outgoing triennium. Diversity and high quality engagement are the main criteria.

  • Council

    The federation's highest executive body — the President, Vice Presidents, the President-elect and the immediate past president, plus elected members from different NMO countries/regions.

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  • Advisors

    Past Presidents and senior figures who advise the Council on strategic direction and continuity across triennia.

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  • Technical Board

    Coordinates the activity of the Coordinating Committees and Technical Committees that drive IFAC's Technical Activities.

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  • Conference Board

    Considers symposia, conferences, workshops and other technical meetings as may be recommended to it by the Technical Committees.

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  • Publications Board

    Oversees the federation's eight journals and the open IFAC-PapersOnLine collection of proceedings.

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  • Editorial Board

    Editorial leadership of IFAC Journals.

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  • Executive Committees

    Standing committees with focused mandates.

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  • Task Forces

    Time-limited working groups tackling specific federation-wide issues.

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Latest Participation News

The 10 latest stories from across the federation about getting involved — TC openings, Council nominations, mentorship cohorts, industry engagement and volunteer spotlights.

The Aims of IFAC

Learn about the aims of IFAC and its commitment to promoting the science and technology of automatic control worldwide.

Dimitri Peaucelle IFAC Secretary
11-Aug-2026
About IFAC Guidelines
See More