ISRV is an open membership organization, run democratically, and based on the principle of being a scientific body independent of commercial, governmental or political ties, bringing together individual scientists, clinicians, public health experts, and others with a professional interest in influenza and other respiratory viruses.
ISRV’s legal structure is a company limited by guarantee, and is registered in the UK as a company (Company number 6021083) with Companies House, and is also registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales (Registered charity number 1118829).
Charities have a governing document (a set of rules) which they must follow. In ISRV’s case, this document is the Articles of Association dated 20 November 2024 (LINK TO downloadable content). Since its’ inception in 2025, the Articles of Association have been modified on a number of occasions to meet the changing needs of the organization. Members have voted to approve these changes on each occasion.
ISRV is governed by its Trustees (who also serve as Directors of the company), all five of whom sit on both an Executive Committee and Council.
Meeting frequency: four times per year, plus the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The ISRV Executive Committee compromises the following members:
These are all Directors and Trustees of ISRV and are responsible for managing the financial processes and regulatory processes of the charity.
In addition, the ISRV Executive Committee includes:
With the exception of Rebecca Cox, these are NOT Directors and Trustees of ISRV and are all ex-officio members – that is by virtue of some other post held. As above, at present these are the Editor-in-Chief of the ISRV journal, and Chairs of Special Interest Groups/Standing Committees.
Whether appointed or ex-officio, members of the Executive Committee all have the same rights to vote (with the exception of the Editor-in-Chief), speak and propose decisions.
In addition, the Society may include co-opted members who serve on Executive Committee for a specified time period, often to address a knowledge gap. Co-opted members may be recruited from outside the ISRV membership and usually have a specific area of expertise. Co-opted members are not trustees.
Meeting frequency: four times per year, plus the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The ISRV Council recommend strategic goals and actions to be taken by the Executive Committee. The number of Councillors is limited to 30 and they are elected by the members for a three-year term, extendable for one further term.
The Council includes
You can view the current members of ISRV Council here.
Meeting frequency: four times per year, plus the Annual General Meeting (AGM)
The ISRV Council recommend strategic goals and actions to be taken by the Executive Committee. The number of Councillors is limited to 30 and they are elected by the members for a three-year term, extendable for one further term.
Each year, one third of Council Members retire by rotation.
Council elections
Most ISRV Council Members are elected by the society’s membership, with one third of the elected Council positions being subject to election each year. Council members normally serve terms of three years (renewable for one further term) and attend around four Council meetings a year. In addition to the elected Council members, the Chairs of Special Interest Groups (SIGs) sit on the Council as ex officio members.
Officer elections
Officers are Council members with a specific role such as Director/Trustee, Chair of a standing committee or Chair of a SIG. Director/Trustees are members of Council who have been elected by the membership, and appointed by Council as Officers. SIG Chairs are elected by the SIG Executive Committee, and approved by Council to serve ex officio.
Scientific Meetings Committee
The Scientific Meetings Committee (SMC) is a standing committee of ISRV whose purpose is to coordinate and assist in the management of all in person meetings of the Society.
In accordance with the Terms of Reference (LINK TO downloadable content), the Committee will seek to maintain a broad portfolio of scientific meetings, to develop new collaborative opportunities for participation in scientific meetings, and will oversee the logistics and finances of all ISRV scientific meetings.
The Education Committee
The Education Committee (EC) is a standing committee of ISRV whose purpose is to develop the scope of ISRV educational and outreach activities to engage and support the continued professional development of the current and next generation of respiratory virus scientists.
In accordance with the Terms of Reference (LINK TO downloadable content), the Education Committee provides a forum to
Since 2011, Special Interest Groups (SIGs) have acted as a platform for specialty areas within ISRV and a way to initiate new members to each specialty area and the society. SIGs benefit from the shared knowledge and networking opportunities provided within the SIG structure.
Currently, ISRV has the following SIGs:
Members of SIGs are drawn from the wider ISRV membership and vice versa. Each SIG has its own SIG Executive Committee which directs the activities of the SIGs and whose members are elected members. Chairs of each SIG Executive Committee are members of the ISRV Executive Committee and Council.
SIG Executive Committees are responsible for the governance and activities of the SIG. SIG committees work with the ISRV Executive Committee, Council, Scientific Meetings Committee, Education Committee and each other to accomplish ISRV’s strategic goals and objectives, to:
Scientific Advisory Committees. As appropriate, ISRV SIGs (such as iRSVs) may also be structured to include a Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), the purpose of which is to work on behalf of members of the SIG to provide oversight and guidance to the organisers of future SIG conferences/symposia and to identify and select organisers and sites for future meetings.
