Under the leadership of the IES President Milos Manic, and the Vice-President for Membership Activities, Ya-Jun Pan, the IEEE Industrial Electronics Society (IES) continues to strengthen its commitment to Students and Young Professionals (SYPs) by increasing financial support, creating new opportunities, and increasing global engagement.
With nearly one-third of IES members being students or recent graduates, these initiatives are shaping the future of the society.

Record Investment in SYP Activities

In 2024, under the leadership of IES President Milos Manic, IES doubled its investments towards SYP initiatives, from $100,000 in 2023 to $200,000. This year, continuing the same trend, IES quadrupled its investments towards SYP initiatives, with the overall budget for grants and congress support doubling again from $200,000 in 2024 to $400,000. These investments are geared towards IES membership growth, specifically YP Committee (led by Chathurika Wickramasinghe), and Student and Young Professionals Activities (SYPA) program (led by Ala Chalghaf). This time, IES is carving out a new investment line of funds, geared towards students and young professionals joining IES Administrative Committee meetings, providing a path towards a new, young leadership talent pipeline.

The SYP Congress 2025 in Tunisia on 15–17 August 2025, key highlights

To address high interest (371 applications from 50 Sections across six Regions), the IES Administrative Committee doubled its initial investment to $200,000 in funding, enabling an additional hundred students and young professionals to join the 2025 IES SYP Congress in Tunis, Tunisia. This event represented a great ending to an action packed summer of IES activities (new three events across India and Brazil), with over 250 participants, strengthening geographic diversity, supporting growth in Africa, and building a pipeline of engaged future leaders for IES.

Supporting Student Branch Chapters

In 2025, IES also continued to support activities within Student Branch Chapters (SBCs):

  • Best Student Branch Chapters Award,
  • Support to 27 SBC local projects,
  • Inter-SBC Competition, with a prize pool of $1,500 across projects in Energy, Sensors and Control, ICT, and Cross-disciplinary fields.

These initiatives empower students to lead impactful projects while strengthening ties within the IES community.

Expanding Opportunities Through SYPA Grants

In 2024, over 90 SYP members were supported through the SYPA program, and in 2025 the scope is expanding even further.
The $200,000 SYPA grants budget supports:

  • Travel assistance for about 100 SYPAs
  • Keynote speaker and mentor participation
  • Paper assistance grants
  • Dedicated support at flagship conferences such as CPE-POWERENG

 

Building a Stronger Global Network

Beyond funding, IES is promoting connections through initiatives such as non-technical webinars in Kenya and Tunisia, the YP-led technical webinar series, and the IES Ambassadors Program, which now counts over 100 Ambassadors across Regions 1, 3–5, and 7–10.
With more than 110 Chapters and 90 Student Branch Chapters active worldwide, including 14 newly established in 2025, IES is ensuring strong local engagement while supporting the global community.

 

Looking Ahead

Through increased investment, expanded travel grants, and stronger student and young professional networks, IES is securing its future by empowering the next generation of engineers.
The 2025 SYP Congress in Tunisia is a milestone in this journey, highlighting the society’s commitment to inclusivity, global reach, and long-term growth. Stay tuned to get more information soon about the three days of technical exchange, networking, and inspiration, expected to welcome participants from over 30 nationalities, showcasing the truly global reach of IES.

To learn more about the IEEE IES Students and Young Professionals Activity Committee (SYP-AC): https://www.ieee-ies.org/membership/syp