How Does it Work?
The Industry Advisory Board meets semi-annually. These activities are governed via amendable by-laws.
How are projects selected?
- Proposal topics originate from any stake-holder: university, industry, government
- Mentors identify US citizen graduate students
- Mentor briefs board on proposed topic
- Board evaluates proposals
- Votes to: accept; reject; revise & amend
- Board culture has been: discussion, consensus, and prioritization
What cost-share do universities contribute?
- Reduced overhead (from 54.5% to 10%)
How much are memberships?
- We set membership at $50k/year (based on leveraged costs to support a graduate student for a year).
- SBIR companies can join at ½ membership.
- Members can contribute additional whole or fractional memberships, and gain additional votes.
Can the Board select projects outside WSU and OSU?
- Yes.
- IAB can vote to support any new University participant for up to two years.
- After two year window, the new University can continue as an NSF Site, with three sponsoring industry or government members.
Are visitors allowed to Center meetings?
- Yes, with nondisclosure agreement in place
How are research materials distributed?
- Online through the AFRL’s VDL; AFRL provides controlled access limited to Center members.
