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Member Agreement
Members of the consortium will be required to sign a member cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA).
nsoft_consortium_cooperative_research_and_development_agreement_v2016.pdf
It is important that all prospective members read the CRADA completely before making a decision on membership. However, as a starting point, we have provided some of the key objectives to which the current CRADA strives to achieve:
- All research within nSoft is considered in the public domain, meaning that data collected as a result of research on nSoft equipment or featuring nSoft researchers is to be made publicly available. In the case of neutron scattering data, for instance, the data is streamed live on the public web and can be downloaded in close to real time by anyone with a web browser.
- In addition, there is an intention to publish any scientifically important findings in peer reviewed high impact journals. As such, the findings themselves may be held from the public during data analysis and the course of normal scientific pursuit in order to preserve the possibility of publishing in a high impact journal. The intention, however, is always to publish in the publicly available literature and to present the data at national and international venues and conferences.
- Any member, or non-member, may pursue proprietary measurements using NIST equipment at the NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR) by executing a proprietary agreement with the NCNR. This agreement is entirely separate from the nSoft agreement, and as such, nSoft staff cannot be involved in measurements performed under this agreement. It is, in fact, the goal of nSoft to train the staff of member companies to a point where they are capable of performing their own measurements, either in a proprietary or non-proprietary environment.
The CRADA terms are shared among all of the members of the consortium. As such, the agreement will not be negotiated except at the time of renewal or extension (currently November 2019). For any questions regarding the terms of the CRADA or how to properly execute the agreement, contact Jeff DiVietro (jeff.divietro [at] nist.gov) or Ronald L. Jones (ronald.jones [at] nist.gov).