Skip to content

The Association

AISME is the leading association for scholars, academics, and professionals engaged in scientific research in the field of Commodity Sciences and related disciplines. As stated in the description of the scientific sector ECON-10/A, Commodity Sciences aim to bring together a coherent and unified body of research areas centred on the phenomenon of goods production—covering the entire process from the study, analysis, and assessment of resources to production and transformation technologies, including their implications for quality and the environment, as well as environmental management and certification systems.

Origins of the Association

AISME traces its roots back to 1978, the year in which the Articles of Association of the Italian Society of Commodity Sciences (SIM)—today the Italian Academy of Commodity Sciences—were filed before a notary. The Association is currently headquartered in Bari, at the University of Bari “Aldo Moro”, and operates as a non-profit and non-political organisation. Its institutional mission is to foster close collaboration among scholars of Commodity Sciences, whether individuals, legal entities, or associations, recognised or not, Italian or foreign. In particular, the Academy promotes the knowledge, advancement, and development of Commodity Science and its related disciplines. Membership is open to professors, researchers, and scholars of Commodity Sciences, both Italian and international, as well as to institutions, associations, and legal entities whose scientific aims and interests lie within fields related to Commodity Sciences.

Activities

The founders established the Association with the primary goal of promoting the development of Commodity Science in both scientific and applied research, as well as disseminating knowledge of the discipline’s subject matter—particularly among public institutions—so that the contributions of commodity scientists could be made more readily available to society as a whole, and to consumers in particular.
Since its first year of operation, AISME has launched numerous cultural initiatives in both scientific and educational contexts.
As evidence of the positive results achieved, the Association has seen a significant increase in its initial membership, as well as an invitation from the International Association of Commodity Science and Technology (Internationale Gesellschaft für Warenkunde und Technologie – IGWT, based in Vienna) to join the organisation.
Every two years, AISME organises the National Congress of Commodity Sciences, which represents the main occasion for members to meet and deepen scholarly discussion. Furthermore, as part of its affiliation with IGWT, in the years in which the National Congress is not held, AISME takes part in the IGWT International Congress.