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Membership

Membership Model and Benefits

SecureAmerica Institute has a three-tiered membership structure based on best practices of the Manufacturing USA Institutes and provides simple but effective ways to ensure participation resiliency by stimulating active engagement of all members through cost-share contributions. All tiers of membership are open to industry, academic institutions and industrial associations.

Membership Level1Membership Cost2,3Voting MembershipIntellectual Property (IP) Rights4, 5, 6, 7
Tier 1$200,000YesNon-exclusive royalty free (NERF) for commercial use to all co-funded foreground IP for commercial use
Tier 2$50,000YesNon-exclusive royalty bearing (NERB) to all co-funded foreground IP for commercial use
Tier 3$5,000NoCo-funded foreground IP for research and development, and educational purposes

Membership Model

Specific membership benefits are shown below. Depending on the type and level of membership, organizations have the potential to participate as a voting member (VM), serve on the governing board (GB), participate on one of the several working groups (WGs) and sponsor small/medium businesses (SMEs) for membership. In accordance with the SecureAmerica IP Management Plan, depending on membership levels, members have the ability to obtain NERF or NERB consortium developed intellectual property (CDIP) rights, with all members having access to CDIP for internal research purposes.

Membership BenefitTier 1Tier 2Tier 3
Participate in projects and serving as leadX Included benefitX Included benefitX Included benefit
Attend member-only events (e.g., meetings, workshops, training)X Included benefitX Included benefitX Included benefit
Participate in roadmap formulationX Included benefitX Included benefitX Included benefit
Serve on WGsX Included benefitX Included benefitX Included benefit
Use NERF license for internal researchX Included benefitX Included benefitX Included benefit
Chair WGsX Included benefitX Included benefit– Not included Not included
Membership voting rightsX Included benefitX Included benefit– Not included Not included
GB seatX Included benefitX Included benefit– Not included
Use of NERB license for commercialization– Not includedX Included benefit– Not included
Sponsorship of five supply chain SMEs for Tier 3 membershipX Included benefit– Not included– Not included
Use of NERF license for commercializationX Included benefit– Not included– Not included

Notes:

  1. Participating government organizations as Tier 2 members: IP terms for inventions per government contract terms, NERF to all co-funded foreground IP for research and educational use only
  2. Cash, in-kind or volunteer services if qualified as reducing a direct cost to the operations budgets or a project funding plan
  3. Member contribution acceptable as in-kind or volunteer services if qualified as reducing a direct cost to the operations budgets or a project funding plan
  4. Ownership of IP follows inventorship. IP licenses issued by owner at commercial rates except as required by membership agreement for government sponsored co-funded inventions
  5. Background IP to be reported at time of project team formation along with access rights and limitations
  6. Project IP rights as agreed upon by project participants for disposition of IP rights among project participants
  7. Availability of industry/government co-funded projects foreground IP is described in the membership agreement

Cost Share

Investment in the SecureAmerica Institute is shared among all members. Support can be cash or in-kind contributions such as:

  • Labor in support of institute operations such as roadmap participation, marketing and business development, education and workforce development, and delivery
  • Labor in support of institute projects such as technical personnel performing project research
  • Facility costs (rent, access, etc.)
  • Software licenses
  • Equipment donation or use

Membership Application

To apply for membership in the SecureAmerica Institute, please fill out the Membership Request Form:

Membership Request Form

Upon receipt, the SecureAmerica Institute membership director will contact you for additional information and will guide you through the partnership agreement process.

SecureAmerica Institute

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