In the summer of 1982 during a workshop in Munich, Germany, Jan Moraal of the Institute for Perception, TNO in Soesterberg, the Netherlands put forward the idea to found an European Chapter of the Human Factors Society. American HFS participants in the workshop welcomed the idea very much and encouraged him to investigate the possibility further. On December 2, 1982 Jan Moraal called a small meeting of seven HFS members at the Institute for Perception, TNO in Soesterberg, The Netherlands to discuss the desirability and feasibility of the idea. It was decided by those present that the idea was both desirable and feasible. This led to the sending out of questionnaires to the members of the HFS living in Europe to determine their interest in such a Chapter and an invitation to attend a founding meeting in Soesterberg on January 24-25, 1983. Sixty percent of those polled responded. 92% of those responding approved of the idea which also was a majority of HFS members in Europe. In spite of opposition from England the Chapter was founded at that meeting.

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