CAPIBARA Collaboration Membership Policy#

Version 1.0 | Effective Date: January 1, 2026#

1. Membership Tiers & Benefits#

Tier 1: Student Member#

Requirements

  • Currently enrolled student (high school undergraduate, graduate)

  • Signed Membership agreement

  • Complete onboarding checklist (env guides only), including joining GitHub organisation

  • Minimum of 2 hours/week contribution

Benefits:

  • Write Access to all team’s repositories

  • Listed as collaboration member on website (with consent)

  • Eligible for authorship per AUTHORSHIP_POLICY.md

  • May represent CAPIBARA at conferences

  • Vote in decisions

Tier 2: External Contributor#

Requirements:

  • Contributes once or occasionally

  • May be professionals, alumni, or irregular students

  • Code of Conduct agreement (by contributing to a repository you agree to it)

Benefits:

  • Access to relevant GitHub repositories

  • Fairly regular contributors may be listed on the website as such

  • May earn authorship for substantial contributions, regulated by AUTHORSHIP_POLICY.md

Tier 3: Advisory Member#

Requirements:

  • Faculty, industry professional, or senior scientist

  • Agrees to mentor/advise 1 hour/month

  • Approved by Programme Leads

Benefits:

  • Listed on website as member of the Advisory Board

  • Access to the GitHub repositories

  • Invitation to non-advisign meetings

2. Requirements#

Additionally, there are general requirements to ensure seamless and enriching collaboration:

  1. Strong English communication (oral and written) is required for collaboration and outreach

  2. Curiosity and interest in a field(s), not necessarily experience or expertise in that field 2.1 For technical and scientific positions: in mathematics, physical sciences, chemistry or engineering 2.2 For outreach and adminstration positions: in communication, arts, education or law

The following skills are not required at all, but will ease your onboarding process and collaboration: strong academic record, experience in a specific field, GitHub and Python knowledge.

Students that only partially fulfill the requirements outlined in this section may also be accepted to be part of CAPIBARA upon approval of programme lead.

3. Application Process#

For Student Members:#

  1. Submit application via website form

  2. Interview with Programme Lead (30 min video call) (optional)

  3. Receive email requesting signed documents as PDF

  4. Complete onboarding tutorials to get started

  5. 30-day probationary period

  6. Full membership granted upon Programme Lead approval

Prospective students can visit a step by step guide in here.

For Advisory Members:#

  1. Invitation from Programme Lead or contact us

  2. Review of CV/background

  3. Meeting with Programme Lead

  4. Signed Memorandum of Understanding

4. Expectations & Responsibilities#

All Members Must:#

  • Contribute constructively to team goals

  • Communicate availability changes

  • Document their work

  • Respect collaboration policies

  • Attend meetings

Time Commitment:#

  • Minimum: 2 hours/week for Student Members

  • Recommended: 3+ hours/week for leadership roles

  • Tracking: Via GitHub commit log

5. Removal of Membership#

Grounds for Removal:#

  1. Inactivity: No contributions for 12 months without notice

  2. Violations: Repeated breaches of Code of Conduct or any of the Collaboration’s policies

  3. Harmful Actions: Deliberate sabotage, harassment, data theft

  4. Misrepresentation: Falsifying credentials or contributions

Removal Process (Progressive):#

Incident → Private Warning → 30-Day Probation → Vote → Removal

  1. Documentation: Incident report by Programmeme Lead

  2. Private Discussion: With member to understand situation

  3. Probation Period: 30 days to improve (except for severe violations)

  4. Team Vote: Majority vote of Programme Lead + CoC committee

  5. Notification: Formal email with reasons and appeal process

Appeal Process:#

  1. Written appeal within 14 days of removal

  2. Reviewed by 3-member panel (1 Advisory, 2 Student Members not involved)

  3. Decision within 30 days

  4. Final decision binding

6. Alumni Status#

  • Graduating students may become Associate Members

  • Maintain website listing (with “Alumni” tag)

  • Invited to some events

  • May continue contributing if desired

  • Removed members may not be included in the alumni community

7. Institutional Membership#

For universities/labs wishing to formally partner:

  1. Signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU template coming)

  2. Designated faculty liaison

  3. Resource contribution (lab space, compute, etc.)

Membership Agreement (To be signed)#

By joining the CAPIBARA Collaboration, I agree to:

  • Abide by all collaboration policies

  • Contribute a minimum of 2 hours/week (Student Members)

  • Maintain professional conduct

  • Acknowledge collaboration in relevant publications

  • Respect data privacy and intellectual property policies

I, ________________________________________________, hereby confirm that I have read, understood, and agree to the terms of this Membership Agreement.

Signature: ________________________________________

Date: _____________________________________________

Students that are underage (less than 18 years old) must also submitt a declaration by parents or legal tutors.

If the member is under 18 years of age:

I, ________________________________________________, as the parent/legal guardian of the above-named member, consent to their participation in the CAPIBARA Collaboration and agree to the terms outlined in this agreement.

Relationship to Member: _____________________________

Signature: ________________________________________

Date: _____________________________________________

The submission of this document must be via email to the official collaboration email, in PDF form and is a necessary requirement to joining the CAPIBARA Collaboration. If you are joining the CAPIBARA Collaboration for the first time, you will first need to submit the application form and will then be requesteed to send the signed document via email. Please, visit the \hrefapplying to join tutorial for more details on the process.