COR
Membership
Four classes of member — user, supplier, academic and individual — each with a different role and weight in standard-setting.
Four Classes of Member
| Member class | Who | Role in standard-setting |
|---|---|---|
| User members | Organisations that actually operate infrastructure | Seats in total not fewer than supplier members; lead on requirement-side clauses |
| Supplier members | Providers of operations products and services | May propose and take part in discussion; seats capped, must declare and recuse on clauses affecting them |
| Academic members | Research institutions and educational bodies | Provide the theoretical basis, take part in implementability verification, bring standards into education |
| Individual members | Practitioners and researchers | Public comment, working groups, implementation verification, motions at the annual meeting |
What Each Class Does
User members are the Council's most central class. On the standards committee, user members' seats in total may not be fewer than supplier members' — this is to ensure that standards reflect the needs of actual operation rather than the limits of product capability.
Supplier members may propose draft standards and take part in technical discussion, but their seats are capped and they must declare their interest when a clause concerning their own product category is under review.
Academic members provide the theoretical basis for clauses, take part in implementability verification, and bring the content of standards into education. The VIN Institute is the Council's technical support body, providing the research basis, but has no final say over the standards.
Individual members may take part in public comment, join working groups, take part in implementation verification of drafts, and put motions at the annual meeting. The Council deliberately preserves the right of individual members to propose, because many of the most important problems in practice are noticed by front-line engineers rather than management.