IFSR Board Meeting
14th April 2004

There was a board meeting of the International Federation for Systems Research in Vienna, Wednesday 14 April. The minutes of the previous meeting, and the accounts were approved. The society has a healthy financial balance.

The current board completed its term of service, but was re-elected.

A new draft constitution was adopted. This was necessitated by changes in Austrian Law. As a result the society now has 2 vice-presidents. A critical condition was that, in the case that the Federation is disbanded, after payment of dues all funds will pass to the Austrian Society for Cybernetic Study; the resources of the journal, Systems Research and Behavioural Science, owned by the Federation and published by Wiley's, will stay with the journal and been handed to the society that takes on responsibility for its publication.

The Japanese International Society for Knowledge and Systems Science was accepted as a member of IFSR-they are negotiating to set up an international conference that will he held under the auspices of IFSR. 3 societies that had not responded to registered letters advising them that failure to respond would lead to their removal from the Federation were removed.

The president of the Federation remarked that it was the only body in the field that does not have a conference, and suggested a conference was critical. Debate suggested that this was not a role for the IFSR, which is a co-ordinating body with no resources of officers to such a make a commitment. The question of the relation between IFSR and ISKSS regarding the proposed ISKSS was not resolved.

The IFSR determined to set up a procedure for the award of Fellowships to individuals of distinction in the fiends of cybernetics and systems theory. Candidates for this honour may be proposed by member societies, or the Fellowship itself.

The secretary/treasurer stated that the arrangements proposed for the Fuschl meetings set up originally by Bela Banathy had been accepted and acted upon. There would be a Fuschl meeting this year.

The Federation remembered and paid tribute to international figures in the field who died in the last 2 years, especially those connected with the IFSR.

There are 28 member societies of the IFSR.

Ranulph Glanville