The Global Innovation Family
Become a WAITRO member
WAITRO’s core value is its global network of research organizations and other organizations interested in partnering with research organizations. WAITRO members benefit from a variety of programs and services and enjoy a wide range of additional advantages.
Full Member
Full membership status can be granted to:
- Research institutes
- Universities with a strong research presence
Research laboratories
Full membership status brings the following benefits:
- Building and joining consortia to respond to international funding opportunities.
Connecting with new customers for research products or services
Best practices in RTO management and related areas (participation in benchmarking studies).
Access to research needs and priorities from Associate members.
Participate and vote in the WAITRO General Assembly.
Co-branding with WAITRO, use of WAITRO logo and display of member logo on WAITRO website.
Employees eligible for election to the WAITRO Executive Board.
Member can apply to be a WAITRO Regional Focal Point.
Lead WAITRO workshops, webinars and training events with the support of the WAITRO Secretariat.
Compete and receive funds from the WAITRO Innovation Award.
Propose WAITRO Fellowship projects, send and receive WAITRO Fellows from both Full and Associate Members.
Associate Member
Associate membership status can be granted to:
- For-profit organizations such as MNEs, SMEs, Start-ups
Investment and venture capital companies
Non-governmental organizations
Associate membership status brings the following benefits:
- Building and joining consortia to respond to international funding opportunities.
Identifying research capacity of WAITRO Full Members to solve industry problems.
- Opportunities to define and advocate for research priorities to a global RTO audience.
Platform to articulate their needs and interests, identify cross-cutting problems, and influence the direction of research providers and funders.
Sponsor WAITRO events or projects targeted at corporate strategies consistent with sustainable development.
Co-brand with WAITRO, use of WAITRO logo and display of company logo on WAITRO website.
Participate in WAITRO Fellowship projects, workshops, webinars and other events.
Attend the WAITRO General Assembly as observer.
Membership Fees
| GNI PER CAPITA (USD) | >2.000 | 2.000-10.000 | 10.00-30.000 | >30.000 |
| ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP FEE (USD) | 250 | 500 | 1.000 | 2.000 |
+++ Membership Fees are waived until January 2023 +++
Frequently asked questions on WAITRO membership
Yes. Once a year, your organization’s contact person will receive a membership renewal mail.
Yes. The organization’s contact person needs to send a message to WAITRO’s Secretary General.
WAITRO membership status can only be granted to eligible organizations. Individuals are not eligible for WAITRO membership status.
Associate members usually cannot become full members; full membership is exclusively for organizations actively involved in research or development. Exceptional circumstances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Full membership status is intended for any organization that primarily does research. Associate membership status is intended for any organization that does not primarily do research but has interest in cross-border applied research and the infrastructure to support it.
The benefits of a respective membership are listed above.
For your application to be valid, the application form needs to be filled out by a senior official or manager, with the authority to sign legally binding agreements with third parties on behalf of your organization.
The application will be reviewed by the WAITRO Secretariat and the WAITRO President usually within one week.
Yes (further information at “Onboarding”)
The application procedure consists of two simple steps:
Step 1: Fill in and send the online application form.
Step 2: The WAITRO Secretariat will review your application and respond within one week.
A WAITRO contact person is the main point of contact between the member and the WAITRO Secretariat, Regional Representatives and Regional Focal Points. Every member organization has one main and one deputy contact person.
This person should know enough about the organization’s structure to forward opportunities to the right people within the organization. It is more important to be involved in organization’s strategy than to have detailed technical knowledge.
The contact person (CP) receives official notices from WAITRO Secretariat and acts as a gatekeeper. The CP responds to, or delegates responses to Calls for Participation as well as other WAITRO announcements. The CP should be able to appoint or nominate participants for WAITRO working groups.
Please contact the WAITRO Secretariat.
Please contact the WAITRO Secretariat.
Once your membership has been accepted, employees of your organization will be granted access to the WAITRO network, all above mentioned WAITRO membership benefits and to WAITRO programs. The contact person will receive an official letter welcoming the organization to WAITRO, together with onboarding documents, including information about WAITRO in general and relevant processes.
After your membership has been accepted, the WAITRO Secretariat will contact the contact person and his/her substitute of the respective organization and organize a joint onboarding meeting.
Upon request, the WAITRO Secretariat offers WAITRO info sessions for employees at member organizations and/or training sessions on how to optimally access and use WAITRO’s Open Innovation Platform SAIRA.