Membership Committee
The Membership Committee has the responsibility to develop new members, both individual and corporate, and to prepare the reports to the Board and the Executive Secretary of the Institute as described herein.
The Committee members shall seek to enhance the membership of the Institute by identifying individuals and corporate entities that possess the qualifications needed to become members of the Institute. The Committee shall also act as a liaison between such prospective members and the Institute to facilitate the nomination process. When identifying prospective members, the Committee shall take into account the criteria for nomination set forth in Article III of the Institute Statutes.
Each prospective member must be nominated by a Director or by three Members. The Committee shall obtain (1) a nomination form and (2) a curriculum vitae for each nominee. If either of the required documents is missing or incomplete, the Committee shall contact the nominee or other parties as necessary to acquire these documents. The Committee shall maintain records of the nomination documents for future reference.
The Committee shall send to the President and the Executive Secretary a report on all nominees one month prior to the Spring Board meeting and the Fall Board meeting. The report shall contain for each nominee (1) the nominee’s full name and contact information, (2) a brief summary of the nominee’s credentials and activities related to space law, (3) the names of the nominators, and (4) the Committee’s recommendation regarding the nominee. When forming its recommendations regarding nominees, the Committee shall apply the criteria for nomination contained in Article III of the Institute Statutes. The Committee’s recommendations shall not be binding on the Board. Following each Board meeting, the Committee shall send welcome letters in the name of the President to the newly elected members by email and shall attach to this email the Institute Statutes and the most recent Newsletter. The Committee shall also provide the names and contact information of the new members to the Assistant Treasurer for inclusion in the master list of Institute members.
The Committee shall submit a report to the Executive Secretary twice a year listing the new members elected at the most recent Board meeting, with complete contact information for each new member, for inclusion in the Spring and Fall Newsletters. The Committee shall also submit a report to the Executive Secretary once a year listing all new members elected during the previous year, with complete contact information for each new member, to be included in the annual Proceedings.
Sponsorship Committee
The Sponsorship Committee shall develop and implement, with the approval of the Board, all sponsorship and fundraising initiatives in order to seek sources of revenue and financial support for the IISL. The committee shall identify those items and initiatives that require continued or new funding (such as the annual IISL dinner, other meetings and events, publications, the creation of scholarships and other initiatives to attract young scholars and new members, and the establishment of a permanent IISL office and staff) and shall develop a strategy for raising the necessary funds. As part of the fundraising plan, the committee shall explore potential strategies for encouraging the receipt of increased funding from institutional members. The Treasurer of the IISL shall be an ex officio member of the Committee.
Awards Committee
The Awards Committee, on its own or on the basis of nominations from IISL members, may select and recommend candidates to the IISL Board for each of the IISL awards and certificates according to the established criteria for each award or certificate. The Board shall appoint the chair and at least one member will be a Board member. Ideally, the committee will be comprised of three (3) members of the IISL, two of whom (including the Chairperson) shall be IISL Board members and one shall be an IISL member at large. The membership should preferably be announced at the IISL General Assembly meeting.
The Committee will select and recommend candidates for the following awards:
1. LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: This Award may be given in recognition of a person’s lifetime (i.e. generally 25 years) of exceptional and untiring (continuous) service to the space law profession and original contribution to the development of international and/or national space law and policy.
2. DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARD: This Award may be given in recognition of a person’s about 15 years of outstanding and original contribution to the development of international and/or national space law and policy. This Award could also be given to a person in recognition of his/her selfless dedication and service to the IISL, inter alia, through service on the IISL Board and its Committees, representation of IISL to other bodies and fora, the organization and support of the annual Manfred Lachs Space Law Moot Court Competition and other significant and sustained support of the Institute’s program and promotional activities.
3. AWARD OF APPRECIATION: This Award may be given very exceptionally to someone who has made an extra- ordinary and significant contribution, for over 20 years, to innovative approaches to the development and dissemination of juridical and social science aspects of space activities.
4. CERTIFICATE OF GRATITUDE: This Certificate may be given very selectively to someone who has rendered extra- ordinary service to the Institute; i.e. in recognition of his/her/their, (a) exceptional work on behalf of the Institute, or (b) outstanding support to the IISL in hosting/organizing IISL Colloquia, symposia, and/or Space Law Moot Court Competitions.
Following the issuance of any award, the Committee shall promptly provide the IISL webmaster with information regarding the recipient of the award so that such information may be posted on the IISL website. The Committee shall also oversee the drafting and revision of the text of any certificates issued to the recipient of an award to the extent necessary.
When entrusted by the IISL Board, the Committee may, from time to time, make recommendations to the IISL Board regarding the candidate(s) for any other award, certificate and prize. In such case, the Committee shall follow the criteria established for each of such award, certificate or prize.
Diederiks-Verschoor Award Committee
The Diederiks-Verschoor Award Committee oversees the competition for the Prof. Dr I.H.Ph. Diederiks-Verschoor Award which is awarded annually at the Colloquium by the IISL Board of Directors. The Award is given for the best paper accepted for presentation at the Institute’s Colloquium by an author not older than thirty years and who has not published more than five papers in the Proceedings of IISL Colloquia and who has not previously received this Award. The Award, consisting of a medal and an amount of 500 Euros, will be presented during the Closing Banquet on the last day (Friday) of the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), for which the winner will receive a complimentary ticket.
The Committee shall review the submissions and determine which paper best adheres to and meets the rules and criteria for this Award, available on the website. Following the Committee’s decision, the Committee shall submit to the Board a written report describing each paper submitted for the competition and explaining the reasons supporting its selection of the winning paper.
Following the issuance of the award, the Committee shall promptly provide the IISL webmaster with information regarding the recipient of the award so that such information may be posted on the IISL website. The Committee shall also oversee the drafting and revision of the text of any certificates issued to the recipient of an award to the extent necessary.
The Award may be granted if at least three candidates have applied. The Committee may decline to grant an Award in any given year.
