FAQ

The applications will be reviewed and discussed and an answer will be provided usually within two weeks of receiving it. However, there may be circumstances that require more thorough research from our side before giving an answer; in these cases the applicants are always notified. Please note that sometimes the length of time required to give an answer depends on the clarity with which the nature of the applicant project has been explained in the application form itself.

The application procedure consists of 4 simple steps:

1. Fill in and send the on-line application form.
2. The IASP Executive Board will examine your application and make a decision. If the decision is positive, the Executive Board will also determine your membership category. This process will usually take up to two weeks.
3. We will inform you of the Executive Board's decision. If it is positive, you'll be invoiced for your membership fee at this stage. Your membership (with all the corresponding benefits, rights and duties) will become active once you have paid.
4. The International Board of Directors and the General Assembly will ratify your membership in their first meetings after the Executive Board decision. After this final step you will receive your membership certificate.  (In the unlikely case that a first decision by the Executive Board is revoked by other governing bodies, any fee that you may have paid will naturally be reimbursed in full).

I'd rather not use the "on-line" application. How else can I send my application for IASP membership? 
We encourage you to use our on-line form, but if you have any difficulty sending it through the Internet, please contact our membership secretary (Ms. Carol Engelspach) and ask her to e-mail the application form in Word format.

To ask for your application form please contact us at:

engelspach@iasp.ws
Tel. +34 95 2028303

Yes, although it will take a bit longer than the approval of your membership application by the Executive Board, since the certificate is only issued after the ratification of the Board's decision by the General Assembly in its annual meeting.

You are an IASP member from the date on which the IASP Headquarters receives the payment of your first membership fee. However, please do not send any money until you receive our invoice! We will invoice you once the IASP Executive Board approves your membership application. You can then pay your membership fee and your membership will come into effect once the payment has been made and acknowledged by our Headquarters.

Please bear in mind that your membership is to be regarded as provisional, until it has been ratified by the International Board and the IASP General Assembly.

Once your first membership fee has been paid, as well as having access to the IASP network and the services IASP provides, you will receive an official letter welcoming you to the IASP, together with a set of documents, including a complimentary copy of an IASP publication, the IASP logo, information about the IASP "Members Only" area of our website, and the receipt of your membership fee. Full and Affiliate members will also receive instructions on how to access and use the Strategigram ( a unique software tool enabling you to analyse the strategic profile of your park.) 

Associate members usually cannot become Full members (nor Affiliate members), since these two categories are exclusively for Science/Technology Parks, areas or clusters of innovation and innovation-based business incubators, Exceptional circumstances are reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

Determining the membership category is incumbent upon the IASP Executive and International Boards. These are our regulations regarding membership categories:

1. Only operational Parks, technology-based incubators, areas and clusters of innovation can obtain Full membership. Once they are operational these organisations can't apply for anything other than Full membership.
2. Parks, incubators, areas and clusters of innovation which are being planned or constructed (not yet operational) can only obtain Affiliate membership. However, once they become operational, they must inform the IASP Headquarters and apply for Full membership.
3. Organisations that are not Parks, technology-based incubators nor areas and clusters of innovation (for example, universities, development agencies, consultancy companies, etc) can only obtain Associate membership.
4. Individuals can only obtain Associate membership. 

The Affiliate membership is a temporary status until a project is fully developed. It offers a 2 year discount on the IASP membership fee after which a project will ideally be fully operational with tenants on the premises, and meet the criteria for Full membership.

IASP bylaws allow an organisation to remain as an Affiliate member for up to 5 years if necessary to complete the construction of a park, incubator or area of innovation, but the full fee will be payable after the 2 year discount period ends. 

Affiliate members that fulfil the requisites for Full membership can ask for a change of category. The IASP Executive Board will examine the request and make a decision. These decisions must be ratified by the International Board and the General Assembly.

To apply for the change of category you just need to send a letter or e-mail to the IASP Director General (iasp@iasp.ws) indicating your wish to become Full member and providing the necessary information about the development of your project.

Please remember that Full membership is only for operational Parks, areas and clusters of innovation or technology-based incubators. To be considered "operational" your organisation must meet two requisites:

1. That there are companies or institutions active within the Park, area or cluster of innovation or business incubator.
2. That there is a specific management team for the Park, area or cluster of innovation or incubator. 

No. If you become a member of IASP during the third quarter of the year, we'll invoice you only 50% of the annual fee that corresponds to your membership category.

If you join IASP during the last quarter of the year, we will invoice only 25% of the annual fee that corresponds to your membership category.

The one-off joining fee will be the same regardless of when you become a member.
(These discounts apply only to Full/Affiliate membership fees and are not applicable to Associate membership fees or joining fees).

No. Just send your application form. Our Headquarters will officially inform you when it has been approved and send you the corresponding invoice.

You should pay your membership fee and the joining fee only upon the reception of this invoice.