The scope and approach of the group: INTER encourages the presentation, discussion, and documentation of research results with the aim of the development of application rules for timber design codes or standards related to timber engineering.

CIB W18

In March 1973 a group of scientists from 11 countries (8 countries from Europe, and in addition delegates from Canada, Brazil, and the United States of America) came to Princes Risborough, UK to establish a working group. A special correspondence to Australia was already effective at that time.

Before, a Study Group on Timber Structures, called CIB W18, existed since 1959 under the leadership of Mr. Ezra Levin from TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association). It was a small corresponding group having no regular meetings. This group, however, supported two international conferences on timber engineering in Southampton (1961) and in London (1965). CIB W18 was founded as a working commission under CIB - "Commission International du Batiment" now called "International Council for Research and Innovation in Building and Construction".

The aim of CIB W18 was and the aim of INTER still is to promote the exchange of scientific findings related to timber engineering to create a uniform basis for guidelines for the design of timber structures. The first chairman, John Sunley from TRADA, defined the scope of CIB W18 as:

"The terms of reference of CIB-W18 are to study and highlight the major differences between the relevant national design codes and standards and to suggest ways in which the future development of these codes and standards might take place in order to minimize or even to eliminate these differences."

According to John Sunley, CIB-W18 had two main roles:

• CIB W18 is an independent group of timber engineering experts which should publish its own recommendations through CIB, so that the rest of the world is aware of their views and of recommended ways in dealing with timber in structural codes.

• CIB W18 must ensure that their recommendations are dealt with in a proper way by the appropriate organisations which wish to use them.

INTER

Over the years, CIB as a professional organisation insisted more and more that all meeting participants be CIB members - either Organisational Membership (€ 9000 per year) or Associate membership (€ 2600 per year) or Individual Membership (€ 270 per year). As a result, participation would no longer have been possible for many es- pecially younger meeting participants of CIB W18. Consequently, the members of meeting 46 in Vancouver, Canada decided in 2013 to leave CIB and establish a new group INTER. Consequently, from the 2014 meeting in Bath, the name of the group is INTER. There is no membership fee in INTER.