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Membership Categories

A category to fit every stage of your organisation

Retina International offers several categories of membership, each designed for different types of organisations with different levels of engagement and eligibility. Membership is for patient-led or patient-representative organisations and aligned non-profits working in retinal diseases, committed to RI’s mission, values and standards.​

Membership Categories

Which Category Is Right for Your Organisation?

Full Member (FM)

is well-suited for national or regional patient-led or patient-representative organisations, representing people with multiple retinal conditions, and disease-specific patient groups that are registered charities meeting all full criteria, with good governance and an active SMAB.

Learn more about Full Membership

Candidate Member (CM)

is well-suited for fledgling organisations and patient groups on their way to becoming a legal entity, needing extra support. The membership for this category will be time-limited and subject to status review within a specified period. ​

Learn more about Candidate Membership

Associated Member (AM)

status is well-suited for learned societies, professional bodies, and patient groups that do not and will never qualify for Full or Candidate membership but wish to support and contribute to RI’s objectives. ​

Learn more about Associate Membership
FM Member Category

Full Member

Full Members are the core of the RI network. They are established, patient-led or patient-representative organisations that fully meet all eligibility criteria and hold complete membership rights, including the right to vote at the Annual General Meeting.
To be eligible, an organisation must:
Be a registered charity with a constitution (or be a sub-group of a larger organisation with a constitution, such as a society for the blind)
Have purposes that align with Retina International's objectives
Be a society for people living with retinal dystrophies, including inherited retinal dystrophies (IRD), other inherited and age-related retinal dystrophies, and/or Diabetes-related Eye Disease (DED)
Include families and friends of affected individuals in its activities
Have access to sound scientific and medical advice
Have a Scientific and Medical Advisory Board (SMAB) or committee constituted and approved by the Retina International SMAB
Be able to provide up-to-date audited accounts to the Retina International Board of Directors
A Full Member may be a stand-alone organisation or a sub-group of a larger organisation

In the latter case, it must provide proof of independent activities and accept all people with retinal degenerative diseases, irrespective of their stage of visual impairment. Membership should also be extended to parents and guardians of minor children with retinal conditions.

CM Member Category

Candidate Member

Candidate Membership provides a pathway into the RI network for organisations that are working toward full membership but are not yet eligible.
A Candidate Member is a society that has stated an intention to apply for full membership in the future, or that has already applied, but either:
Fledgling status and is not yet in a position to meet all criteria for full membership (in the opinion of the Annual General Meeting), or
Is a first-time applicant who apparently meets all criteria, in which case it must serve as a Candidate Member for two years before applying for full membership
This category acts as a probationary pathway toward Full Membership
AM Member Category

Associated Member

Associated Membership is for companies, scientific institutes, learned societies and funding organisations that promote, fund or conduct research into retinal dystrophies, and that cannot fulfil the criteria of the other membership categories.

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