IEEE SMC: Systems, Man, & Cybernetics Society

IEEE SMC Society Strategic Plan 2022–2026

Submitted by O&P Committee on October 1, 2021
Approved by BOG on October 16, 2021

MISSION

We foster technological innovation and excellence in the fields of cybernetics, systems, human-machine interaction, artificial intelligence, and machine learning for the benefit of humanity.

VISION

We will be essential to the global technical community and to technical professionals and be universally recognized for contributions of technology.  Technical professionals in the mentioned fields improving global conditions of life for humanity will join us and/or use our publications/conferences.

CORE VALUES

The list of our core values reflects what is truly important to us as an organization:

  • Trust: being a trusted and unbiased source of technical information and forums for technical dialog and collaboration.
  • Growth and Nurturing: encouraging education as a fundamental activity of engineers, scientists, and technologists at all levels and at all times; ensuring a pipeline of students to preserve the profession.
  • Global Community Building: cultivating active, vibrant, and honest exchange among cross-disciplinary and interdisciplinary global communities of technical professionals.
  • Partnership: promoting a culture of respect for the employee and volunteer, valuing contributions at all organizational levels, investing in training and development to enhance capabilities, empowering individuals to make a positive difference, and building a membership organization based on a strong volunteer-staff partnership to serve the profession.
  • Service to Humanity: leveraging science, technology, and engineering to benefit human welfare; promoting public awareness and understanding of the engineering profession.
  • Integrity in Action: fostering a professional climate in which engineers and scientists continue to be respected for their exemplary ethical behavior and volunteerism.

IEEE SMC Society Strategic Plan 2022–2026 GOALS

  • Expand and enable dynamic, nimble, flexible, diverse, communities to help individuals worldwide to share, collaborate, network, debate, and engage in the post-pandemic era.
  • Provide technically vital forums including hybrid, on-line, and virtual for the discussion, development, and dissemination of authoritative knowledge related to traditional technologies while focusing additional resources towards serving the professionals working on emerging and disruptive technologies of new cyber-physical innovations
  • Focus attention to new and rapidly expanding areas such as artificial intelligence, responsible artificial intelligence, and machine learning, smart cities, HMI/BMI/BCI, and interdisciplinary research of cognition and consciousness.
  • Lead humanitarian efforts worldwide to use technology to solve the world’s most challenging problems, support human-centric technological solutions, and climate-oriented decision making.
  • Leverage IEEE’s technology-related insights to provide governments, NGOs, other organizations, and the public with innovative, practical recommendations to address public policy issues.
  • Support the area of social cybernetics, providing new social and economic models in the post-covid era.

KEY INITIATIVES SUPPORTING THE GOALS

  • Provide additional opportunities, products, and services aimed at increasing our value to professionals working in the industry, particularly younger professionals and entrepreneurs, support engagement of women in engineering.
  • Ensure the vitality and relevance of our core activities in standards, conferences, education, and publications while providing increased value to our members.
  • Develop programs in public service focused on knowledge and technology in our fields of interest related to public policy and humanitarian efforts, participate in the humanitarian projects like Smart Village and IEEE SIGHT.
  • Evaluate and adapt organizational structures and processes to meet the demands of a changing environment while managing the financial and sustainable health of IEEE.
  • Support and promote Open Access journals and new ways of communication through e-journals.
  • Support joint efforts with IEEE and other technical societies in the new areas, issuing joint publications.

SMCS Strategic Tasks 2022–2026

  1. Strive to become the leading Society in the area of Cybernetics (VP CYB)

1.1 Strengthen and enhance the Cybernetics area

  1. Enhance Society recognition as the leading society in the area of HMS (VP HMS)

2.1 Strengthen and enhance the HMS area

  1. Enhance Society recognition as the leading Society in the area of SSE (VP SSE)

3.1 Strengthen and enhance the SSE area in cooperation with other IEEE Societies and Councils

  1. Review and update the current technical committees (VP CYB, VP HMS, VP SSE)

4.1 Sunset inactive TCs and technical activities getting low attention in Society publications
and conferences

4.2 Implement a term limit for the TC Chairs

4.3 Expand our technical activities in AI and align them with the three main areas of SMCS
(brain inspired ML architectures, ML augmented with human knowledge, distributed   (federated) ML, interpretable ML models, auto code generation, intersection of AI and IoT)

  1. Optimize experience of the membership, conference participants, and the SMCS (VP Conf)

5.1 Attract high quality submissions

5.2 Standardize conference processes

  1. Enhance and optimize conference operations (VP Conf)

6.1 Update the Conference Policies and Procedures manual

6.2 Develop value added conference activities leveraging the experience from pandemic years

  1. Strengthen financially and technically co-sponsored conferences (VP Conf)

7.1 Continue organizing sustainable conferences in CYB, HMS, and SSE (VP Conf, VPs TA)

  1. Increase the SMCS membership and enhance its value to members (VP M&SA)

8.1 Increase the Society membership

8.2 Enhance relevance to industry

8.3 Increase student membership and its value to students

8.4 Enhance benefits of membership to Young Professionals members

8.5 Enhance the activities of the standing committee for education and outreach activities

8.6 Develop webinars on topics of interest

8.7 Revitalize the DL and Ambassador and Celebrity Lectures programs

  1. Increase membership and improve our presence and activities in all geographic regions
    (India, Brazil, Eastern Europe, Australia) (VP M&SA)
  2. Continue to improve timeliness and impact of SMCS publications (VP Pubs)

10.1 Design infrastructure to improve publication timeliness and impact (VP Pubs, EiCs)

  1. Encourage SMCS publications in new and emerging areas (VP Pubs, VPs TA, President)

11.1 Continue publishing applications papers (VP Pubs, VPs TA)

11.2 Increase submissions from industry (VP Pubs, Chair Indust. Liaison)

  1. Search for innovative ways to improve author’s and reader’s experiences (VP Pubs)

12.1 Attract new authors and readers (VP Pubs)

12.2 Encourage authors to provide evidence for reproducible research results (VP Pubs, EiCs)

12.3 Increase impact of IEEE publications by making their results easier-to-grasp, support open access and e-journals (VP Pubs, EiCs)

  1. Maintain a high quality and user-friendly SMCS website

13.1 Make website informative, current, and easy-to-use (VP Pubs, Chair Electron. Comm.)

  1. Enhance Governance (VP O+P, Pres, VP Finance)

14.1 Improve SMCS vision

14.2 Improve SMCS efficiency and quality

14.3 Ensure sound financial management and operation

14.4 Improve BoG nomination and election processes

14.5 Promote high standards in reward, recognition, and nomination (Pres, VP Finance Jr. Past Pres, Sr. Past Pres)

14.6 Improve the engagement of Industry by leveraging our cooperation with the IEEE Industry Engagement Committee (VP O&P)