4.7     IEEE TECHNICAL COUNCIL FORMATION PROCESS

An IEEE Technical Council may be established by the Technical Activities Board for the purpose of providing a continuing mechanism for two (2) or more IEEE Societies, called Member Societies, to work together in a multi-disciplinary technical area of mutual interest, primarily through conferences and publications (IEEE Bylaw I-401.6). Any two or more IEEE Technical Societies may propose the formation of a new IEEE Technical Council. New Councils may only be started as an output of the New Technical Communities process (see Section 4.10) Formation of a new IEEE Technical Council requires the steps listed below.

1.  Preparation and distribution of a draft scope (typically ~150 words) and a rationale for the IEEE Technical Council to be proposed.

• The Vice President of Technical Activities shall announce and present the draft scope and rationale to TAB at least 60 days prior to the announcement of the Draft Initial
• TAB members will be asked for and are expected to provide relevant feedback on the proposed scope and rationale.

2.    Preparation of a Draft Initial Proposal. The Draft Initial Proposal shall include:

• Several possible names for the proposed Council.
• A set of draft statements for the Field of Interest Statement (FOI).
• A list of activities (e.g., conference, archival publications, student competitions) in which the new Council plans to engage in, and
• A brief statement explaining the need for the new

  The Vice President of Technical Activities shall announce the proposal to TAB at least 60 days prior to a TAB meeting.   TAB members will be asked for and are expected to provide feedback, especially regarding the proposed Council name and FoI statement.

3.    Completion and submission of an Initial Proposal for forming a new IEEE Technical Council.

• This shall include a specific name and FOI for the proposed Council
• The Vice president of Technical Activities, after determining that the Initial Proposal is complete, shall include the matter as an action item for the upcoming TAB meeting and issue a specific announcement on this matter to TAB members no later than 15 days prior to a TAB
• The Initial Proposal shall be approved by TAB at least one meeting before it considers a Full Proposal for a new

4.   Development of a Full Proposal for forming a new IEEE Technical Council.

During development of the initial proposal, the stakeholders in the proposed Council shall be identified. Stakeholders are those who already have Intellectual Property in the proposed field of interest.   The Proposing Societies, in consultation with the Stakeholders, the TAB Strategic Planning Committee and the TAB Management Committee, shall develop a Full Proposal. In doing so, they shall consider:

• Opportunities for attaching the proposed activities to an existing society or council
• IEEE's need to be involved in emerging
• IEEE's need to provide more focus on specific
• IEEE's need to provide more specific focus within existing technical fields across multiple societies.

The Full Proposal shall include the following information, including milestones:

1. Proposed Field of Interest Statement
2. Proposed Constitution and Bylaws (See S/C Constitution & Bylaws "Must Haves" and "Nice to Haves")

• Proposed Council Development Plan, including activities and observable achievements (e.g., Conference Plan) with

1. Proposed Publication Plan, if appropriate
2. Proposed Conference Plan, if appropriate
3. Proposed Plans for other activities, g., educational products, standards

1. Proposed Resource Plan, including funds and other resources

5.  Submission of the Full Proposal for forming a new IEEE Technical Council.

• The Full Proposal shall be submitted to the TAB Management Committee (TMC) for review and approval before it is submitted to
• Once approved by TMC, the proposal shall be submitted to TAB for final approval. The Full Proposal may not be considered at the same TAB meeting at which the Initial Proposal is

• Approval of the Field of Interest
• Approval of Constitution and Bylaws
• Endorsement of the Division Placement
• Approval of the New Provisional Council

6.  Formation of a new IEEE Technical Council.

• Once approved by TAB, the Full Proposal shall become the document outlining the relationship between the proposing Societies and TAB.
• Once approved by TAB, a new Council shall have a provisional
  • Provisional status allows full participation in TAB
• All new Councils shall have a provisional status until they meet the Objectives set forth in the Full
• A provisional Council shall submit a status report to the TAB Society and Council Review Committee (SCRC) at each Board Series and shall meet with the SCRC once a year.
• A provisional council shall normally be reviewed for full compliance with their Full Proposal after three (3) years but may request review sooner if the Council has met all objectives set forth therein. This review will be conducted by the SCRC, with resulting recommendations submitted to the TAB Management Committee for consideration and possible endorsement, and then to TAB for
• TAB expects that the Council will meet the objectives set forth in the Full Proposal within five (5) years. Failure to meet these Objectives within five (5) years will be cause for the Provisional Council to be dissolved or to be merged with another Society or

7.   Organization of the Provisional Council.

• The new Council will organize itself and proceed to execute the plans included in the Full
  • TAB staff shall be notified of the appointment of
  • TMC shall be notified of any changes to the Full Proposal proposed by the Changes that are considered by TMC to be substantive shall be approved by TAB.

8.   Establishment of a Provisional Council Advisory Committee.

• Upon creation of a Provisional Council, the Vice President of Technical Activities shall appoint a small Advisory Committee, upon the recommendations from the SCRC
• The Advisory Committee:

• Shall act as
• Will be available to assist the leader of the Provisional
• Shall monitor the progress of the new council, participating in meetings, and gathering information independent of the new
• Shall provide inputs to the SCRC at each of its regular meetings, typically held at the OU
  • The SCRC will make a recommendation to TMC on the continuance of the Provisional Council once each year, taking into account input provided by the Advisory
  • The TMC Shall:
• Based on the recommendation of SCRC, annually review the progress of the Provisional Council in achieving its Objectives, assess its progress toward meeting its Objectives, and take such action as may be warranted in supporting the new Council in successfully meeting its
• Report progress of the Provisional Council to TAB annually and include the Advisory Committee recommendation and any plan changes (identifying substantive changes).

9. Advisory Committee Role, Responsibilities and Qualifications Role.

The role of the Advisory Committee is to counsel the provisional Council, assuring the Council is adhering to their business plan and on a trajectory to achieve full status.

• Duties and Responsibilities. The duties and responsibilities of the advisory Committee shall be to:
  • Ensure regular contact with the Council, at a minimum meeting monthly/bi-monthly via
  • As schedule permits, attend Council Board of Governors/AdComm meetings (in person or via
  • Review milestones, key objectives and goals included in the Council business plan; determine if Council activities are fulfilling the objectives and goals as stated in the business
  • Make recommendations to meet the objectives and goals of the Council business
  • Three times a year, prior to the OU Meeting Series, provide written reports to the Society and Council Review Committee (SCRC).

• The qualifications for the Committee members shall be as follows:
  • Be an IEEE member having experience working within a Society or
  • Must be able to commit time to the committee.
  • One of the Advisory Committee members will be a member of the

10. Achievement of Regular Status of the new IEEE Technical Council.