fields of STEM are qualifying for becoming a member of IDA. It is also possible to join IDA with other university degrees as a professional in an IT, engineering or technology company, for example in consultancies, financial institutions and many start-ups. In addition, IDA membership is open to those without a degree who work in one of the three areas (digitisation, technology and science) at such a high level that their skills are equivalent to a long university degree. IDA's history The Danish Society of Engineers, IDA, was founded on 1 January 1995 by a merger between the two former engineering associations Danish Engineers Association, founded 1892 and The Engineers' Association (Danish: Ingeniør-Sammenslutningen), founded 1937. The two engineers' associations differed mainly in the type of engineers they admitted and thus in the positions they held. The Danish Engineers' Association, DIF, was founded in 1892 as an association for graduates of the Polytechnic Institute (which later became DTU). In 1933, the title "Master of Engineering" was introduced for graduates with an engineering degree of at least 5 years. The Engineers' Association, I-S originally consisted of 3 graduate associations for constructor and BSc graduates. These graduates typically had a shorter education compared to their colleagues from the Polytechnic, and they often had a more technical or craft-oriented background. The two associations worked closely together on several issues and slowly worked towards a merger. In 1975, the two associations' membership magazines were merged to form Ingeniøren, and in 1976 the merger was put to a vote in the two associations. But the members of DIF were not ready for a merger. It took 18 years before the members of both associations finally voted in favour of a merger. The year after the vote in 1995, the merger was a reality. Chairpersons through the years Aske Nydam Guldberg, Master of Engineering in circular economy (Acting Chairperson until 2023) Laura Klitgaard, Master of Engineering in Architecture, 2022 (On maternity leave until 2023) Thomas Damkjær Petersen, Master of Engineering, 2016-2022 Frida Frost, Master of Engineering, 2010-2016 Lars Bytoft, Bachelor of Engineering, 2004-2010 Per Ole Front, Master of Engineering, 1999-2004 Ole Schiøth, Master of Engineering, 1995-1999 Organisation IDA works in three different areas simultaneously: As a trade union: IDA's purpose is to ensure a good working life for its members, to train and retrain as many as possible to meet the needs of the labour market, and