Managing membership in Large-Scale International Science Projects

Abstract The purpose of this study is to introduce the concept of membership management in Large-Scale International Science Projects by addressing those variables that are influential in establishing and maintaining commitment through a dynamic economic, scientific, cultural, and political environment. We conduct a systematic literature review and we find that 77% of the research papers in our sample mention at least one of these four variables. This paper analyzes the evolution of these four variables in the context of ITER, currently the world's largest scientific project, and concludes with several propositions that provide insightful contributions for the discipline of technology management.