What Is the New Business Development Committee?

The New Business Development Committee is an advisory and oversight body within the IEEE organizational structure, responsible for identifying, evaluating, and recommending new programmatic and commercial initiatives that serve the IEEE membership and the broader engineering community. The committee operates at the intersection of strategic planning and technical mission, helping IEEE adapt its portfolio of products, services, and partnerships to meet changing member needs and market conditions.

IEEE, as a professional society with more than 400,000 members across 160 countries, maintains a range of standing and ad hoc committees beneath its Board of Directors and subsidiary boards. The New Business Development Committee occupies a role analogous to a business incubation function: it surfaces opportunities that do not yet fit neatly within an existing IEEE society or council, assesses their feasibility, and provides recommendations through the appropriate governance channel.

Scope and Mandate

The committee's mandate centers on the early-stage review of proposals for new IEEE products, services, and revenue-bearing activities. This includes evaluating whether a prospective initiative aligns with IEEE's stated mission to advance technology for the benefit of humanity, as articulated in the IEEE Board of Directors governance framework. Proposals that pass an initial feasibility screen may be forwarded to relevant boards for further development, piloting, or integration into existing organizational units.

A key function of the committee is coordination: ensuring that new initiatives do not duplicate existing IEEE offerings and that they engage the appropriate technical societies, geographic councils, or standards groups from the outset. This prevents redundancy and increases the likelihood that a new program will find a sustainable institutional home.

Relationship to IEEE Governance

IEEE operates through a layered governance structure in which the Board of Directors sets overall policy, the Technical Activities Board (TAB) governs the society and council structure, and the Standards Association board oversees standards development. The New Business Development Committee typically reports to or coordinates with the Board of Directors or one of its standing committees on financial and strategic matters.

The IEEE Technical Activities Board and its subcommittees provide a complementary lens: while TAB focuses on the technical community structure, the New Business Development Committee focuses on scalable activities that may cross society boundaries or create entirely new member value propositions. Initiatives such as technology connection portals, industry engagement programs, and credentialing offerings have historically emerged through processes resembling this committee's review function.

Assessment and Recommendation Process

When a member, staff team, or society proposes a new initiative, the committee typically conducts a structured assessment covering member demand, competitive landscape, financial viability, and alignment with the IEEE strategic plan. This is similar to the project authorization review process conducted by the IEEE SA New Standards Committee for proposed standards work, adapted for non-standards products and services.

The committee's recommendations are advisory; final approval authority rests with the relevant board. Proposals that are approved may receive seed funding, staff support, or formal recognition as an IEEE program, pilot, or working group.

Applications

The New Business Development Committee has relevance across a range of IEEE activities, including:

• Evaluation of new digital publishing and data products for the membership
• Assessment of credentialing and professional development program proposals
• Review of industry engagement initiatives and corporate partnership structures
• Coordination of emerging technology incubation activities across IEEE societies
• Identification of gaps in IEEE's service portfolio relative to member and industry needs