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Center Requirements

Dennis Wise/University of Washington

The IUCRC shall adhere to all requirements and expectations defined in the NSF Solicitation, which are summarized as follow:

  1. An IUCRC shall be composed of one or more universities, each of which is a Site.
  2. Each Site shall name a Director who shall be the Principal Investigator for that Site's NSF grant.
  3. Each Site shall create a University Policy Committee composed of administrators from that university to oversee compliance of that Site with the university's policies and procedures.
  4. A Director shall be designated for the entire IUCRC. She/he shall be either one of the Site directors or a co-principal investigator on one of the Site awards.
  5. The IUCRC shall define a membership structure for non-university, fee-paying members.
  6. IUCRC members may include for-profit and not-for-profit organizations (public or private), state and local agencies, or non-NSF federal agencies. A complete definition is found in the solicitation.
  7. The membership structure shall define the types of members, member fees, and the rights of members, including all voting and governance rights, as per the conditions found in the solicitation.
  8. The IUCRC shall have an Industry Advisory Board (IAB) with one representative from each member. NSF, and/or its authorized representative, has the right, but not the obligation, to attend IUCRC IAB meetings in their entirety.
  9. The IAB shall elect a Chair.
  10. The IAB shall meet at least twice per year with the meeting schedule and agenda being developed collaboratively with NSF.
  11. The IUCRC Leadership Team shall include all Site Directors, IUCRC Director, and IAB Chair.
  12. All IUCRC members shall sign a single membership agreement approved by NSF and based on the template provided by NSF.
  13. The membership agreement shall provide that all fee-paying members shall have non-exclusive, royalty-free rights to all intellectual property created by any research funded using member fees.
  14. The IUCRC shall create Bylaws that define its policies and operations.
  15. The Bylaws shall adhere to the membership agreement and be approved by the IAB, Academic Leadership Team, and NSF.
  16. The Bylaws shall define a voting process for the approval of all research projects funded using member fees.
  17. Research performed by the IUCRC shall be pre-competitive in nature, and it shall be shared, directed, and funded by the fee-paying members.
  18. All research projects funded by member fees shall be approved by the IAB using the voting process defined in the Bylaws.
  19. NSF shall designate an NSF-funded Evaluator who shall attend all meetings of the IAB in their entirety, provide guidance to the IUCRC, and collect data for NSF on the performance of the IUCRC, from the IAB as well as the Center/Site Directors.
  20. The IUCRC shall submit an annual report to NSF summarizing the activities of the IUCRC, including all Sites, and in accordance with NSF's reporting requirements.

In addition, IUCRCs are expected to follow these basic meeting organization requirements when preparing and conducting their bi-annual meetings:

Pre-meeting

  • Collect and make accessible in advance of meetings Executive Summaries for all new project proposals to be presented at the IAB meeting.
  • Clearly document the center project history. List completed projects and currently funded projects. List the cost, and beginning and end dates of each. Update this document prior to every meeting and provide to the IAB.
  • Organize an executive summary of center financial information since the last meeting. Include major categories of income and sources, outlays and purpose, and balances. Keep income from memberships (use governed by the membership agreement, bylaws) separate from other income. Given this overall picture, show funds allocated to current projects and funds remaining for allocation by the center to new projects. Conservatively project future funds for planning purposes.
  • Distribute NDA/CDA documents to all invited guests prior to the meeting with the expectation they be completely executed prior to the meeting.
  • Ensure all printed or electronic material conveying results of the center's research clearly state that the content is Center Proprietary and that the Terms of the Center membership agreement apply.
  • Develop and distribute in advance a preliminary agenda for the meeting, outlining main meeting events and start/stop times with which people can plan travel.
  • Distribute a detailed final agenda just prior to the meeting. Effective agendas include
    • Summary of the State of the Center by center leadership
    • Meeting activities that support interaction between industry members as well as with faculty and students, including: poster sessions, industry presentations, and industry-driven mentoring session
    • Adequate time for LIFE form completion after every project
    • Adequate time for IAB closed door meeting

At the Meeting

  • Sign in all attendees. Provide an attendee list to all of preregistered attendees, and distribute an updated list at the close of the meeting. Most effective lists have faculty, students & postdocs, IAB members, and NSF grouped in their respective categories. List must include complete contact information, must identify "guests" among the members from current members. To showcase students, indicate if master or Ph.D. and year of anticipated graduation.
  • Deliver a Center report to the center that brings members and faculty up-to-date on the center and the university research site(s) including:
    • A review of the center's vision and research roadmap and/or explicit set of center priorities
    • An update on the current center membership
    • Attention to outputs of interest of members and faculty (technology transfer impact, product, etc) from recently completed projects
    • An update on publication/awards and other highlights
    • An opportunity for discussion and questions by IAB members about the state-of-the-center
    • An overview of the upcoming meeting
    • Material related to projects presented throughout the meeting (including posters)
  • Use a common slide master template for all presentations across all sites. Be conscious of maintaining center branding.
    • Proposed projects should include proposed schedule, overall and first year deliverables, and proposed budget
    • Ongoing projects must clearly state progress, milestones achieved, and deliverable status from those originally proposed
    • Final project reports should summarize all deliverables and outcomes as well as new directions that have emerged from the work
  • Enforce strict time limits for each project presentation and item in the agenda.
  • Project LIFE forms are completed and discussed by the IAB at each meeting.
  • IAB closed door meeting (NSF and IAB only)
    • Work with your IAB Chair the agenda for the IAB closed-door meeting that provides an opportunity for members to raise issues about center policies, procedures and research activities; use of and modification of by-laws if any;
    • Ensure that the IAB has the comprehensive financial update of the center to enable them to make informed funding decisions;
    • Provide the IAB Chair with a well-defined procedures and timetable for selection of research projects
  • Action Items and Plans for Next Semiannual Meeting
    • Make sure to have reviewed the IUCRC Master Travel Calendar and have consulted with the NSF prior to the meeting regarding the availability of your preferred meeting dates

Post Meeting

  • Send meeting outcomes to Center participants
  • Forward copy of IAB meeting minutes to IAB
  • Confirm next meeting date
  • Maintain an up-to-date and good quality centralized Webpage for the Center with a secure area (password protected for members) where to promptly save meetings information, research products, and any material related to Center activities;
  • Promptly inform the IAB of any invention and publication generated by the Center in compliance with the terms set in the membership agreement and bylaws;
  • Provide accurate and up-to-date information for the IUCRC directory 

Note: Timing, formatting and implementation of these basic meeting organization requirements are at the discretion of the IUCRC and must be agreed with the IAB.