Starting a Research Consortium

What Is a Consortium? - A research consortium is a pre-competitive collaboration where industry partners—and sometimes other universities, trade associations, or government agencies—work together to fund and support research on shared topics of interest. Consortia allow multiple organizations to contribute to and benefit from a common research effort.

Consortium Setup Process - Starting a consortium is a structured, multi-step process that involves planning, internal approvals, and coordination with Sponsored Program Services (SPS). The consortium must be defined before membership agreements can be drafted or issued.

Step 1: Initial Discussion and PERA Submission

The process begins when the Principal Investigator (PI) submits a request in PERA to work with SPS Contracting to draft a consortium membership agreement.

Before moving forward:

• The PI meets with SPS Contracting to understand what it means to create and operate a consortium and how it functions in the University setting.
• After the initial meeting, if the PI decides to proceed, the PI should develop the material described in Step 2 and provide them to the SPS contract analyst.

Step 2: Develop the Core Consortium Materials

The PI prepares the foundational materials that define the consortium. These materials explain what the consortium is, how it will operate, and how members participate. The PI may need to work with their Business Office or SPS Pre-Award to develop and refine the fee structure to ensure it is appropriate for the activities envisioned for the consortium and the anticipated number of members.

Required elements include:

Consortium Definition

• Name and scope of work – What does the consortium do?
• Project period

Membership and Funding

• Types of members (e.g., Industry, Government, Non-Profit)
• List of prospective members (minimum of three)

Fee structure

• Membership levels (if applicable)
• Annual terms
• Costing support (often coordinated with your business office and/or SPS Pre-award staff to ensure fees support students, research and administrative costs)

Operations and Administration

• Location and facilities (labs, office space)
• Administrative structure:
  • Directors or co-directors
  • Manager role if needed (especially partially government-funded consortia)

Bylaws, processes, and procedures, including:

• Meetings
• Annual or bi-annual reporting
• Publications and communications

Outreach and Purpose

• Recruiting or invitation letter (similar to a brochure or business plan)
• Statement describing the benefit to the University’s mission
• Confidential information considerations:
  • Whether member confidential information will be accepted
  • Whether NDAs may be required

Step 3: College and Departmental Approval

Once the materials are complete:

• The PI submits the consortium information to their Head or ADR (or follows college-specific guidelines) to request approval to begin accepting members.

Approval at this stage confirms that the consortium is appropriately defined and aligned with department, college and university expectations.

Step 4: Membership Agreement Drafting

After department/college approval:

• The PI returns the completed consortium information sheet to the SPS contract analyst.
• SPS Contracting then drafts the standard consortium membership agreement template, using the information sheet as its foundation.
• Consortium membership agreements do not go through the proposal process, because membership fees are predefined in the agreement.

Step 5: Issuing Membership Agreements

Once the membership agreement template is finalized:

• The PI issues the agreement to potential members.
• After the first member signs on, the membership agreements are not negotiable because all members must sign the same agreement

After a prospective member signs:

• The PI sends the agreement to SPS for Purdue signature.
• The agreement is routed by SPS Contracting to Post Award for account set-up invoicing.
• The PI along with their departmental business office or consortium staff will manage the day-to-day operations of the consortium.

Summary Checklist for PIs

Before requesting a membership agreement, make sure you have:

• Defined the consortium’s scope, structure, and mission
• Identified prospective members (minimum of three)
• Established a clear fee structure
• Developed governance (see Designing Governance for a Research Consortium Guidance Document), operations, and outreach materials
• Secured college or departmental approval