Affiliate License Fees

In accordance with the Articles of Association, license fees in countries that are not yet Members of IHTSDO depend on the nature and extent of the use of SNOMED CT, as well as the wealth of the country. 

Type of Use

Fee to IHTSDO for Affiliate License

 

Use in IHTSDO Member Country

None

Use in a Non-Member Territory

(unless one of the following exclusions apply)

Fees depend on type of use and wealth of country

Use in one of the countries categorized as low income economies by The World BankNone

Qualifying Research Project in Non-Member Territory for which a fee waiver has been obtained from IHTSDO

None

Humanitarian/Charitable use in Non-Member Territory for which a fee waiver has been obtained from IHTSDO

None

Use in IHTSDO Member country

The IHTSDO does not charge for use of SNOMED CT in IHTSDO Member countries. However, a IHTSDO Member country may charge Affiliates a small fee for cost recovery. Before deploying a SNOMED CT product in an IHTSDO Member country you must contact the relevant National Release Centre to determine whether any fees or other conditions are applicable to use in that country.

Note that, although most IHTSDO Members do not charge for use in their country, many Members do impose conditions on use. For example, a Member may require a National Extension to be included when SNOMED CT is used in their country. Always check with the relevant National Release Centre before deploying a SNOMED CT product or service in an IHTSDO Member country.

Use in Non-Member Territories

The Affiliate Licence Agreement, states that each IHTSDO Affiliate is required to report and pay fees for use of SNOMED CT in their products or services in a Non-Member Territory. The fees payable depend on the wealth of the country in which use of SNOMED CT occurs (defined by Bands based on World Bank GNI figures), the type of institution and the type of use. For current details of fees see Affiliate Licence Fees and Territory Bands.  Use of SNOMED CT in countries with the lowest income economies (Band E) is free of charge. Other situations in which free use is permitted include Qualifying Research Projects, Humanitarian/Charitable uses and other limited uses recognized by the IHTSDO by a "public good" agreement.

In accordance with clause 2.2.4 of the Affiliate Licence Agreement, the Licensee may use the International Release to ensure that its officers, employees, agents and contractors use the International Release "in the Licensee's systems (including browsers and data analysis systems) made available to the general public for accessing and/or retrieving any part of the International Release and/or data encoded using the foregoing, provided that users of those systems are not able to extract any substantial portion of SNOMED CT and provided further that no fee is charged for access to those systems except where access is incidental to the provision of training or consulting services".

Qualifying Research Project

IHTSDO and its Members encourage the use of SNOMED CT in research that contributes to broadening our collective understanding and knowledgebase. If you are within a Member nation, please contact your National Release Centre for access to the standard. 

If you are in a country that is not yet a Member of IHTSDO, you can obtain a license to use SNOMED CT through IHTSDO. Qualifying research projects may qualify for a free license if they:

  • are supported by a formal proposal that has been peer reviewed, 
  • have been ethically approved in accordance with the prevailing legislation, regulations and guidelines in effect in the relevant territory, 
  • are conducted within a definite timeframe, and 
  • the results of the research are offered for publication in peer-reviewed public journals and are provided to the Licensor free of charge.


To request a fee waiver, please contact IHTSDO, providing evidence that your research project meets the above criteria.

Humanitarian/Charitable use

IHTSDO encourages the use of SNOMED CT around the world. The Articles of Association contain a provision whereby the organization can waive standard Affiliate License fees for use of the standard in non-Member territories for charitable and humanitarian purposes. To apply for a fee waiver, please write to IHTSDO at license@remove-this.ihtsdo.org with a completed Affiliate License, Application Form and information regarding: 

  • The nature and scope of use of SNOMED CT proposed 
  • The product/service in which SNOMED CT would be used and the time frame for deployment. 
  • What results do you hope to achieve through this work? How will you monitor and evaluate progress? 
  • Is there a charge to health professionals (or others) for the use of SNOMED CT or the product/service in which it is used? If so, please describe. 
  • Any other facts that you feel would be relevant for consideration.
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