Collaborations with the New Mexico Consortium

The IAS and the NMC have created the framework for development of joint research projects under the NMC. LANL staff members work part-time for the NMC on NMC projects that are of mutual benefit to the Laboratory and the NMC. A number of LANL staff members have established joint research programs within the NMC with sponsors like the National Science Foundation (NSF). The IAS oversees LANL staff participation in NMC projects. Programs must meet the following requirements:

1. Proposed projects must have a clear benefit to LANL and the NMC.
2. LANL management must pre-approve possible staff employment by the NMC before LANL staff members begin working on joint NMC proposals. For efforts < 0.25 FTE (cumulative on single or multiple projects), Group Leader, Division Leader, and Associate Director approval is required; for efforts that total > 0.25 FTE the Principle Associate Director must also approve.
3. Participation in the projects must not negatively impact partner institutions.
4. Funding for joint projects should be through partner institutions and not through the NMC unless there is a compelling reason to support the program through the NMC. IAS and NMC will work with staff to resolve questions concerning sponsor eligibility.
5. The combined effort for any LANL staff member working with the NMC cannot exceed 1.0 FTE. Upon employment with the NMC, LANL staff and their managers complete a Personal Action that reduces their LANL efforts to the appropriate part-time level.
6. Employment at the NMC by LANL staff must not create a conflict of interest with LANL employment. LANL 701 forms must be filed and approved before beginning work at the NMC.
7. All intellectual property (IP) produced by staff from partner institutions is assigned back to the home institution unless an agreement is put in place with the NMC specific to the project before the IP is developed.

The purpose of the IAS and the NMC is to facilitate collaborations among the partnership. We structure these collaborations to optimize the benefit to the partnerships and the competitiveness of the proposal by using many different mechanisms. NMC can team on proposals with funding going separately to each partner institution; either directly from the sponsor, or indirectly as a subcontractor from the proposal’s lead institution.

For more information on participation in the NMC, contact Steve Buelow (buelow@lanl.gov) or Katharine Chartrand (knc@newmexicoconsortium,org). LANL staff can find specific information about LANL participation in the NMC, including compensation policies, in the Guidelines for LANL Staff Participation in the NMC. LANL staff participation in any NMC activity requires completion of the IAS Pre-award Approval Form.