IDSA Endorsements

Seek IDSA's endorsement and/or management services for your event or competition:

Student Program Endorsement
Industry-Sponsored Student Program Endorsement
Professional Competition Endorsement

POLICIES & PROCEDURES FOR ENDORSEMENT OF STUDENT PROGRAMS

Purposes

The IDSA Endorsement Policies described below are intended to be used in assessing competitions and programs at the National organization level. Chapters and sections considering the endorsement of such programs should contact the executive director and must also abide by these policies.

Board of Directors Review and Approval

All endorsement requests shall be reviewed and approved by the Board of Directors at which time the endorsement will be granted or denied. A written endorsement or denial will be prepared and sent by the executive director.

Mission Support

All for-profit organizations seeking endorsement of a program or competition, whether student or professional, agree to contribute $5000 in support of IDSA's exempt purposes and mission, should the Board of Directors vote in favor of the endorsement.

The Board of Directors will typically not require mission support from non-profit or not-for-profit entities seeking the Society's endorsement, but may choose to do so should the individual circumstances warrant.

Procedures, Disclaimers and Qualifying Statements for all Projects and Collaborations

Organizations and individuals seeking IDSA endorsement of a student program or collaboration should submit a written request to the executive director. Requests must:

identify the organization(s) planning the event;
describe the program purpose;
outline the entire program (the location, fees and dates of the event); and
provide the name of an individual who will serve as liaison with the Society.

The disclaimers and qualifying statements below shall be provided to all entities seeking the endorsement of IDSA. Questions about potential liability of the Society for any particular endorsement request should be referred to the IDSA General Counsel.

An endorsement by IDSA of a competition or program is only meant to lend the Society's good name, in a promotional context, to an activity external to the Organization. It shall not be meant to establish an "agency" or "representational" relationship between IDSA and any other organization or any economic or contractual relationship unless expressly specified by IDSA in writing. Any entity receiving an IDSA endorsement shall only use the name of the Society in a manner approved by IDSA and shall not act on behalf of or represent the Society in any other manner except that which is expressly authorized by IDSA in writing.
The endorsement of an awards competition or granting of any award or endorsement of any program shall not constitute an endorsement by IDSA of any product or material or manufacturing process.
IDSA shall not be involved in any dispute and shall be held harmless and free of any liability in any dispute regarding intellectual property rights or compensation or payment for any competition or program that it endorses.
IDSA reserves the right to publicly withdraw its endorsement of any competition or program at any time and for any reason it deems appropriate in order to protect the mission, goals and guiding principles of the Society. In particular, IDSA reserves the right to publicly withdraw its endorsement should significant modifications of a competition or program be enacted without the Society's approval.
The endorsement by IDSA shall be properly and clearly published in all promotional and program material related to the competition or program and in compliance with IDSA graphic standards for the use of the Society's logo.
IDSA reserves the right to publish information about any program or collaboration that it endorses at its own discretion.

Guidelines for Industry-Sponsored Student Projects and Collaborations

These guidelines are intended for use in instances where the endorsement of the IDSA national organization is being sought. However, these endorsement guidelines may also be adopted by colleges and universities that are listed by IDSA for their own collaborations with outside entities.

The main objective of an industry-sponsored collaboration project or collaboration should be education. The ideal project will add to a student's understanding of professional design problems and increase his or her awareness of aesthetics, ergonomic and environmental issues, research techniques, technology, marketing and consumer needs.

Prospective sponsors should consult with appropriate design schools to ensure the intended project has educational relevance and support from educators and students. Also, many institutions have established policies regarding publicity, financial support, intellectual property rights, etc. that may affect the structure of the exercise. A collaboration usually requires a higher degree of interaction between sponsor and school that a competition does.

In addition to the disclaimers and qualifying statements above, criteria for the endorsement of student projects and collaborations are:

Projects with students must not be regarded as an alternative to professional consulting—they should serve as research, not development. Assignments primarily intended to produce immediate saleable results are not acceptable. The focus of student projects should fall outside the sponsor's current marketing needs. They should be directed toward long-term concepts with emphasis on areas such as the safety and effectiveness of products and the critical social, environmental and resource conservation aspects of the product's life cycle.
The sponsor brings professional expertise and knowledge to the classroom, adding a "real world" perspective to projects of mutual interest to student, faculty and sponsor. Sponsors are expected to provide direct informational support to the project and to evaluate progress through visits to the participating institution. They should take an active role in the education process by interacting with the students and faculty during the development, critiquing and evaluating of designs.
It is appropriate for the sponsor to contribute an unrestricted grant-in-aid to the school design department and to provide financial and/or other support to students for the construction of models and for project documentation. The collaboration project should be accepted by the school as part of the educational offering for a specific class or be open to all students in a way that does not discriminate or provide advantage to a select few.
Normally the sponsor will publicize the results of the project, with the students as the focus and the department and school included as participants. The school and/or the student may wish to develop their own promotional program as well. If there are potential problems regarding confidentiality and proprietary information, there should be a written agreement among all parties prior to the competition or collaboration.
Although schools may have differing policies, the intellectual property rights of the resulting designs shall remain with the student or students, if a group effort was involved. In some cases, there may also have been substantial intellectual input from faculty. Should the sponsor wish to acquire the rights to produce or otherwise utilize a design beyond the immediate scope of the project or competition, those involved in the direct results of the work shall be compensated at a level comparable to a normal professional fee. This policy or any alternate agreement should be established in advance, in writing, with the student, school and sponsor. IDSA shall not be involved in any dispute and shall be held harmless and free of any liability in any dispute regarding intellectual property rights or compensation or payment for any competition or program that it endorses.

IDSA Endorsement Checklist for Professional Competitions

Essay of 500 words or less is to be submitted to IDSA that should state the value of the competition
to IDSA, a brief summary of the purpose of the competition, and a brief outline or schedule of the
competition. The following checklist must be completed and signed. The rules for submission follow
this checklist. This signed form must be submitted with the essay for review and approval by the
IDSA Board of Directors at least 90 days prior to your competition. A written endorsement or denial
will be prepared and sent by IDSA’s Executive Director.

Company Liaison Name:
Telephone Number and E-mail Address:
Company Name:
Mailing Address:
Competition Title:
Mission Statement & Scope (limit to one sentence):
Fees, if any:
Estimated timeframe:
Guidelines: Yes No

Is the Endorsee company non-profit? If no, mission support may be required.

Does the competition recognize or reward the designer for work achieved under
normal working relationships between designer and employee?

Is the program related to a major activity of industrial design or related subject?

Does the overall objective of the program:

Acquaint the public, industry or the government with the value of good design?
Produce a design solution to a social problem not obtainable by normal means?
Advance the knowledge of the field?

Are you planning to publish the results of the competition?

Is the primary intent of the competition to produce immediate saleable results?
(If yes, then the competition cannot be endorsed.)

Do participating entrants retain right, title, and interest to their designs and the
intellectual property contained within their submissions? (If no, then the
competition cannot be endorsed.)

If you are interested in seeking IDSA Endorsement, please contact Beth Harrington at 703.707.6000 ext. 104 or bethh@idsa.org