The International Research Group on Ostracoda (IRGO) is an interdisciplinary, international organization of about 400 research scientists studying living and fossil Ostracoda. Its purpose is to advance our knowledge of Ostracoda and to facilitate communication among researchers. This voluntary association, which began as the Committee on Recent Ostracoda, was founded at a meeting in Naples, Italy in 1963. There are no dues, and no formal membership list is kept. In 2024, a constitution was adopted.

IRGO sponsors the International Symposium on Ostracoda, which are held at intervals of approximately three years. The proceedings for these symposia have been published separately. Business meetings and elections are conducted during the Symposia. Minutes of those business meetings can be found on this website and are published in IRGO’s annual newsletter, CYPRIS, which collects research news through a network of national correspondents.

IRGO receives financial support through the charitable association ‚Society of friends of IRGO‘ or SF*IRGO.

There is an electronic discussion list, OSTRACON, which is devoted to the scientific discussion of Ostracoda.

IRGO is an official working group of the International Palaeontological Association under the International Council of Scientific Unions and UNESCO.

IRGO is allied with The Crustacean Society. Further questions regarding the work of IRGO should be addressed to one of the officers.