For individuals

Membership

Membership in the Institute of Advanced Studies is a form of active engagement in independent research, education and public dialogue about science and technology. Organisations are covered by the Cooperation and partnership page.

Membership is for individuals: researchers, practitioners, students and people who want to contribute through expert work. If you represent a company, a municipality or a university, see Cooperation and partnership — that page describes the model for organisations.

Types of membership and fees

Type For whom Annual fee Voting right
Associate member students, doctoral candidates, supporters €25 (students free of charge) no
Full member researchers and practitioners €120 yes
Honorary member individuals of exceptional contribution; awarded by the general assembly no fee yes

The fee is paid after the application is accepted, for the calendar year. For members who actively contribute to the institute’s projects, the board may reduce or waive the fee.


Membership benefits

This is the complete list of what membership gives you. These are not promises of “access to a network” — every item is concrete and enforceable.

Expert work
  • Participation in the institute's research projects — from consultation to co-authorship of the output.
  • Publishing under the institute's name — technical and popular texts alike, with editorial and language support.
  • Access to internal knowledge exchange among members from different disciplines.
  • Mentoring support on the research topic, the research plan and the review of texts.
Training and money
  • 20 % discount on all open courses from the catalogue — on a €599 course that is €120 saved, the entire annual fee of a full member.
  • Free or reduced admission to the institute's lectures and events.
  • Support with grant applications — review of the proposal, the institute as a partner, administrative help.
  • An IOAS certificate with a verifiable identifier on completing a course.
Influence on direction
  • Voting at the general assembly — full and honorary members.
  • Eligibility to stand for the association's bodies.
  • The right to propose research topics and draft expert positions of the institute.
  • Access to the partner network — universities, companies and institutions the institute works with.
Consultation and review
  • Expert consultation on what you are actually dealing with — the idea, the architecture, the choice of technology, the procurement.
  • Once an NDA is signed, no data travels anywhere. Your material stays with you; where data is sensitive, we can work directly on your own infrastructure.
  • You save money — by us proposing a different, cheaper solution than the one on your table, or by removing what you would be paying for needlessly.
  • We review the offers you have — whether the price matches the scope, what is missing from it and what nobody thought to ask.
  • You gain relevant partners — we connect you with those who actually do the work, not with those who merely sell it.

Which benefit belongs to which membership

Benefit Associate Full Honorary
Participation in research projects yes yes yes
Publishing under the institute’s name yes yes yes
Internal knowledge exchange among members yes yes yes
Mentoring support yes — the core of this membership yes yes
20 % discount on open courses yes yes yes
Reduced admission to events yes yes yes
Support with grant applications yes yes
Access to the partner network yes yes
Expert consultation (under NDA) yes yes yes
Review of suppliers’ offers yes yes
Voting at the general assembly yes yes
Standing for the association’s bodies yes yes
Proposing research topics and positions yes yes
Annual fee €25 (students €0) €120 €0

A more detailed breakdown is on the Membership benefits page.


How to become a member

1 · Read the documents. Mission and goals and the statutes. Membership presumes agreement with them.

2 · Submit an application. Through the Member registration form — basic details, your field of interest and a few sentences on what you want to contribute.

3 · Assessment. The board decides within 30 calendar days. If approved, you receive a confirmation and payment instructions; if not, you receive the reason.

What is expected of a member

Membership is not a subscription. At least one form of active contribution per year is expected — participation in a project, a technical text, a lecture, a review, mentoring a student or organisational help at an event. If you have no capacity in a given year, nothing happens; this is a direction, not a quota.