National Adhering Organizations (NAOs) are the formal Members of the Union. Each NAO represents the chemists in its country (or territory). An NAO may be any institution or association of institutions that represent a country’s national interests in chemistry. To become a formal member of IUPAC, a potential NAO should complete an application form. Please contact the Executive Director if you need more information.

The governing body of IUPAC is the Council, which meets biennially (in the odd-numbered years) at the IUPAC General Assembly. The Council reviews the applications and is responsible for approving admission to the Union. Applications should be submitted by 01 February of the year in which a Council meeting is to be held. NAOs pay annual dues to the Union. These dues are based on that country’s economic and academic output.

In addition to membership at national level, IUPAC offers direct membership for companies (Company Associates) and for individuals (Affiliate Members). This provides a mechanism for NAOs to improve cooperation with the chemical industry and outreach to individual chemists in their countries.

The Benefits of being an NAO include:

  • International and global recognition of the NAO and the individual chemists that it represents.
  • Representation on the IUPAC Council, the highest governing body of the Union. The IUPAC Council holds a meeting every two years, usually scheduled at the end of the General Assembly.
  • Individual chemists from an NAO country are eligible to become titular or associate members or national representatives on any IUPAC Division or Standing Committee. Rules regarding committee membership can be found in the IUPAC Statutes, Bylaws and Standing Orders.
  • NAO countries are eligible to host IUPAC Congresses and IUPAC-endorsed conferences.
  • Each year, each NAO has the opportunity to name one national event at which IUPAC Poster Prizes may be awarded.
  • Young chemists from an NAO country are eligible to apply for IUPAC-SOLVAY International Award for Young Chemists. The prize is given for the most outstanding Ph.D. thesis in the general area of the chemical sciences.
  • Each NAO receives a free annual subscription to the IUPAC news magazine, Chemistry International.

See Nations Affiliated with IUPAC

Presidents’ Forum

This initiative aims to bring together the leaders of chemical societies and federations from around the world to collectively address key issues in chemistry, with the goal of fostering mutual cooperation and increasing the global impact of chemistry for the betterment of humankind and the planet. Read more here.