The Bureau of ISPS organized a General Symposium "Paleogene Subdivisions and Boundaries" in the 32nd International Geological Congress in Florence on August 2004.

The Chairman of ISPS have taken part in the meeting of ICS on "Future Directions in Stratigraphy" in Leuven 2005 (organized by the Secretary of ISPS).

A Symposium was organized in the next 33th Geological Congress in Oslo: Oligocene Series: A time of change in Earth and life history. Conveners: Yuri Gladenkov and Noël Vandenberghe

The base of the Selandian and Thanetian stages was defined by the Paleocene Working Group by unanimous majority, both GSSPs were approved by the ISPS and the ICS and finally were ratified by the IUGS in September 23, 2008.

Regarding the rest of the Paleogene Stages, good progress has been made in the search for the remaining GSSPs.

Lack of funds does not allow the ISPS to support meetings and publications and to help substantially Working Groups and Regional Committees outside Western Europe and North America. Particularly needed are travel funds allowing workers from less affluent countries to participate in meetings and symposia. The financial collapse of several countries has exasperated this siuation in 2004-2008. More and more researchers from developing countries become marginal to the main stream of research because of financial reasons.

Until now, most of the costs for secretarial expenses and meetings have been covered by the institutions of the officers and other members of the ISPS. The continued degradation in funding of basic research renders it more and more difficult to draw on these ‘unofficial’ sources.