An ICMI Study follows a series of steps:

First, the Executive Committee of ICMI decides upon a theme, either on its own initiative or after considering proposals submitted by individuals or teams of leading scholars. Proposals may be submitted to the EC at any time, or in response to a call for proposals issued via the ICMI Newsletter or other means. (Further details may be found in the ICMI Study Guidelines.)

The ICMI EC then appoints two co-chairs and the International Program Committee (IPC), which on behalf of ICMI is responsible for conducting the Study. Usually, a country that is willing to host the corresponding ICMI Study Conference has been identified concurrently with the appointment of the IPC.

The first task of the IPC is to produce a Discussion Document in which a number of key issues and sub-themes related to the theme of the Study are identified and described in a preliminary manner. The Discussion Document is widely disseminated internationally to solicit contributions to the ICMI Study Conference, in the form of short papers.

From these paper submissions, invitations are issued to a limited number of participants (about 80-100) to participate in an international conference (ICMI Study Conference) constituting a working forum that investigates the theme of the study. Particular emphasis is given to bringing together to the Study conference both experts in the field and newcomers with interesting ideas or promising work in progress, as well as to gathering representatives with a variety of backgrounds from different regions, traditions and cultures.

Beyond the productive interaction and collaborations occasioned by the ICMI Study conference, its main product is a research volume, synthesizing the results of the conference and presenting a state-of-the-art expert report on the Study theme.

The final outcome of an ICMI Study is a appearing in the New ICMI Studies Series (NISS) under the general editorship of the President and the Secretary-General of ICMI and published by Springer. The ICMI Study volumes reflect the great variety of issues and concerns in the field of mathematics education and are of interest to educational researchers, curriculum developers, educational policy makers, teachers of mathematics, and to mathematicians and educators involved in the professional education and development of teachers of mathematics.

This process typically stretches over a period of about three to four years per Study.

ICMI Study Guidelines
The ICMI Study Guidelines 
 

Questions and Contact
If you have any questions, or would like to submit an ICMI Study Proposal, please contact the ICMI Secretary General via email.