The Council for the Mathematical Sciences (CMS) was established in 2001 by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA), the London Mathematical Society (LMS), and the Royal Statistical Society (RSS). The CMS included representatives and observers from the mathematical sciences community, such as the Presidents and Chief Executives of the three societies. In October 2006, Professor David Wallace CBE FRS FREng was appointed as the first independent Chair of the CMS. In 2008, the Edinburgh Mathematical Society and the Operational Research Society became members of the CMS
Academy for the Mathematical Sciences
The concept of a National Academy for Mathematical Sciences was first introduced in Professor Philip Bond’s Review: Era of Mathematics, published in 2018. The review aimed to establish a unified body representing the entire mathematical sciences community for the first time. Following the Bond Review, the Big Mathematics Initiative advanced its recommendations, leading the Council for the Mathematical Sciences (CMS) to commission a Green Paper. This document proposed a National Academy that would encompass academia, education, industry, and government agencies, with a primary focus on external advocacy and strengthening connections across the diverse mathematical sciences community.
The CMS consultation on the Green Paper concluded in January 2022, revealing strong and widespread support for the idea of such an Academy. Subsequently, a Next Steps paper, produced by a CMS-appointed Working Group, recommended the establishment of a proto-Academy—an "incubator" for the National Academy. This proto-Academy would involve the recruitment of an Executive Committee and an Executive Director. The Academy for the Mathematical Societies was registered as a charity on 27 September 2023. In March 2025, the CMS transitioned into the Learned Societies Forum of Academy for Mathematical Sciences and in July 2025, the CMS website was closed in recognition that the Learned Societies Forum was part of the Academy for the Mathematical Sciences.
Learned Societies working together
The five CMS Learned Societies continue to represent their members and to collaborate on a variety of projects. Further information on each society is available on these links
Edinburgh Mathematical Society
Institute of Mathematics and its Applications