Structure of the SMS: This is an annual summer school that has been organized for more than fifty years on the campus of the University of Montreal and has been very successful in bringing together extremely high quality lecturers and students. The format is of roughly 12 courses of about 5 one-hour lectures each, spread over two weeks in June or July. Around 40 - 60 students are selected as participants from all over the world. The lectures are published in a volume after the end of the meeting and the students are housed in the U de M student accommodations. Scientifically, the school is focused on some precise hot topics in pure or applied mathematics and is open primarily to advanced doctoral students with the possibility for a few more senior researchers to attend.

Scientific and financial partners: The school is widely supported by the Canadian mathematical community as well as at the North-American level. Institutional participants and sponsors of this endeavor are: the Centre de Recherche Mathematiques de Montreal (CRM-principal partner), the Fields Institute of Mathematical Sciences, the Pacific Institute for Mathematical Sciences (PIMS), the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute (MSRI), the Institut de Sciences Mathematiques de Montreal (ISM), the Department of mathematics of the University of Montreal (UdeM) and the Canadian Mathematical Society (CMS).

Governance: The main decisions concerning the school and, in particular, the selection of the scientific subjects and organizing teams, are the responsability of the SMS steering board. The board consists of Hélène Barcelo (MSRI), Zinovy Reichstein (PIMS), Octav Cornea (University of Montreal and director of the SMS), Andrew Granville (University of Montreal), Huaxiong Huang (Fields) and Dima Jakobson (McGill University and director of the analysis laboratory of the CRM). The board is appointed for a period of four years. The organizing teams are selected by the board on the basis of a call for applications - distributed widely in the mathematical community - that takes place a little less than two years in advance of each event. An application consists mainly of a description of the scientific interest of the particular theme as well as of a proposed list of speakers.

Selection of the students. The main criterion in the selection of the students is scientific qualifications. Participation of women and minorities is encouraged. Accepted students will generally receive full support covering local accommodation for the duration of the school in the University of Montreal student housing. In many cases, partial or full travel support will be also provided on a competitive basis.