Governance & Participation Overview

2.1 Scientific Authority (Sole Technical Mandate)

The Scientific Cohort holds exclusive responsibility for:

• Cryptographic research and evaluation
• Technical correctness and scientific substance
• Standards-adjacent analysis and formal outputs
• Peer review, validation, and publication status

Only the Scientific Cohort may:

• Make technical claims on behalf of QIST
• Evaluate algorithms, protocols, or security properties
• Author or approve scientific or standards-relevant artifacts

No other role participates in scientific decision-making. Interaction with scientific outputs is read-only and post-publication.

2.2 Interpretive & Educational Layer (Contributor Track)

Contributors operate strictly within an interpretive and educational capacity. They:

• Translate published work into institutional, regulatory, and fiduciary language
• Improve literacy for boards, regulators, and non-technical stakeholders
• Provide commentary, synthesis, and contextual framing

Contributors do not:

• Participate in research deliberations
• Access draft or internal scientific materials
• Influence research direction, review outcomes, or standards positions

2.3 Governance & Oversight

Governance bodies (Research Oversight Board, Ethics & Compliance) exist to protect institutional integrity, enforce separation of roles, and address conflicts, misrepresentation, or risk escalation. They neither act as Contributors nor substitute for scientific authority.

3.1 Permitted Inputs

Contributors may reference only:

• Published QIST artifacts with explicit status labels
• Publicly available scientific material external to QIST, with attribution

They may produce:

• Commentary articles
• Educational briefings
• Roundtable participation
• Institutional risk framing documents

3.2 Prohibited Inputs

Contributors may not:

• Introduce new technical claims
• Modify or reinterpret scientific conclusions
• Preview or comment on unpublished research
• Participate in internal scientific discussions

4.1 Non-Representative Status

Contributors:

• Do not speak on behalf of QIST
• Do not represent QIST positions
• Do not issue endorsements, certifications, or compliance statements

Required attribution language:

“The views expressed are those of the Contributor and do not represent official positions of the QIST Foundation.”

4.2 Public Referencing of Contributors

When QIST references Contributors publicly, they are identified as independent contributors with no implication of delegated authority or institutional endorsement.

5.1 Foundation Posture

QIST:

• Does not sell products or services
• Does not offer consulting or advisory services
• Does not provide vendor positioning or commercial endorsements

5.3 Funding disclosure

To reinforce independence, QIST publishes a public disclosure summary of funding sources and material changes that could reasonably be perceived as affecting governance independence.

5.2 Contributor Independence

Contributor affiliation is:

• Non-exclusive
• Unpaid
• Non-incentivized

Contributors must separate QIST participation from commercial, consulting, or advisory activity. QIST affiliation may not be used for marketing, lead generation, or commercial validation.

6.1 What counts as a relevant interest

Relevant interests include (direct or indirect), whether paid or unpaid:

• Employment, contracting, advisory, board/committee roles
• Consulting / professional services (including boutique or independent)
• Equity, tokens, options, revenue share, referral fees, success fees, commissions
• Material vendor relationships (partnerships, channel relationships, paid speaking/marketing)
• Grants, sponsorships, gifts, or in-kind support tied to quantum / cryptography / security
• Any role where the Contributor could be perceived as positioning a vendor, product, or geopolitical agenda

6.2 Disclosure timing and updates

Disclosures are required:

• At onboarding
• On any material change (recommended: within 30 days)
• On a fixed cycle (recommended: every 6 months)

Disclosures are mandatory, publicly visible alongside contributor content, and failure to disclose is grounds for removal.

7.1 Pre-publication review (boundary + accuracy)

Any Contributor output that references QIST, uses QIST marks, cites QIST artifacts, or implies QIST affiliation must undergo editorial review before publication to ensure:

• Proper attribution and non-representation language
• Disclosure compliance
• No new technical claims and no reinterpretation of scientific conclusions
• Clear labeling as interpretive, non-authoritative content

7.2 Enforcement decision authority and escalation

Enforcement actions (correction, reclassification, retraction, suspension, removal) are decided by Ethics & Compliance (or the designated governance function) with escalation as follows:

• Initial decision: Ethics & Compliance (documented with rationale)
• Appeal / escalation: Research Oversight Board review
• Institutional veto / final authority: Governing Board, where legal, safety, or governance risk applies

7.3 Violations and remedies

Violations may result in:

• Correction, clarification, or reclassification
• Retraction of content where necessary
• Suspension or termination of Contributor status

7.4 Handling prior Contributor material after removal

If a Contributor is removed or suspended, QIST may:

• Add an editorial notice / annotation to prior Contributor material
• Reclassify earlier content (e.g., interpretive, outdated, superseded, or retracted where warranted)
• Remove "current affiliation" language while preserving the historical record for auditability

8.1 Public changelog / audit trail

Each version update must be recorded in a public changelog including: date, version, summary of changes, and approving authority. Governance artifacts are published to ensure external auditability, institutional trust, and long-term credibility.