Bylaws

Article 1: Name of the Organization

The name of the Organization shall be the National Association of IDeA Principal Investigators (NAIPI)

Article 2: Mission

The mission of the IDeA Principal Investigator Association is to provide leadership and communication for the development, promotion and improvement of biomedical research through the INBRE and COBRE IDeA programs.

Article 3: Specific Objectives

  1. To foster interactions between the IDeA program and its constituencies

  2. To promote resource sharing among the INBRE and COBRE programs

  3. To enhance the visibility of the IDeA Program

  4. To develop a consensus on priorities and new directions for IDeA

  5. To identify and disseminate best practices within the IDeA program

  6. To identify opportunities and develop strategies to achieve the common goals of the IDeA program

Article 4: Membership and Dues

Voting members of the NAIPI shall consist of the Principal Investigators of INBRE and COBRE grants, and of any other future new center grant mechanisms within the IDeA program. Members shall support the organization by the payment of dues, the amount of which shall be established biennially by the Executive Committee and approved by the majority of all members in good standing. The NCRR staff will be advisory, ex-officio members.

Article 5: National Committee

The National Committee shall consist of 20 members, five for each Regional Division of IDeA, elected by the voting members in each division and including 2 INBRE and 3 COBRE Principal Investigators for each of the four Regional Divisions: North East, South East; Central and Western. NCRR staff may serve on the NAIPI National Committee in an ex-officio, non-voting capacity.

Duties of the Committee will include all aspects related to the initial organization of the Association and the development of programs in support of the purposes of the Association.

Article 6: Working Groups of the National Committee

Working Groups of the National Committee will come from volunteers among the National Committee members and NAIPI at large and will include but not be limited to: Web site hosting and communication; exploration of incorporation of NAIPI; strategic planning for the IDeA Program; other working groups as needed. NCRR Staff will be members of each working group. Each working group will appoint an IDeA PI as chair, who reports to the Executive Committee of the National Committee.

Article 7: Terms of Service on National Committee

Each member of the National Committee shall serve a four-year term, with a fourth of the members rotating off every year. Consecutive terms of service on the National Committee are permitted, if a member is re-elected.

Article 8: Executive Committee

The executive committee of the NAIPI shall consist of four members, elected by the National Committee. These include: A President, a Vice-President, and a Past President, who will each serve for one year; a Secretary/Treasurer, who will serve a renewable two year term.

Up to two NCRR staff members may serve on the NAIPI Executive Committee as non-voting (ex-officio) members.

The NAIPI President will maintain accurate e-mail communication listings of the IDeA PIs, communicate regularly with them about the activities of NAIPI and solicit input for Strategic Planning or when input is requested by the NCRR.

The NAIPI Vice President will transition to to President, and the outgoing President will serve on the Executive Committee for an additional year as Past President, so that each member of the Executive Committee will serve for a total of three years.

The executive committee will prepare grant applications as appropriate to fund special meetings of NAIPI outside the bi-annual National IDeA meeting.

The executive committee shall represent the NAIPI position to NCRR and other organizations, shall organize all meetings of the National Committee and/or the membership at large, and shall implement the policies and decisions of the NAIPI.

The executive committee may solicit NAIPI membership consent on specific issues by electronic voting and without physically meeting at one location. The executive committee may appoint an ad hoc committee to study issues of interest to NAIPI.

The NAIPI President shall preside over all NAIPI meetings, those of the National Committee and those of the general membership; in his/her absence, the President Elect or the Vice President (in this order) will preside over a meeting.

The NAIPI Secretary/Treasurer will take care of the collection of minutes of all meetings, and manage the financial and fiscal aspects of the organization’s operations.

The Executive Committee will insure that progress is made by the standing working groups and keep a regular communication with the IDeA Program staff.

Article 9: Meetings

The NAIPI National Committee shall meet at least annually at locations to be determined by the Executive Committee.

The NAIPI Executive Committee shall meet at least quarterly by tele/video conferencing, and at least once per year (in conjunction with the National Committee annual meeting when scheduled) in person.

A general meeting of the NAIPI membership will be held every year. Once every two years, the general meeting may be held in conjunction with the biennial meeting of IDeA.

Article 10: Elections

General elections for members on the National Committee will be held every year in each of the four IDeA regions.

INBRE members rotating off the Committee will be replaced by elected INBRE PIs and COBRE members by COBRE PIs to keep the 2:3 ratio. It is possible for members to be re-elected to the committee.

The development and oversight of election procedures shall be the responsibility of the NAIPI’s Executive Committee and the procedures must be approved by the National Committee prior to implementation.

Electronic means of election, including e-mail ballots, are permissible.

Changes in the election procedures must also be approved by the National Committee prior to implementation.

Article 11: Association Dues

The dues for the Association members will be set by the National Committee. The initial level of the dues will be $25 per member. The dues will be used to support the organization of meetings of the NAIPI National and Executive Committees, special meetings and workshops that the membership might request, such as sharing best practices or mentoring early career scientists, and other uses recommended by the membership. Changes in the use of dues, as well as in the amount must be approved by the National Committee and by a majority vote of all members.

Article 12: General Organization of the NAIPI

NAIPI Organization

Article 13: Amendment of Bylaws

These bylaws may be amended by the voting members of the NAIPI. Positive votes of the majority of NAIPI members participating in a vote taking place at the general meeting, or at special meetings arranged by the Executive Committee and approved by the National Committee shall be required to ratify these bylaws and/or to implement any changes. The notice of proposed changes to these bylaws must be distributed at least one calendar week prior to the annual general meeting of the NAIPI membership. Special voting arrangements may also include voting on bylaws by electronic means. Electronic voting will require a six-week advanced notice to all members in good standing with regard to their program (active COBRE, INBRE) and payment of annual dues. Electronic voting will occur within a specified time not to exceed 5 business days.