Members
The Foundation is organized as a non profit LLC, with its members overseeing operations in accordance with the Foundation’s mission, charged with establishing (1) policy, (2) strategic goals, and (3) allocation of resources.
The
members are comprised of the founding USDA partnership intermediaries active in
technology-based economic development.
Each founding member has permanent voting status, due to their
commitment and contribution to the establishment of the Foundation.
USDA Liaison Committee
The Foundation’s interface with the U.S. Department of Agriculture is primarily with and through the seven-member USDA Liaison Committee. Members of the Liaison Committee represent all four pillars of ARS research (crop production and protection; animal production and protection; natural resources & sustainable agriculture systems; and nutrition, food safety and quality), the Office of Technology Transfer, the Chair of the Area Directors and the Office of the Chief Scientist of USDA (Under Secretary for Research, Education, and Economics). The USDA Liaison Committee is an internal USDA committee and not a part of the Foundation.
The
Liaison Committee serves three primary purposes: (1) to ensure the independence
of USDA research activities; (2) maintain mission relevance; and (3) align the
purpose of research and mission with the work of the ATIP Foundation. The USDA
Liaison Committee will review and approve internal USDA and external Foundation
requests to fund USDA research to determine whether those requests fit the USDA
mission and research priorities. Research funds will be accepted from the Foundation
through a standard Trust Fund Cooperative Research Agreement (7 USC 450a).
Management
Coordination and day to day management of the Foundation is the responsibility of the Director of the Foundation, subject to the authorization of the members.
Technical Guidance Committees
The Foundation may also establish Technical Guidance Committees (TGC) that address critical needs areas of both USDA Partnership Intermediaries and/or Foundation Investors. The TGCs are working committees of the Foundation. The number of members each Foundation investor can appoint will be related to the level of their investment. The TGCs will guide the focus of specific collaborative activities and identify specific research and development needs for each industry sector consistent with USDA’s mission. They will also disseminate and evaluate requests for proposals from industry for Foundation research and funding.