I am excited to share two exciting opportunities for researchers to become involved in ORCID’s governance: serving as a Researcher-Director on ORCID’s Board of Directors and serving on the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council.
Researcher-Director Seat on the Board – nominations now open
ORCID is governed by a Board of Directors that is representative of its membership and wider community of stakeholders. The ORCID Board is responsible for ensuring the organization is acting in the best interests of ORCID’s community by providing strategic guidance and oversight for the successful achievement of ORCID’s mission.
ORCID Board members are elected for three-year terms on a staggered schedule, so every year, we hold elections to appoint new Directors. Two Researcher-Director Board seats are reserved for practicing scholars, irrespective of their ORCID member affiliation. This year, we are looking to fill one Researcher-Director Board seat.
Board Responsibilities
Supported by the Executive Director and a full-time professional staff, the ORCID Board is responsible for:
- Developing and regularly updating ORCID’s strategic plan
- Reviewing high-level organizational goals and policies to support that plan
- Overseeing ORCID’s organizational and financial performance
- Ensuring ORCID has financial resources to achieve its mission
- Monitoring Board function
- Appointing the Executive Director and reviewing their performance
- Serving as a community advocate for ORCID
- Researcher-Directors also serve as co-chairs of the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council, and serve as a link between the Council and the Board.
If elected, new Board members will serve for a period of three years, starting in February 2025. Note that ORCID Board members serve as uncompensated volunteers. All Board meetings are conducted in English and applicants must be fluent in English.
For more information about the role of ORCID Board members, please see the Board Charter. Our annual reports and other governance information are also available on our web site.
2025 Board Selection Criteria
Each year, our Board establishes criteria for the selection of new Board members in order to maintain the balance of skills necessary to govern the organization, and to ensure diverse representation from ORCID’s stakeholder communities. This year, in seeking perspectives and skills complementary to those of continuing Board members, the Nominating Committee will give preference to researcher representative candidates who display one or more of the following characteristics:
- Are early or mid-career researchers enthusiastic about ORCID
- Can advocate on behalf of ORCID in their communities
- Have experience or a keen interest in organizational governance
Board Time Commitment
Board Directors are expected to attend all Board meetings—currently there are four meetings a year, two virtual, and two in person—and to play an active role in ORCID activities during the course of their term, including serving on one or two Board committees.
In-person Board meetings typically last two days and take place in February and September. The meetings are hosted by member organizations in different regions across the globe. Board members are expected to travel to attend in-person board meetings. ORCID covers the travel costs for the Researcher-Directors to attend in-person Board meetings.
Virtual Board meetings take place in May and November and are four hours each. Virtual Board meetings are split across two days to best accommodate the wide range of time zones on our global Board. This means meetings may take place outside of your standard working hours.
In addition to attending Board meetings, Board members are expected to serve on one or two Board committees each year. With the exception of the Executive Committee, Board committees generally meet virtually four times a year. Meetings tend to be one hour and may be held outside of your normal working hours due to the time zone constraints of other committee members. More information around committee roles and responsibilities can be found in the committee charters listed on our governance page.
Board members are responsible for reviewing meeting materials and making substantive contributions to the work of the Board and its committees.
ORCID Researcher Advisory Council (ORAC) – nominations now open
Although the ORCID Board has long had two seats reserved for Researcher-Directors, the Board focuses on organizational governance and cannot represent the full breadth of the researcher community. To ensure that we keep the researcher at the center of everything we do at ORCID, the Board created the ORCID Researcher Advisory Council (ORAC) in 2021. ORAC is a diverse group of researchers who provide valuable perspective and advice to ORCID staff and the ORCID Board as we seek to ensure that ORCID provides value and utility to researchers and aids in the process of research and innovation.
Council members meet virtually twice a year. These meetings are generally an hour long; due to the wide distribution of timezones may take place outside of your standard working hours. In between meetings, Council members are invited to participate in an online forum to discuss and consult on topics as they arise. Council members serve for a two-year term.
All meetings are conducted in English and applicants must be fluent in English.
How to Apply
If you are interested in serving on the Board or ORAC, you may nominate yourself or a colleague (with their permission) by completing our nomination form.
Nominations must be received by 28 June.
All applications received will be reviewed by the ORCID Nominating Committee which is responsible for developing the Board election slate based on the nominations received, taking into account this year’s selection criteria as indicated above, and maintaining a majority of representatives of non-profit organizations on the Board as required by ORCID’s bylaws. Please note that the Nominating Committee may follow up with you after you submit your application to schedule an interview, complete a board skills survey, or ask follow-up questions.
If you are unable to complete this online form, please send your responses to [email protected].
As an organization, we are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We strive to have a Board and Council that reflect our diverse community and we encourage individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups to apply to serve.
If you have specific questions about board service, ORAC, or the nominations process, you can email us at [email protected]
Key Dates
We will consider all nominations received by 28 June 2024. The slate will be presented to the current Board for approval at its September meeting, after which it will be announced publicly. Our voting members then have the choice of either voting for the slate or proposing additional candidates (within 30 days of the slate being announced), in which case the election will become a plurality vote by candidate. To propose additional candidates, a group of 20 or more member organizations must submit a nomination in writing to ORCID before 30 October 2024. Note that the group may not include more than one member per consortium (for specific details, see Article III, Section 2b of ORCID’s Bylaws). We will send notifications and open the election by electronic ballot on 31 October 2024.
ORCID Board 2024 Election Key Dates
| Date | Activity |
| 22 May | Call for Board nominations |
| 28 June | Closing date for Board nominations |
| July – August | Nominating Committee to review nominations |
| 11-12 September | Nominating Committee presents slate for Board approval |
| 30 September | Slate made public |
| 30 October | Closing date for alternative nominations |
| 31 October | Voting opens |
| 20 November | Voting closes, results announced at virtual members’ meeting |
| February 2025 | Elected members start their term at the first Board meeting of the year. (Late February; Date |
We look forward to receiving your nominations over the coming months.
If you are thinking about nominating yourself but aren’t sure or have questions, please get in touch at [email protected]. Remember, the deadline for nominations is 28 June 2024.
