Purpose

The COIN-OR Foundation, Inc., is a non-profit educational and scientific foundation that was formed to manage the COIN-OR project.

The mission of the COIN-OR Foundation, Inc., is to create and disseminate knowledge related to all aspects of computational operations research. To accomplish this mission, the Foundation will:

  • carry out original research, development, and publication of state-of-the-art open-source software for operations research;
  • facilitate the transfer of OR technology among research, education, and practice;
  • provide a forum for publication of open-source software for operations research created by nonmembers;
  • promote the creation of open-source software for operations research by providing infrastructure to support community-driven development;
  • increase community awareness and use of OR software tools published by the Foundation;
  • work to establish open standards for data interchange and software interoperability;
  • create and disseminate educational materials relating to computational operations research;
  • develop academic peer review processes for software publication.

Structure of the Foundation

The Foundation is run by a Strategic Leadership Board (SLB) and a Technical Leadership Council (TLC), both of whose members are elected by Full Members of the Foundation. Individual projects are managed by Project Managers, who report to the TLC.

Membership

Full Membership in the Foundation is offered to those individuals who make substantial non-monetary contributions to the work of the Foundation, typically in the form of code or documentation. Full Members elect the Strategic Leadership Board and Technical Leadership Council.

Any individual may nominate another for Full Membership in the Foundation. A nomination must be seconded by two current Full Members. Nominations may be addressed to the .

Associate Membership in the Foundation is available to any individual who makes a donation to the Foundation to support COIN-OR. The minimum donation is $10 (USD), or $5 (USD) for students. Associate Members receive a periodic email newsletter and recognition on this website. Information on becoming an Associate Member is available on our Get Involved page.

Corporate Membership and/or Corporate Sponsorship is available to institutions that make significant contributions (monetary or non-monetary) to the Foundation. These institutions are listed on our Corporate Members page. For more details on becoming a Corporate Member or Corporate Sponsor, please email info at coin-or dot org or contact any member of the Strategic Leadership Board.

Strategic Partners

The COIN-OR Foundation recognizes the INFORMS Computing Society (ICS) as a strategic partner, and cooperates with the ICS in a number of ways, including co-sponsorship of many conference tracks and sessions.

Records

Records of the Foundation, including by-laws and minutes, are located on the Foundation records page.

Strategic Leadership Board

(Trac page for SLB members.)

The Strategic Leadership Board (SLB) conducts the business affairs of the Foundation, sets the overall strategic direction of the Foundation, and functions as the legal Board of Directors.

Members of the Strategic Leadership Board are elected to three-year terms. The following are the current members as well as the year their current term ends:

  • Bob Fourer (2008)
  • Kevin Furman (2009)
  • Lou Hafer (2009)
  • Randy Kiefer (2010)
  • Robin Lougee-Heimer (2008)
  • Ted Ralphs, as
  • Matthew Saltzman (2010),
  • Michael Trick (2010)

Several committees coordinate the work of the SLB:

Corporate Relations
Robin Lougee-Heimer (chair), Randy Kiefer, Bjarni Kristjansson, Michael Trick
Finance
Ted Ralphs ( and chair), Brady Hunsaker
Legal Affairs
Ted Ralphs (chair), Bob Fourer, Lou Hafer, Robin Lougee-Heimer, Matt Saltzman
Membership
Lou Hafer (chair), Robin Lougee-Heimer, Brady Hunsaker
Outreach
Robin Lougee-Heimer (chair), Bob Fourer, Bjarni Kristjansson, Brady Hunsaker, Matt Saltzman
Web (subcommittee of Outreach)
Brady Hunsaker, Robin Lougee-Heimer, Matt Saltzman

Technical Leadership Council

The Technical Leadership Council (TLC) provides the technical direction required to achieve the strategic goals of the Foundation as set by the SLB and sets the technical standards applicable to all Foundation projects.

Members of the Technical Leadership Council are elected to three-year terms. The following are the current members:

  • JP Fasano (2009)
  • Laszlo Ladanyi (2008)
  • Leo Lopes (2009)
  • Francois Margot (2008)
  • Kipp Martin (2008)
  • Ted Ralphs (2008)
  • Andreas Waechter (2010)

Former Board and Council Members

  • Brady Hunsaker (SLB, 2004-2007)
  • Bjarni Kristjansson (SLB, 2004-2006)
  • Jeff Linderoth (TLC, 2004-2005)