You signed the SPAR Mentee Agreement (version 1.4.1) when you registered. The FAQ on the guide's main page summarizes it. The short version: you take part as a volunteer, your mentor directs the research, you own what you create and your team gets a permanent license to it, publishing findings needs your mentor's okay, Kairos may showcase the project unless you opt out, Kairos-funded spending follows the expense policies, funded travel is at your own risk, disputes go to arbitration in California, and you can withdraw at any time.
SPAR doesn't pay mentees, and taking part creates no employment relationship with Kairos or with your mentor. Your mentor's organization may fund the project or compensate you under its own terms, and Kairos isn't involved in that. Kairos can't advise you on immigration, visa, tax, or work-authorization questions. If you're studying in the US on a visa, check with your international student office, and email [email protected] if a letter confirming SPAR is an unpaid volunteer program would help. Demo Day awards are prizes, and we may not be able to pay one where there's a legal or practical barrier (see Awards).
Your parent or guardian signed a consent rider, which is what makes your agreement effective. Kairos doesn't issue cards or fund travel for participants under 18, and your mentor has been asked to take the extra care the Code of Conduct describes. Your guardian can reach us at [email protected] at any time.
See Intellectual property and publishing for who owns what, when you need your mentor's okay to publish, and what happens if your mentor sets project-specific terms. You can always describe your own participation and contributions. Kairos may list the project and your participation in it, host outputs in the SPAR research library, and use Demo Day materials. Email [email protected] to opt out of the research library and marketing use.
The Code of Conduct covers how everyone in SPAR treats each other and how to report a problem. The Responsible Research Policy covers Sensitive Projects and work that needs approval before it starts. Kairos-funded spending, including any card you're given and community grants, follows the Project Expense Policy. If Kairos funds your travel, the Travel Funding Policy applies, you travel at your own risk, and you hold your own health and travel insurance.
You can withdraw from a project, or from SPAR, at any time by emailing [email protected] (that email is the written notice the agreement asks for). If you're on two projects, leaving one doesn't remove you from the other. Your mentor can end your place on their project by telling you and us. Anything program-level, including your standing, certificates, or removal from SPAR for breaking the agreement or the policies, is Kairos's decision. See Dropping out of SPAR.
We may contact you with a reasonable number of follow-up surveys about your career and SPAR's impact. You can opt out as the SPAR Privacy Policy describes. Please keep telling us about papers and other public outputs from your project.
Almost everything goes to [email protected], your requests channel on Slack, or any member of the SPAR team. Formal notices about the agreement itself (liability, disputes, amendments) go to [email protected].