What is the NBIA Forums Program?

NBIA forums are groups of NBIA members who share knowledge and experience relative to their common interest in a particular aspect of business incubation. Forums may focus on any relevant professional theme, such as technical matters, shared issue(s) or serving particular types of client companies.

Why would I want to join a forum?

Forums help their members to:

• keep up with the latest developments and professional activities in their field.


• interact with knowledgeable experts.


• contribute to the advancement of their profession.

How do forums work? What do they do?

The basic communication tool of all forums will be a designated listserv. After a period of time—ranging from six months to a year or more—while members are getting to know one another and explore topics of interest, members may jointly choose to add additional activities to accomplish their goals. Some possible activities include:

• Forum Meetings and Conference Participation to provide a great opportunity to accomplish forum business (such as setting goals), hosting forum activities (such as a conversation hour), and networking and making contacts. Forum members also may propose and present sessions and workshops at NBIA’s Conference, thereby enhancing the event’s educational relevance.


• Telephone or Web Conferences to conduct forum business, hear a guest speaker or discuss a topic of interest to forum members.


• Periodic online newsletters to disseminate focused information on forum topics to the full NBIA membership.

Who can join an NBIA forum?

Any current NBIA member may join an NBIA forum. Maintaining NBIA membership is a prerequisite for maintaining membership in a forum. Forums may not establish other exclusionary criteria for membership without approval of the NBIA Board of Directors and legal counsel.

What does it cost to join an NBIA forum?

Forum participation is an inclusive benefit of your NBIA membership, although forums may at some point petition to charge supplemental dues to support specialized activities.

May I join more than one forum?

Yes. Your interests and time commitments will determine how many forums you choose to join.

How can I join an established forum?

The forums site contains links to general information on the NBIA Forums Program, brief descriptions of all established forums, information about their activities and officers, and instructions for joining a forum.

What will I be expected to do as a member of a forum?

You decide how involved you want to be. Many members will welcome active involvement in forum activity, while some members initially may simply observe forum listservs. Here are some general “rules of engagement” to consider:

• be responsive in communications.


• be diligent in performing assigned or accepted tasks.


• attend meetings.


• cover expenses related to forum participation.