During the last ten years, research into Co-operative Studies has gained considerable momentum around the world. The Committee on Co-operative Research is an independent committee supported by the International Co-operative Alliance. It sponsors annual international conferences and biennial regional conferences in Europe, Asia, and the Americas.

Ian MacPherson was elected Chair of the committee at its recent meetings in Cork. In this post he will work with members of the Committee Executive and the ICA Administration in developing forthcoming international conferences (Paris 2006 and Saskatoon in 2007) and encouraging participation in regional conferences. He will also be encouraging the integration of the Co-operative Learning Centre within the international co-operative research community and the international co-operative movement. Another issue with very significant research implications is the general field of co-operative statistics, one of the main challenges is to begin to develop collection practices around the world that are more systematic and comparable.