Institute of Biology

The Institute of Biology (IoB) is a professional body for biologists, primarily those working in the United Kingdom. Membership currently stands around 14,000. It was founded in 1950, received a Royal Charter in 1979 and holds charitable status.The headquarters of the Institute was located in Kensington, London, near to the Natural History Museum and Imperial College London until 2006 when it moved to Red Lion Court (near the Royal Courts of Justice) as part of its efforts to reduce costs. The IoB is not a trade union, nor does it have regulatory power over its membership, like the General Medical Council.

Role of the Institute

As the professional body representing biologists, the IOB is frequently consulted on biological issues by Government, Parliament, industry and many other organisations. Due to its wide spread of members and affiliated societies, it prides itself on producing a balanced response which reflects the views of the biological profession as a whole.

The IoB joined the Biosciences Federation (BSF) in 2002, through which almost all policy responses and statements are now being issued, to ensure conflicts of interest between biological organisations are resolved before statements are issued.

Membership of the Institute

Members agree to uphold standards of professional behaviour contained in the Royal Charter:

:"Every member of the Institute shall at all times so order their conduct as to uphold the dignity and reputation of biology and to safeguard the public interest in matters of safety and health and otherwise. They shall exercise professional skill and judgement to the best of their ability and discharge professional responsibilities with integrity."

The IoB offers members a number of benefits, including subscriptions to in-house journals, "Journal of Biological Education" and "The Biologist", discounts on third party products and services and discounted use of the meeting facilities at the IoB headquarters in London.

There are several grades of membership, depending upon biological qualifications and experience. Members and Fellows are awarded Chartered Biologist (CBiol) status, the professional qualification for bioscientists. It demonstrates a high level of attainment in biological experience, personal integrity, professional attributes and academic qualifications. In addition to the grades below, there are student and associate membership grades.

Graduate Membership

The IOB no longer has the Graduate Membership grade. This has now been replaced with associate membership grade

Membership

The Member grade is the main professional grade. Members are professional bioscientists with a standard of academic attainment equivalent to first or second class honours degree level in biological science and with post-graduate responsible experience in biological research or in the teaching or application of biological science. Members are entitled to use the letters C. Biol M.I.Biol

Fellowship

Fellowship of the Institute of Biologists is the senior professional grade. Bioscientists who have achieved distinction in biological research or the teaching or application of biological science are eligible. Fellows use the designation C.Biol F.I.Biol

Affiliated societies

A number of other biological societies have affiliated with the Institute of Biology. This provides a number of benefits to members of these organisations, such as use of the Institute's central London offices.

* Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI)
* Association of Applied Biologists (AAB)
* Association of Clinical Embryologists (ACE)
* Association of Clinical Microbiologists (ACM)
* Association for Radiation Research (ARR)
* Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB)
* Association of Veterinary Teachers and Research Workers (AVT&RW)
* British Association for Cancer Research (BACR)
* British Association for Lung Research (BALR)
* British Association of Tissue Banking (BATB)
* British Biophysical Society (BBS)
* British Crop Production Council (BCPC)
* British Ecological Society (BES)
* British Society for Proteome Research (BSPR)
* British Inflammation Research Association (BIRAs)
* British Lichen Society (BLS)
* British Marine Life Study Society (BMLSS)
* British Microcirculation Society (BMS)
* British Mycological Society (BMS)
* British Society for Neuroendocrinology (BSN)
* British Society for Ecological Medicine
* British Society for Cell Biology (BSCB)
* British Society of Animal Science (BSAS)
* British Society for Medical Mycology (BSMM)
* British Society for Parasitology (BSP)
* British Society for Plant Pathology (BSPP)
* British Society for Research on Ageing (BSRA)
* British Society of Soil Science (BSSS)
* Fisheries Society of the British Isles (FSBI)
* Freshwater Biological Association (FBA)
* The Galton Institute
* Institute of Horticulture
* Institute of Trichologists
* International Association of Plant Tissue Culture and Biotechnology (UK) (IAPTCB)
* International Biodeterioration and Biodegradation Society (IBBS)
* International Biometric Society (British Region)
* International Society for Applied Ethology (ISAE)
* Laboratory Animal Science Association (LASA)
* Marine Biological Association of the UK (MBA)
* Nutrition Society
* Physiological Society
* Primate Society of Great Britain (PSGB)
* PSI - Statisticians in the Pharmaceutical Industry (PSI)
* The Royal Entomological Society (RES)
* The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland
* Scottish Association of Marine Science (SAMS)
* Society for Anaerobic Microbiology (SAM)
* Society for Applied Microbiology (SfAM
* Society for Endocrinology
* Society for General Microbiology
* Society for Low Temperature Biology
* Society of Pharmaceutical Medicine
* Society for Reproduction and Fertilisation (SRF)
* Society for the Study of Human Biology (SSHB)
* Society of Academic and Research Surgery (SARS)
* Society of Cosmetic Scientists (SCS)
* [http://www.ukems.org UK Environmental Mutagen Society (UKEMS)]
* UK Registry of Canine Behaviourists (UKRCB)
* Universities Federation for Animal Welfare (UFAW)

ee also

*Institute of Physics
*Royal Society of Chemistry

External links

* [http://www.iob.org The Institute of Biology]