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INTERNATIONAL SEVERE ACTUTE RESPIRATORY INFECTION CONSORTIUM (ISARIC)
Membership Policy, Version 2, June 2012 (Approved, June 2012, Under annual review)

MISSION

ISARIC is a multi-regional collaboration of research networks with a focus on investigator-led clinical studies in adults and children. ISARIC’s mission is both to conduct world-class clinical research in the inter-pandemic influenza period and to provide a collaborative platform through which clinical studies could be undertaken rapidly in response to the emergence of a novel respiratory pathogen or other new infectious disease outbreak.

OPEN ACCESS

ISARIC aims to share study protocols and other information on the web with free access to all. This will help to facilitate the enrolment into studies and strengthen the global infra-structure for clinical research. The material will be accessible via www.isaric.org or the Global Health Network.
No membership will be required to access these documents. However, registration with the site will be required to allow for an audit trail to be available regarding e.g. study protocols accessed and downloaded. ISARIC must be acknowledged, however, should the data made available through ISARIC.org be used in any published works, this should be in accordance with ISARIC’s Publication Strategy.
Other related documents to follow are a data-sharing policy, data review board and a  communication strategy, which includes engagement with industry, and a publication strategy. If there are any questions contact secretariat@isaric.org

 ISARIC MEMBERSHIP –

1) Full membership of ISARIC is open to any organisation whose primary activity is investigator-initiated and -led multicentre research involving acutely ill adults and/or children. To be eligible for membership, such organisations must meet all of the following criteria. They need to be:

•    independent and founded, led and run by academic investigators (not led by industry)
•    scientifically active, with scholarly contributions that are attributable to the network and in research areas relevant to the consortium
•    multi-centre; involving multiple centres of differing institutions
•    have access to patients for potential enrolment into studies (applicable to clinically focused organisations)
•    supportive of ISARIC's vision and mission in terms of data-sharing,  contributing to joint publications and involved in the consortium’s goals and research activities
•    organised and structured in a manner consistent with the mission and vision of ISARIC

•    Consideration will be given to organisations, which are not networks but are relevant to the mission of ISARIC.
•    Consideration will be given to individual membership on an individual basis by the Executive (see below).

All of these criteria are required for membership as part of ISARIC’s Scientific Council.
Prospective Council members (primary and alternates) are asked to declare in writing that they and their network agree to abide by the principles and operating procedures set out in the ISARIC Governing Framework (v3), including a specific agreement on data sharing, before participating.
Member networks are expected to nominate a new representative to the Council if their current representative is elected to sit on the Executive Committee.
Each prospective member will register their interest with the secretariat by a simple standard registration form
New member organizations are approved for membership by a 2/3 vote of the Executive Committee of ISARIC with a decision within 30 days of receipt of the completed forms.
Full Member Organisations can nominate one representative (and one alternate) to the Council of ISARIC. 
If a network would like to join please email secretariat@isaric.org

2) Individual membership in ISARIC is open to any academic investigator who shares the ISARIC vision, but who is not eligible to be currently represented by one of the Member networks of ISARIC. Individual members will be eligible to contribute to Working Groups and be Chair of a Working Group, as per the WG membership outlined above. Individual members will not have any representation on the Council of ISARIC or be eligible for election to the ISARIC Executive Committee but may be a member of the Council by virtue of being the Chair of a Working Group.

Term of Membership. Ongoing membership is automatic unless there issues have been brought to the attention of Council or the Executive. Membership shall be reviewed on an annual basis. Any individual member or network  may resign at any time by mailing or delivering written notice to the Secretariat and any member may be removed at any time by majority vote of the Council of ISARIC.

WORKING GROUP PARTICIPANTS

ISARIC has a number of working groups (WGs) and project teams that conduct activities in specific areas on behalf of the Consortium. The size of the WGs and project teams is balanced to ensure appropriate technical expertise and limited in order to foster efficient working circumstances. Decisions on size and composition are taken by the WG chairs or project team leads in consultation with the Executive Committee. WG participants do not necessarily have to belong to a clinical network within ISARIC.

If a new member would like to join a WG they can email the WG chair and put forward their skill set. WG membership is reviewed by the Executive Committee annually but provisional membership will be awarded sooner by the Executive.

OBSERVERS and NON-MEMBER PARTICIPANTS.

Non-members of ISARIC may participate in Working Groups or project teams of ISARIC with the assent of the Chair and majority of the members of that Working Group but may not be the Chair of a Working Group or be a member of the Council of ISARIC. Representatives from other research networks, public health institutions, regulatory agencies, funding organizations, or pharmaceutical industry experts  may be invited as observers on WGs, project teams, or on the Council or Executive Committee at its discretion but do not have voting rights.