by Tom Coughlin, IEEE President Elect (edited by Alan J Weissberger)

IEEE at a Glance:

• 420,000 members in 190+ countries
• Sponsors 2,000+ conferences in 96 countries annually
• 5 million+ documents in the IEEE Xplore® digital library, with 15 million+ downloads each month
• Publishes approximately 200 transactions, journals, and magazines; IEEE is 3 out of the top 5 publications on AI, Automation and Control Systems, and Computer Science HW and SW
• Leader in tech patents granted
• 1,076 active standards (including IEEE 802.3 Ethernet and IEEE 802.11 WiFi)
• 900+ standards under development
• 46 Societies and Technical Councils
• IEEE members have won 21 Nobel Prizes
• Lots of volunteer opportunities!

Technical Expertise that is Broad and Deep:

IEEE is the most-cited publisher in new patents from top patenting organizations!

A study of the top 50 patenting organizations ranks IEEE #1 again:

• Nearly 3x more citations than any other publisher
• Patent referencing to IEEE increased 864% since 1997
• Analyzed by discipline, IEEE is the #1 most referenced publisher in AI, Blockchain, Computing, Cybersecurity, IoT, Power Systems, Semiconductors, Telecom and more
• The importance of sci-tech literature in patents is rising IEEE research is increasingly valuable to innovators

IEEE Priorities for 2024:

• Increasing  outreach to younger IEEE members
• Increase engagement with industry groups
• Increasing our outreach to the broader public
• Make investments in new products and services
• Improve the communications and coordination between standards activities and the technical societies

Strengthening IEEE’s Value to Industry:

This will require serious work at the local section level as well as by various IEEE Organizational Units.  Goals and objectives:

• Get members from industry involved in your local section leadership
• Work with your local companies
• Participate in local trade shows (exhibits, talks)
• Recognize local companies for their activities
• Getting IEEE engaged with industry is an important element in retaining and attracting younger members (one of our 2024 IEEE Priorities)
• IEEE organizational units must be part of this effort!

Note:  IEEE will need to create a new strategic plan out to 2030.