Abilene Participation requires Internet2 Membership and Collaboration Site status. Collaboration Site status is available only to Members of the Internet2 community who meet certain conditions (e.g., research labs with collaboration capabilities and/or the ability to deliver advanced content). This document provides information about the application process for Internet2 Members who wish to connect to the Abilene Network as a Collaboration Site. Procedures do not apply to University members.

Criteria for approval of an application to become a Collaboration Site

· The primary mission or focus of the Member’s Collaboration Site must be research and/or education oriented.

· The Collaboration Site must have substantial and continuous collaborations with Internet2 Regular Member universities in the areas of advanced networking technology development, advanced applications development and/or advanced content delivery. Participation as a Collaboration Site must not be for the sole purpose of connecting to and collaborating with other laboratories or corporate research sites, but instead for the primary purpose of collaborating with and/or providing advanced content to Internet2 Regular Member universities.

· Major locations, of an organization seeking to become Collaboration Sites, each must make a separate application, each must meet all criteria, and each must pay appropriate membership dues and fees.

· Collaboration Sites must designate a primary representative, as well as an engineering lead and/or an applications lead to support the development of advanced networking applications. These constitute a project team for the Collaboration Site.

· Collaboration Sites must establish broadband Internet connectivity on an end to end basis between and among other Internet2 Regular Members.

· Collaboration Sites must be at the $28,500 level of membership dues. Generally, this means a dues increase for Affiliate Members and for Corporate Members who were at the $11,500 level of membership dues. However, dues for small companies remain at the $11,500 level

· Collaboration Sites must additionally register and meet all requirements for subsequent participation in a specific project such as Abilene, including, in the case of Abilene, the Abilene Conditions of Use, payment of Abilene project fees, and agreement to maintain a connection to the commercial Internet for all non-advanced networking traffic.

Application Process

In addition to the membership application (obtained via email from membership@internet2.edu), a letter should be submitted to Internet2 from the Internet2 Executive Liaison of the organization (or the manager with overall responsibility for the specific site, as applicable), formally applying for Collaboration Site status. The letter should be addressed to Dr. Douglas Van Houweling, President and CEO of Internet2, and should confirm specifically how the site conforms with the criteria stated above. All applications for Collaboration Site status are subject to the approval. Participation as a Collaboration Site is continuing, subject to remaining in good standing regarding dues, assessment, criteria for participation, and any additional policies or procedures as may be established by the Internet2 Board of Trustees.

• Membership dues of $28,500 are billed annually on a calendar year basis.
• Upon approval of Internet2 Collaboration Site status, Abilene Participation fees of $21,000 are billed annually on an anniversary basis. To complete the process, request an Abilene Participation Agreement by contacting <abilene_participation@internet2.edu>.

For further information contact: CollaborationSite@internet2.edu

Collaboration Site FAQ

General Membership FAQ

Affiliate Membership Requirements

Corporate Membership Requirements