Academia Industry Alliance

Mission 

The Academia Industry Alliance (AIA) will unify undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate trainees across the University of Colorado (CU) campuses interested in biotechnology and related industries. AIA will support their interests in industry science careers and enhance all efforts that foster collaborations  and networking between academia and industry.  

Goal 

Academia Industry Alliance serves to collapse the divide and build strong partnerships between academia  and industry to enhance collaborative interactions and broaden networks to promote scientific and career  progress of trainees.   

Preamble 

We, the members of the Academia Industry Alliance, subscribing to the regulations and policies of the  University of Colorado, establish this Constitution to govern the matters within our organization: 

Article I – Identification 

Section 1 – Name 

The name of this organization shall be “Academia Industry Alliance” and may be referred to as “AIA.” 

Section 2 – Affiliations 

Academia Industry Alliance is affiliated first and foremost with the Graduate School of CU Anschutz and  reserves the right to partner with any CU-affiliated or non-affiliated organizations such that guidelines  and rules set forth by the University of Colorado are upheld in the partnership. 

Article II – Purpose 

Section 1 – Purpose 

Academia Industry Alliance will centralize undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students across  University of Colorado campuses interested in biotechnology, independent of program, school, and other  standing affiliations. The organization will facilitate collaborations and networking amongst like-minded  young professionals, providing industry representatives a source of future talent and providing its  academic affiliates an avenue to demonstrate their skills. AIA will serve as a platform to mediate the  exchange of novel project/product ideas, to provide opportunities for mock-business plan pitches, to  garner a larger network of peers and colleagues that can help one another identify potential job  opportunities, and to identify the variety of professions that are needed within biotech and related  sectors. 

In addition to the above, the goals of AIA are, but are not limited to: 

● Unify and strengthen the collective voice of young professionals in Colorado

● Enhance collaborative opportunities between academic researchers and industry (contracts,  research projects, funding, etc.) 

● Be a resource for identifying skills and experience desired by the biotechnology industry, allowing  for members to critically evaluate their needs and progress towards standing goals 

● Foster a culture of preparedness for those vying for positions that bridge academia and industry ● Demystify the process of becoming involved in both academia and industry 

Article III – Membership 

Section 1 - Membership and Advisor Position 

Section 1A – General Membership 

Membership will be limited to those currently affiliated with the University of Colorado, including:  undergraduate, masters, medical, health-professional, law, and graduate students; postdoctoral fellows;  medical residents; medical fellows; and staff scientists, instructors, research associates, and faculty.  Members are not required to be currently in a professional degree-seeking program or in a post-graduate  training program (residency, postdoctoral or medical fellowship), however, those who are in these  programs are encouraged to join.  

Membership in AIA requires the commitment of attendance to a minimum of two monthly general  meetings every six months, beginning with the first meeting that they are able to attend upon joining. The  Chief Operating Officer of AIA shall be responsible for tracking monthly meeting attendance; however,  members are responsible for their own attendance and its notation. Any member fulfilling the  aforementioned criteria, in addition to other position(s) held, is hereby regarded an “Active Member.” 

Section 1B – Advisor 

An advisor, defined as an experienced academic (beyond their terminal traineeship, e.g. after postdoctoral  fellowship/medical residency or having acquired their degree), and/or industry representative (senior  employee or affiliate) may be elected in to assist a given project.  

Advisor recruitment will be discussed at the nearest monthly general meeting or during an “emergent”  meeting as set by the Executive Board.  

Designation of the Advisor will be determined by majority vote of the Executive Board. Section 2 – Membership Rights, Privileges, Benefits 

With active membership in AIA, members are privy to the rights, opportunities, and benefits stated herein,  including:  

● The right and privilege to participate, opine, debate, and present ideas during regular monthly  meetings. 

● The right to be considered for participation on any established subcommittee as determined by  the respective subcommittee’s chair(s). In the case of a subcommittee which has more than one  chair, the following is observed: more than half of the chairs must be present to unanimously  grant participation rights to the member. 

● The opportunity to develop new projects and serve as subcommittee chair and/or co-chairs. ● The opportunity to network with other young professionals from other campuses through AIA.  Section 3 – Removal of Membership 

Membership from AIA may be revoked as determined through majority vote by members within the  Executive Board, only during Executive Board Meetings (i.e. not during general monthly meetings).  Removal through the Board’s decision shall be prompt; the ex-member will be notified of the decision and  of any major grievances that led to the Board’s decision. The procedure for regaining membership shall  be set forth by the current Executive Board.  

Removal of membership will occur immediately, without vote, if any Campus, School, or University  rules/laws put forth by the members’ associated Campus, School, and/or University are not adhered to. 

Section 4 – Membership fees 

There are no membership fees for AIA.  

Article IV – Government 

Section 1 - Model of Governance 

AIA will function as a democratic organization; that is, members of the Executive Board are elected by  active members yearly, during the first meeting of the academic year. There are particular positions  within the Board whose appointment may be granted by other members of the Board; for these, if no  incumbents occupies the position, AIA members may elect an individual to that position at the first  meeting of the year following the position’s vacancy. The Executive Board is responsible for representing  AIA, its interests, and its goals to the public and to officials of the University of Colorado who grant the  organization its legitimacy.  

Section 2 – Duties of the Executive Board 

The Executive Board will consist of the officers listed in Article IV Section 3B of the AIA Constitution. The  general duties of the Executive Board will include meeting at least once every other month (in addition to  the monthly general meetings), maintaining the goals and vision of the organization, speaking positively  and advocating for AIA, representing AIA, overseeing subcommittees, voting on membership removal and  Advisor recruitment, and setting monthly and emergency meetings. If attendance to a meeting is unable  to be kept by a member of the Board, they must report their absence at least three days prior to the  meeting date.  

Section 3 - Eligibility and Positions within AIA 

Section 3A – Executive Board Eligibility 

To be eligible for an Executive Board position, one must have been a member of AIA for at least six  consecutive months and have attended at least three meetings (any combination of general monthly  meetings and subcommittee meetings). This individual may then be either appointed or elected to the  Executive Board.  

Section 3B – Executive board officers, roles, and responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) – Duties include: chairing the Executive Board; appointing, organizing, and  overseeing subcommittees with the advice and consent of at least a majority vote by the Executive Board;  maintaining, establishing, and growing the existing network of AIA members and industry representatives; and organizing meetings with key contacts in the University, industry, and leaders of groups such as the  Colorado BioScience Association.  

Due to the demanding nature of research-related positions constituting the primary occupation of most  members of the AIA, the responsibilities of the CEO may be shared with one other person; in the case of  shared leadership, these individuals will be considered co-CEOs. Only one vote will remain for this  position; therefore, co-CEOs must come to a unanimous decision before casting the CEO’s vote in an  Executive Board meeting. 

Chief Operating Officer (COO) – Duties include: planning, establishing, and overseeing networking events;  communicating meeting times, locations, and agendas; and assuring that both general and Board  meetings discuss set agendas and adhere to timely execution. General meeting times, locations, and  agendas will be determined at least one week in advance. The COO may be appointed by the CEO(s) to  oversee activity of subcommittees. The COO, once appointed to oversee a subcommittee, will be the final  decision maker in absence of the CEO(s). 

Due to the demanding nature of research-related positions constituting the primary occupation of most  members of the AIA, the responsibilities of the COO may be shared with one other person; in this case,  these individuals will be considered co-COOs. Only one vote will remain for this position; therefore, co COOs must come to a unanimous decision before casting the COO’s vote in an Executive Board meeting.  

Chief Communications Officer (CCO) – Duties include: maintaining and organizing contact information of  industry representatives and AIA Members; directly contacting industry representatives for surveys and  requests related to networking events; and recording meeting minutes to distribute to all AIA members  the Friday or Monday following general meetings.  

Due to the demanding nature of research-related positions constituting the primary occupation of most  members of the AIA, the responsibilities of the CCO may be shared with one other person; in this case,  these individuals will be considered co-CCOs. Only one vote will remain for this position; therefore, co CCOs must come to a unanimous decision before casting the CCO’s vote in an Executive Board meeting.  

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – Duties Include: maintaining all fiscal business of the AIA; establishing a  yearly budget, allocating money for given AIA purposes; approving subcommittee budgets; and generating  monthly financial report to be disclosed at monthly general meeting, including, but not limited to: total  money, total spent to date, and total spent within the last month. 

Section 3C – Campus Representatives 

The AIA of the Anschutz Medical Campus (AMC) may partner with affiliated University of Colorado  campuses (Anschutz Medical Campus, Boulder, Denver, Colorado Springs). Under such an affiliation, a  representative from that campus may be determined. The roles of the Campus Representative will  include: relaying AIA announcements to all AIA members from their respective campus via email, flyers,  and in-person communications, and establishing and nurturing relationships with biotech companies  located close to their campus in order to expand AIA’s network. 

Section 4 – Subcommittees

Committees related to event programming, communications, finance, fundraising, marketing,  information technology, and other functions required by AIA activities will be established as needed. A  vote by the Executive Board will determine the subcommittee chair(s). 

Article V – Meetings and Voting 

General meetings will be held on the Anschutz Medical Campus on a monthly basis. Any decisions  pertaining to the AIA as an organization will be made by majority vote of the Executive Board members.  Decisions pertaining to subcommittees will be made by their respective chair(s). If the chair(s) is absent,  the CEO may stand in and take responsibility for oversight and decision-making. 

Executive Board Meetings shall be set on a monthly or every other month basis on Anschutz Medical  Campus, contingent on the activities of the AIA. These meetings will be led by the CEO(s), documented by  the CCO(s) and at least one member of each Board position must be present for the meetings to  commence. Key points of these meetings will be communicated to the all AIA members during the general  meeting immediately following these.  

Article VI – Amendments to the Constitution 

Amendments to the constitution may be proposed by any member of the AIA. Members will be allowed  to submit one amendment proposal per annum. Ratification of an accepted amendment will occur only  by unanimous decision of the current Executive Board and will be effective immediately. Multiple  amendments may be accepted in each year. Amendments will be formalized and integrated into the  written constitution in Article VII, at the second meeting of the year, and shall contain the following  information: the year of its acceptance and declaration of its purpose. Each ratified amendment to the  Constitution will be made known to all members of AIA in this meeting.  

Article VII – Amendments to the Constitution 

2022 Amendments 

1. To be listed here.