Founded in 1884, the IEEE is a non-profit organisation, and has more than 330,000 individual members in 150 countries. Through its members, the IEEE is a catalyst for technological innovation. IEEE is a leading authority in a broad range of areas such as computer engineering, electric power, aerospace and consumer electronics, biomedical technology, and telecommunications, naming only a few. IEEE publishes 30 percent of the world’s literature in electrical engineering, computers and control technology, and hold more than 300 major conferences and 6,000 local meetings annually. Recognized as essential guides for every industry, more than 800 active IEEE standards are in use today with 700 currently in development. On 29 June 2005 a single IEEE Italy Section has been established through the merge of the two previous branches: North Italy Section and Central & South Italy Section. IEEE Italy Section has currently 4978 members (December 2016). IEEE is divided into 10 regions, Italy Section belongs to Region 8, which consists of Europe, Middle East and Africa.