Joining CLARIN

Participation in CLARIN can take place at several levels. At the CLARIN ERIC level, the main participants are countries or intergovernmental organisations, represented by their ministries or research councils. They can either be members or, if they are still in the process of preparing themselves to join, observers. Third countries from within or outside Europe can also join, provided they recognise the ERIC as a legal entity.

Applying for CLARIN Membership

In order to apply for CLARIN membership or observership, the relevant institution (e.g. ministry or national funding agency) of a country is invited to send an application letter using the relevant template (see below). For countries from other continents who want to become members, special agreements may be made. Application letters can be emailed to clarin [at] clarin.eu (clarin[at]clarin[dot]eu).

In cases where CLARIN deems it beneficial, it may enter third-party agreements, for instance with individual institutions or regions in countries that are not members of CLARIN (cf. the Statutes Article 18). Third parties can contribute to CLARIN ERIC by providing expertise, services, language resources and/or technology. Institutions or other legal entities in countries that do not belong to CLARIN ERIC and who would like to explore the options for entering tailor-made collaboration agreements with CLARIN, are invited to send an email to clarin [at] clarin.eu.

Fees

The membership fee is regulated in the CLARIN ERIC Statutes and indicated for the years up to 2027 in Annex 2 of the statutes. An annual 2% raise is applicable for countries that join or renew for several years. By the end of 2027, the General Assembly will make a decision regarding the calculation method for subsequent periods.

In addition to the membership fee, a budget is needed for a work plan to be carried out by the national consortium (for members this is typically 6-8 times as high as the membership fee), as well as a budget that enables the national representatives to attend meetings.

Setting up a CLARIN Centre

CLARIN's distributed network is made up of centres. There are several types of centres: B-centres, C-centres, and K-centres, each offering different kinds of expertise and services.

If you want to learn more about the CLARIN centres and how to join, please see the CLARIN Centres Overview.

Non-Member Collaboration

In addition, CLARIN wants to be open to institutions, individual researchers, and content providers who have an interest in collaborating with or contributing to CLARIN, but who are not part of a CLARIN centre or consortium.

Please get in touch via clarin [at] clarin.eu (subject: Contribute%20to%20CLARIN) (clarin[at]clarin[dot]eu) if you would like to contribute in some way or find out more.

Useful Documentation

Please refer to our Documents & Policies for templates, the CLARIN ERIC statutes, and other relevant documentation.