IEEE President Elect: IEEE Overview, 2024 Priorities and Strategic Plan

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.