# Governance Model

**Project**: Universal Science Discovery Repository (USDR)  
**Version**: 1.0 – May 2026

## Philosophy

USDR is a **community-owned public good**. Governance should be:
- Transparent
- Inclusive
- Meritocratic (based on contribution quality and consistency)
- Focused on maximizing scientific discovery while maintaining legal and ethical integrity

## Roles & Responsibilities

### 1. Maintainers (Core Team)
- 5–9 active maintainers initially
- Responsibilities:
  - Merge approved PRs
  - Enforce code of conduct and legal policies
  - Manage releases and roadmap priorities
  - Represent the project externally
  - Resolve disputes
- Decision process: Lazy consensus (silence = agreement after 7 days). Major changes require explicit +2 from maintainers.

### 2. Domain Experts / Working Groups
- Per-discipline groups (Physics, Biology, Chemistry, CS, etc.)
- Cross-cutting groups: Discovery, Ethics, Infrastructure, Community
- Responsibilities: Review domain-specific contributions, maintain quality standards, propose new unknowns/hypotheses

### 3. Contributors
- Anyone who opens issues, submits PRs, or participates in discussions
- No formal barriers — quality and adherence to guidelines determine impact

### 4. Advisory Board (Future)
- Senior scientists, open science leaders, and institutional representatives
- Provides strategic guidance (not day-to-day control)

## Decision-Making Process

| Decision Type              | Who Decides          | Process                          | Timeline |
|----------------------------|----------------------|----------------------------------|----------|
| Routine PR merges          | Any maintainer       | Review + merge                   | 1–3 days |
| New discipline or major feature | Maintainers + relevant WG | RFC + discussion                 | 2 weeks  |
| Code of Conduct violation  | Maintainers          | Private review + documented decision | 7 days   |
| License or legal policy change | All maintainers   | Formal vote (minimum 2/3)        | 30 days  |
| Roadmap priority changes   | Maintainers + WGs    | Public RFC + lazy consensus      | 14 days  |
| Banning a contributor      | Maintainers (unanimous) | Private + documented            | 7 days   |

## RFC Process (Request for Comments)

For significant changes:
1. Open a GitHub Discussion or issue labeled `RFC`
2. Provide clear problem statement, proposed solution, alternatives considered, and impact analysis
3. Allow minimum 14 days for community input
4. Maintainers summarize feedback and decide

## Conflict Resolution

1. **Discussion** — Parties discuss directly (public or private as appropriate)
2. **Mediation** — A neutral maintainer facilitates
3. **Formal Decision** — Maintainers vote (documented)
4. **Appeal** — Advisory Board (once established) can review major decisions

## Onboarding New Maintainers

- Consistent high-quality contributions over 3+ months
- Demonstrated alignment with project values
- Nomination by existing maintainer + simple majority vote
- 3-month probationary period

## Transparency

- All maintainer meetings (when held) have public notes
- Major decisions are documented in GitHub Discussions
- Annual "State of USDR" report published openly

## Evolution of This Document

This governance model is expected to evolve. Changes require:
- RFC process
- 2/3 maintainer approval
- 30-day community comment period

**Current Maintainers:**
- [KR8ZYSHO3](https://github.com/KR8ZYSHO3) — Founding Maintainer

We are committed to governance that serves the mission of accelerating scientific discovery while remaining accountable to the global research community.