Membership

SCC Membership Rights and Responsibilities

Membership in the SCC means joining a global, collaborative community dedicated to advancing the future of biodiversity and geology collections. Membership is far more than access to software. It is a strategic investment in shared, open-source cyberinfrastructure that supports research, curation, education, and data mobilization worldwide.

As a member-driven organization, the SCC brings together institutions of all sizes to collectively sustain and evolve Specify software, ensuring that it remains robust, flexible, and responsive to the diverse needs of the collections community. Members gain the advantage of expert support, fully managed database and asset hosting, and a voice in the governance and direction of the SCC.

By participating in the SCC, institutions help shape the tools and infrastructure that underpin global scientific discovery, while benefiting from a sustainable, equitable model designed to strengthen collections today and for generations to come.

Membership rights and responsibilities

Membership At A Glance

SCC membership is offered in three tracks, with support proportional to contribution.

Institutional

Catalyst, Foundation, Visionary, and Luminary levels for institutions and consortia seeking stronger governance influence and expanded support.

Collection

Affiliate memberships priced per collection: Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large, based on utilization and support needs.

Student

Limited-term membership for graduate research projects at $500/year with hosted access and final data export.

Rights And Responsibilities

All Membership Levels Include

  • Full access to Speciforum
  • Support proportional to level
  • Optional Specify Cloud hosting
  • Onboarding webinars and support services access

Members Are Expected To

  • Keep admin, technical, and finance contacts current
  • Support collaboration and shared development
  • Share useful documentation and processes
  • Champion Specify in the broader collections community

Storage allocations are base values and scale with contribution. If additional storage is needed, it is billed at current SCC rates.

Institutional Membership

Institutional Members play a crucial role in supporting the broader ecosystem of biodiversity and geology data management. They contribute directly to the sustainability of open-source tools that are critical for scientific research and education globally, creating a ripple effect that benefits the entire scientific community.

The intellectual and financial contributions from these leading institutions are what enable the SCC to provide essential software, comprehensive support, and continuous innovation to hundreds of collections worldwide, including those that would otherwise lack the resources to digitize and manage their invaluable specimen data. This investment ensures that critical specimen data can be curated and mobilized for scientific use, collectively enriching our understanding of Earth's biological diversity and geologic makeup for generations to come.

Joining at an Institutional Membership level is a strategic investment in an institution's long-term interests. One of the most significant advantages of Institutional level Membership is the direct input into the SCC's governance and strategic direction. Luminary, Visionary, Foundation, and Catalyst Members gain permanent seats on the SCC Board of Members and Advisory Committees (Technology and User).

Luminary Membership

$150,000+ / year

The Luminary Membership represents the apex of the SCC partnership, designed for organizations that are, or wish to become, architects of global research infrastructure. Ideally suited for international consortia, federal agencies, or world-leading institutions, Luminary Members hold the highest degree of influence in the Consortium. In addition to receiving top-priority technical support and technical services, they have access to executive leadership for strategic alignment. The specific scope will be defined by mutual agreement, proportional to the member's size and needs.

Luminary Membership includes:

  • Four permanent seats on the SCC Board of Members, one permanent seat on each of the SCC User and Technology Advisory Committees
  • First-in-line access to all technical support services and staff
  • Access to private webinars with SCC staff upon request
  • Early Bird Access - Preferred and priority access to all new software products and releases to give feedback and impact development
  • Hosting allocation of 75 GB of database storage and 1.5 TB of assets, including backups, updates, and maintenance
  • Access to executive leadership for strategic alignment
  • Unlimited users with no limits on concurrent access

Visionary Membership

$100,000+ / year

The Visionary Membership level is designed for large-scale entities, such as government agencies or national consortia, seeking a high level of strategic influence and support. Members at this level assume a central leadership role, working with other institutional members to guide the SCC's strategic direction and technical roadmap. They receive priority technical support, and enjoy the most comprehensive services. The specific scope (e.g., number of collections and organizations) will be defined by mutual agreement, proportional to the member's size and needs.

Visionary Membership includes:

  • Three permanent seats on the SCC Board of Members, one permanent seat on each of the SCC User and Technology Advisory Committees
  • Accelerated access to all technical support services and staff
  • Access to private webinars with SCC staff upon request
  • Early Bird Access - Preferred and priority access to all new software products and releases to give feedback and impact development
  • Hosting allocation of 50 GB of database storage and 1 TB of assets, including backups, updates, and maintenance
  • Unlimited users with no limits on concurrent access

Foundation Membership

$50,000+ / year

The Foundation Membership level is suitable for a single, large institution with numerous collections or for a collaborating group of organizations. Members at this level play a leading role in SCC governance, providing insights to guide the SCC's strategic and software development directions. Institutions at this level may collaborate with Specify staff and enjoy robust support across multiple collections. The specific scope (e.g., number of collections and organizations) will be defined by mutual agreement, proportional to the Member's size and needs.

Foundation Membership includes:

  • Two permanent seats on the SCC Board of Members, one permanent seat on each of the SCC User and Technology Advisory Committees
  • Priority access to all technical support services and staff
  • Collaborative proposal and project development planning for software innovation, collection data analysis, integration, or digitization initiatives
  • Early Bird Access - Preferred and priority access to all new software products and releases to give feedback and impact development
  • Hosting allocation of 25 GB of database storage and 500 GB of assets, including backups, updates, and maintenance
  • Unlimited users with no limits on concurrent access

Catalyst Membership

$25,000+ / year

The Catalyst Membership level is ideal for a single medium or small institution ready to accelerate their digitization efforts. Members at this level provide direct input on SCC governance and receive input plus hands-on technical support for growing their collections program. The specific scope (e.g., number of collections and organizations) will be defined by mutual agreement, proportional to the member's size and needs.

Catalyst Membership includes:

  • One permanent seat on the SCC Board of Members, one permanent seat on either the SCC User and Technology Advisory Committees
  • Complete access to all technical support services and staff
  • Early Bird Access - Preferred and priority access to all new software products and releases to give feedback and impact development
  • Hosting allocation of 10 GB of database storage and 100 GB of assets, including backups, updates, and maintenance
  • Unlimited users with no limits on concurrent access

Collection Membership

Collection Members also play an important role in biodiversity and geology communities. They join the world-wide Consortium of collections, each contributing directly to the sustainability of open-source tools that are critical for the collections community.

The SCC actively connects institutions within our community, bridging expertise and talent to collectively address complex challenges. This rich community environment ensures that each Member institution is not working in isolation but is part of a dynamic, supportive network dedicated to advancing shared goals.

An Affiliate Member may be a single Specify collection or encompass multiple related collections. Affiliate memberships are priced per Member Collection. To determine the price, each Member Collection will be grouped into one of five categories: Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large. Collections are assessed by discipline, activity, utilization, size, staff, and institutional resources.

Collection Support Priority Price
Tiny Lowest $0-750 / year
Small Low $1,500 / year
Medium Medium $3,000 / year
Large High $6,000 / year
Extra Large Highest $8,000 / year

Student Membership

Student Memberships are intended for Graduate Students working with their Masters or PhD projects. The membership will allow the member to create one collection on a Specify hosted server, which will exist for a limited term.

$500 / year For Graduate Projects
  • One Specify hosted collection for the membership term
  • Member provides start and end dates
  • All managed data and assets will be exported and shared with the member at the conclusion of this term
  • Extensions may be granted upon mutual agreement

Consortium Governance

SCC is led by a Board of Members and advised by Technology and User Advisory Committees. Institutional levels include guaranteed committee representation, with rotating seats for Affiliate members.

Explore governance

Get in touch with us

Meet with our team to discuss your needs and receive training, webinars, updates on releases, and community opportunities.

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  • Documentation, videos, and support resources
  • Collaboration opportunities for institutions and developers
  • Guidance for grants and consortium membership

Questions? Email us at membership@specifysoftware.org

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