A proposed merger of ADIA & TRS

One Association for the Research, Data and Insights Industry

For over thirty years, The Australian Data and Insights Association (ADIA) and The Research Society (TRS) have separately represented Australia’s research, data and insights industry.
Now, as the industry adapts to AI, new technology and rapid market change, both Boards believe the moment has come to bring our two associations together as one, stronger voice.

On 29 June, a joint meeting of the ADIA and TRS Boards unanimously endorsed a proposed merger model — including a new Constitution setting out the future entity’s purpose, membership categories, board structure and voting rights.

The decision is now yours. Read the full details below, then have your say.

Why merge?

Stronger together. A single, unified association gives our industry more weight, more resources and one clear voice – at exactly the time our sector needs it most.

Three reasons underpin the proposal:

1. One unified voice – a single association means the industry speaks with clarity and authority, instead of two.
2. Financial resilience – a merged entity is better resourced and more sustainable for the long term.
3. Future readiness – a bigger, better-equipped body is positioned to lead the industry through rapid change, rather than react to it.

What’s different this time?

A merger has been raised before – this time, the groundwork is more rigorous, with a dedicated New Org Committee, independent legal and consulting support, deeper due diligence, and transparent, regular collaboration between both Boards.

Full details on governance and process are in the FAQs.

Member Vote

A member vote will be held online from 6-19th October 2026. Only one person per member organisation is required to vote. Our partner, Pureprofile, will email CEOs with the ballot question. Members will ratify the result at the ADIA AGM on 18th November.

A transition period will follow, with a co-opted interim Board guiding the new organisation from November 2026 until November 2028.

What stays the same

• The new entity will represent both memberships equally.
• Fees held steady. No change to fees (aside from a CPI adjustment) for the first year, from 1 July 2027 to 30 June 2028.
• Standards continue. The Code of Professional Behaviour, Privacy Code, QPR accreditation and Trust Mark all continue under the new association.

Key dates

Date	Milestone
6 – 19 October 2026	Member vote (online) one vote per member
18 November 2026	Special Resolution tabled at TRS and ADIA AGMs (online and held on the same day)
1 July 2027	New Research, Data & Insights association officially commences

A merger requires at least 75% of members voting in favour at each AGM.

Have your say

This is your association’s future — we want to hear from you.

• If you have any comments or questions, please submit via the feedback form below or;
• Contact your CEO: Sarah Campbell (ADIA) on 0460 012 092/sarah@dataandinsights.com.au or Angus Hunter (TRS) on 0419 408 802/angus@researchsociety.com.au

We believe the future of our industry is bright, and stronger as one.
Stay tuned for further updates.

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