Industrial Structural Science Committee

Terms of reference

• Advise the IUCr Executive Committee on matters relating to industrial crystallography and all aspects of structural science and its societal and economic impacts.
• Develop position papers or advisory reports on topics requested by the IUCr Executive Committee.
• Act as an advisory point of contact for international organizations where appropriate, including activities relevant to UN Sustainable Development Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), UNESCO and the International Science Council while recognizing the differing needs and priorities of the Global North and Global South in advancing the public good.
• Identify industrial scientific challenges and opportunities where IUCr expertise and its Commissions could make significant contributions to innovation and societal benefit.
• Recognize and, where appropriate, advise on how crystallographic expertise may contribute to industries and enterprises involving Indigenous communities, including agriculture, forestry, fisheries and natural resources, while respecting Indigenous knowledge and local priorities.
• Provide a forum through which industrial crystallographers can communicate emerging needs, opportunities and priorities to the IUCr, including advising IUCr Congress Programme Committees on industrial sessions, workshops and satellite meetings and, where appropriate, nominating a representative to serve on those Programme Committees.
• Liaise with and assist the work of the specialist IUCr Commissions’ for best practice in crystallography with any pertinent needs for industry’s customers on quality assurance, validation, data management and/or reproducibility as well as education and training.
• Promote constructive interactions between industry, academia, national laboratories and central facilities.Identify emerging scientific and technological developments relevant to industrial crystallography, including AI-assisted analysis, in situ methods and advanced diffraction and scattering techniques.
• Report annually and triennially to the IUCr Executive Committee on activities and recommendations.