VRI's governing policy framework

Policies & Procedures Manual

Umbrella governance, institutional authority, document hierarchy, program principles, delegation, partnerships, and interpretation.

Read Policy 01

Student Code of Conduct & Program Policies

Student and family responsibilities, participation, academic integrity, student AI use, communication, technology, conduct, and safety expectations.

Read Policy 02

Online Session Safeguarding & Recording Policy

Two-student safeguarding rule, routine non-recording, approved one-to-one exceptions, presentation recording, and family accommodations.

Read Policy 03

Privacy, Records Retention & Institutional AI Use Policy

Data minimization, access, approved systems and vendors, security, retention, participant requests, institutional AI, and recording lifecycle.

Read Policy 04

Student Research Project Completion & Certificate Eligibility Policy

Authentic participation, meaningful contribution, evidence, completion review, certificate eligibility, reconsideration, and verification records.

Read Policy 05

IP, Authorship, Research Ownership & Publication Governance Policy

Student scholarly ownership, mentor Background IP, VRI Institutional IP, authorship, archive licensing, publication, sponsors, software/data, and inventions.

Read Policy 06

Student Payments, Withdrawals, Refunds & Placement Policy

Registration deposits, Placement Guarantees, remaining tuition, installments, cancellations, withdrawals, refunds, transfers, credits, and payment disputes.

Read Policy 07

Founder-led governance

Virtual Research Institute LLC is a privately owned, founder-led institution. Ultimate corporate, strategic, financial, operational, and policy authority rests with VRI acting through its Founder and Chief Executive Officer and formally delegated personnel.

Mentors, advisors, reviewers, committees, consultants, and automated systems do not acquire governance authority merely through participation. AI may assist authorized personnel but may not independently adopt, publish, or materially alter governing policy.

Specific rules govern their assigned subjects

1. Applicable law and binding governmental requirements
2. Executed VRI agreements and transaction/project-specific documents for the relationship they govern
3. The specialized VRI policy that owns the subject
4. The VRI Policies & Procedures Manual
5. Consistent program-specific notices, procedures, and administrative instructions

Routine sessions use structural supervision

Routine Circle and Team sessions are not recorded and require at least two students. A single-student routine session ends and is rescheduled unless VRI approved a specific one-to-one exception in writing in advance.

Approved AI assists; people remain responsible

VRI may use approved AI for limited administrative and academic work. AI output is advisory, minimum-necessary data controls apply, and authorized humans remain responsible for consequential decisions.

Student-de-identified by default

The ordinary Public Research Archive is de-identified at the student level. Publicity permission is a separate matter and does not silently change the archive identity rule.

No blanket ownership or authorship claims

Students retain rights they lawfully hold in genuine original scholarly contributions, subject to collaborator and third-party rights. Authorship depends on genuine scholarly contribution; payment, enrollment, title, or affiliation alone does not create authorship.

Balance follows the Placement Guarantee

A registration deposit enters the student into VRI's placement process but does not guarantee a mentor or project. Remaining tuition ordinarily becomes due only after VRI issues a Placement Guarantee. Current installment maximums are four.

Published pre-start refund schedule

After a Placement Guarantee, voluntary family withdrawal ordinarily receives 100% of eligible tuition paid more than 21 days before start, 50% from 20 to 8 days before start, and no standard refund at 7 days or fewer, excluding the registration deposit and any separately disclosed lawfully nonrefundable third-party fee.