Nomination Process

Eligibility for Selection

  • At a minimum, candidates must demonstrate a high degree of innovation by holding one issued U.S. patent that has been licensed or commercialized and/or possess five or more issued U.S. patents
  • Candidates must be in professional practice or research in his/her current field for at least seven years
  • Candidate must be affiliated with an NAI Member Institution
  • Deceased candidates are not eligible
  • Self-nominations are accepted

Please Note: Because NAI Fellows are recognized in the highest degree from the National Academy of Inventors, they are not eligible for Senior Membership consideration

Nomination Timeline

The Academy will now accept Senior Member nominations from NAI Member institutions, annually starting the fall of 2021. Nominations will be accepted again, October 1 – December 17, 2021. Once the nomination period closes, they will be reviewed by the Senior Member Advisory Committee (SMAC) in January and elected Senior Members will be announced in February 2022. Nominees who are not elected will have their nominations automatically reconsidered for the next 2 years automatically however, nominators will have the opportunity to edit the nomination during the next open nomination period. Nominees who are not elected after 3 years of consideration must wait two years before resubmitting a new nomination.

Required Materials for Nomination

  • NAI Senior Member Application (submitted online)
    • Nominee’s contact information
    • Summary of professional experience: to include affiliated institutions, titles held, and overall institutional impact
    • Impact Statement: describe how the nominee’s commercialization efforts have affected public welfare and the overall economic development on his/her community
    • Summary of evidence of mentorship: describe how the nominee has mentored the next generation of inventors
  • Supplemental Documents (submitted online) 
    • Nominee’s full Curriculum Vitae
    • Complete list of issued U.S. patent(s)
    • If self-nominating: Statement of Purpose on letterhead
    • If not self-nominating: Nomination Letter from an NAI Affiliate on letterhead
      • Examples of an NAI Affiliate include: NAI Fellow, NAI Member Institution Representative, NAI Senior Member, and NAI Board Member.

Nominations are now closed until October 1, 2021

Senior Member Dues

Annual membership: $180 ($140 is tax deductible)

Lifetime membership $1800 ($1404 is tax deductible)

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