Industrial Research Institute

The Industrial Research Institute, Inc. (IRI) is a nonprofit association based in Arlington, Virginia. The stated mission of IRI, which was founded by the National Research Council in 1938, is “to enhance the effectiveness of technological innovation by networking the world's best practitioners and thought leaders to seek, share, learn, and create”. IRI is a nonpartisan, membership-based organization that brings leaders of R&D together to discover and share best practices in the management of technological innovation.

IRI held its first meeting on February 25, 1938, after the National Research Council established it as a branch within its Division of Engineering and Industrial Research (DEIR). IRI’s original membership consisted of fourteen companies; the organization's first president was Maurice Holland, then director of DEIR. On April 17, 1945, IRI separated from the National Research Council and formed a nonprofit, 501(c)(6) organization, incorporated in the State of New York.

IRI governance resides in its membership. Each member organization is responsible for choosing a voting representative to vote on its behalf in IRI elections. A simple majority is required for any action to be taken. The membership is led by an elected sixteen-member Board of Directors, with each member serving three years. The board also appoints a president who serves as Chief Staff Administrator and deciding voter should a tie occur.

To qualify for membership, an organization should have as its primary purpose the creation, production, and marketing of physical or intellectual products or services based on technological innovation. Federal laboratories involved in technological innovation, research, design, or technical support of products and services may also join as Associate Members. The Board of Directors retains the right to offer limited membership to others at its discretion.

Membership includes free attendance passes to IRI events and a subscription to IRI's official journal, Research-Technology Management (RTM).

The Institute maintains a bimonthly journal, Research-Technology Management (RTM), originally titled Research Management. It publishes peer-reviewed articles covering the full spectrum of technological innovation, from R&D through product development to commercialization. Oversight of the journal is provided by an appointed Board of Editors; the Editor-in-Chief and the Managing Editor provide day-to-day management.

...
Wikipedia