The Role of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
draft-perkins-role-of-irtf-04

Network Working Group                                         C. Perkins
Internet-Draft                                     University of Glasgow
Intended status: Informational                            5 January 2026
Expires: 9 July 2026

          The Role of the Internet Research Task Force (IRTF)
                     draft-perkins-role-of-irtf-04

Abstract

   This memo discusses the role of the Internet Research Task Force
   (IRTF), considering its research groups, community, and the various
   workshops, prizes, and other activities it supports.  The
   relationship of the IRTF to the IETF is also considered.

   This document is a product of the Internet Research Steering Group
   (IRSG).

About This Document

   This note is to be removed before publishing as an RFC.

   The latest revision of this draft can be found at
   https://csperkins.github.io/draft-perkins-role-of-irtf/draft-perkins-
   role-of-irtf.html.  Status information for this document may be found
   at https://datatracker.ietf.org/doc/draft-perkins-role-of-irtf/.

   Source for this draft and an issue tracker can be found at
   https://github.com/csperkins/draft-perkins-role-of-irtf.

Status of This Memo

   This Internet-Draft is submitted in full conformance with the
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   This Internet-Draft will expire on 9 July 2026.

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Copyright Notice

   Copyright (c) 2026 IETF Trust and the persons identified as the
   document authors.  All rights reserved.

   This document is subject to BCP 78 and the IETF Trust's Legal
   Provisions Relating to IETF Documents (https://trustee.ietf.org/
   license-info) in effect on the date of publication of this document.
   Please review these documents carefully, as they describe your rights
   and restrictions with respect to this document.

Table of Contents

   1.  Introduction  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   2
   2.  Research Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   3
   3.  Community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   4
   4.  Workshops, Prizes, and Other Activities . . . . . . . . . . .   5
   5.  Relation to the IETF  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   6
   6.  Outreach  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   7.  Security Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   7
   8.  IANA Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
   9.  Informative References  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   8
   Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9
   Author's Address  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   9

1.  Introduction

   The Internet Research Task Force (IRTF) promotes research of
   importance to the evolution of the Internet protocols, applications,
   architecture, and technology.  It focusses on longer term research
   issues related to the Internet while the parallel organisation, the
   Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), considers shorter term issues
   of engineering and standards making.  The IRTF is a research
   organisation, not a standards development organisation.

   The IAB has previously considered the role of the IRTF [RFC4440], and
   the Primer on the IRTF for IETF Participants [RFC7418] also considers
   the topic.  This memo seeks to complement those prior discussions, in
   the light of experiences in the decades since they were written.

   This memo is not an IETF product and is not a standard.

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2.  Research Groups

   The IRTF is primarily structured around a number of research groups.
   These are generally, although not always, intended to be long-lived
   activities that provide a venue for ongoing discussions of research
   ideas, experimentation and prototyping, and the development of
   collaborations.

   Some research groups focus on applied research and development,
   taking ideas from the research community that are interesting, but
   under-explored, and encouraging their development and use to see if
   they will really work on, in, or for the Internet.  Other times, the
   focus is on more open-ended research that explores a problem, issue,
   or concern that might become important to the Internet in future, or
   that encourages the development of a nascent technology where the
   IRTF can help the research community connect with people in the IETF
   who can contribute their experience in production Internet
   engineering and operations.  And, in certain circumstances, short-
   lived and tightly focussed research groups may be chartered to
   consider, and perhaps provide advice to the IETF community about, a
   specific problem or concern.

   Research groups can publish experimental or informational documents
   in the RFC series.  Some groups make frequent and effective use of
   this publication venue, but RFCs are often not the focus of research
   groups.  The main output of many research groups is knowledge and
   understanding, often expressed in the form of academic papers,
   experimental results and evaluations, or proof-of-concept
   implementations of new ideas, rather than RFCs.  IRTF research groups
   are successful if they stimulate discussion, produce relevant
   research and advance the state of knowledge, and make connections
   between the research and standards communities.

   Truth and knowledge do not require rough consensus and, unlike the
   IETF [RFC8789], there is no requirement to demonstrate consensus for
   RFCs published by the IRTF [RFC2014].  Research groups should seek to
   produce good quality scholarly work, regardless of whether that is an
   RFC or some other publication.

   Sometimes, the outcome of a research group is the understanding that
   an idea is both practical and potentially useful.  In this case it
   might be worth developing into a product or standard, but there is no
   automatic path into IETF, and outcomes of IRTF groups receive no
   special consideration in the IETF process.

   Research groups typically have a relatively broad remit, but their
   charters are not open-ended.  The focus is research, not engineering,
   so it’s not generally appropriate for a research group to have

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   explicit milestones and deliverables in the manner of a standards
   development group, but the research should have a clear theme,
   direction, and goal.  Compared to IETF working groups, which focus on
   effectively developing standards documents, IRTF groups have much
   greater flexibility in both how they work and what they are expected
   to produce.

3.  Community

   Participation in the IRTF is by individual volunteer contributors,
   rather than by representatives of organisations.  To ensure that all
   participants are treated with dignity, decency, and respect, and to
   encourage broad participation, participants in the IRTF follow a code
   of conduct [RFC9775], including an anti-harassment policy
   [ANTI-HARASSMENT].  An Ombudsteam is available [OMBUDSTEAM] to
   address conduct issues and works on an independent and confidential
   basis.

   Participants are also required to disclose Intellectual Property
   Rights (e.g., patents) relating to contributions they make to the
   IRTF [RFC5743], [RFC8179].

   The focus of most research groups is on supporting research
   collaborations and connecting people.  If a research group is to
   succeed and add value, there needs to be an appropriate community
   that can bring together the right set of people to form
   collaborations and to discuss ideas.  Accordingly, the IRTF isn’t
   always the right home for research, even if that research is about
   the Internet.

   The IRTF often works best when bringing in new people, new ideas, and
   new work and making connections between the IETF community and new
   parts of the research community.  Of course, research groups can
   still provide benefit when a research topic is mature and there are
   strong existing connections between the research community and IETF,
   by providing a venue where new researchers can engage and a neutral
   space for researchers, standards developers, and operators to discuss
   research ideas.  Balancing such different aspects of IRTF work, and
   how to allocate available resources to each, is challenging but
   important.

   Different communities can approach a problem from very different
   directions, and may have different perspectives and approaches, and
   in doing so may be able to find solutions that might otherwise be
   missed.  Accordingly, there may be value in a research group
   considering a problem that is, or has been been, studied elsewhere.
   Generally, though, the IRTF tries to avoid competing with other
   organisations.

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   Research groups generally have open membership and do their work in
   public.  While research groups with limited membership are permitted
   [RFC2014], none exist at the time of this writing and they are now
   rarely chartered.  If limited membership groups are to be chartered,
   this must be done with care and sensitivity, for reasons that are
   well-defined and clearly explained, so as to maintain trust in the
   integrity of the IRTF process and avoid unnecessary fragmentation of
   the research community.

   The IETF Administration LLC (IETF LLC) provides the corporate legal
   home for the IETF, the IRTF, and the Internet Architecture Board, and
   is responsible for supporting their ongoing operations, managing
   their finances and budget, and raising money.  Administrative and
   logistical support for the IRTF is provided by the IETF Secretariat.

4.  Workshops, Prizes, and Other Activities

   In addition to its research groups, the IRTF sponsors a number of
   other activities.  At the time of this writing, these include the
   Applied Networking Research Prize (ANRP), organised in conjunction
   with the Internet Society, the ACM/IRTF Applied Networking Research
   Workshop (ANRW), and a diversity travel grant programme.

   The ANRW provides a venue for publication of academic research in the
   form of a workshop that co-locates with the July IETF meeting.  It is
   co-sponsored by ACM SIGCOMM, the papers are published in the ACM
   Digital Library, and it’s increasingly widely recognised by the
   academic research community.  PhD students and Faculty can benefit
   from attending to publish research results, and in the process also
   gain the opportunity to engage with IRTF and IETF more broadly, and
   to make useful connections with standards developers and other
   researchers.

   The ANRP, similarly, has been successful in bringing new people into
   the IRTF community, and helping them make connections to the IETF
   standards work, while raising awareness of the IRTF in the research
   community.  Several prize winners have brought their work into the
   IRTF or IETF, leading to publication of a number of RFCs and
   improvements to several IETF standards and to operational practise.

   The IRTF also offers support, in the form of travel grants and fee
   waivers, to help early-career academics and PhD students from under-
   represented groups to attend the IRTF meetings and events.

   These activities play an important role in connecting the IRTF to the
   academic research community, in providing an opportunity to
   potentially translate research results into concrete impact via
   connections with the standards community and broader industry, and in

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   supporing those who may otherwise be unable to participate.  The
   generous sponsorship, from many companies and other organisations,
   that makese these activities possible is gratefully acknowledged.

5.  Relation to the IETF

   The IRTF and IETF are closely related organisations, but have
   distinct focus and goals.  The IRTF promotes and conducts research;
   the IETF is an engineering and standards development organisation.

   The IRTF seeks to inform and educate the IETF community about the
   latest advances in research in areas where the IETF operates, to help
   ensure IETF standards and practises track the state of the art.

   The IRTF seeks to introduce new research ideas to the IETF, and to
   raise awareness of topics that might form the basis for future
   standards in new areas as technology evolves in different directions.

   The IRTF seeks to provoke the IETF community, introducing contrary
   perspectives and new ideas, critiquing methods and approaches, and
   challenging assumptions to help ensure the IETF community remains
   open to new ideas and new ways of working.

   The IRTF seeks to inform the research community about current
   challenges relating to standards development, protocol engineering,
   and network operations, arising from IETF activities, where further
   research may be needed.

   And the IRTF can act as a resource for the IETF, helping to connect
   standards developers with experts who might help to review ideas or
   proposals that need specialist expertise not otherwise be available.
   This has been especially evident in the field of cryptography, where
   the Crypto Forum Research Group coordinates expert advice on the
   appropriate use of cryptographic algorithms, but it is not limited to
   that domain.

   In general, the IRTF seeks to encourage and facilitate connections
   and collaboration between the research community and the standards
   development and operations communities in the IETF, and to help
   facilitate knowledge transfer, in both directions, and to provide a
   neutral space for collaboration and discussion.

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6.  Outreach

   The research discussed in the IRTF often aligns closely with that
   promoted by professional societies such ACM, IEEE, USENIX, etc., so
   it is desirable for the IRTF to maintain good relations with those
   organisations and with others conducting research that relates to the
   Internet.  The ANRW is an example of such collaboration.
   Participants in IRTF research groups also regularly help to organise
   workshops associated with ACM and IEEE conferences.

   The range of IRTF research groups, and the relatively broad remit of
   their charters, gives the opportunity to engage with a wide range of
   communities.  The research groups focussed on human rights, privacy,
   and the process of standards-setting, for example, have made
   connections with NGOs and advocacy groups, economists, sociologists,
   ethnographers, policymakers, Internet governance organisations, and
   many others, as part of their research.  They’ve learned from the
   differing perspectives and experiences of those communities and have,
   hopefully, offered useful new insights in return.

   Broad consultation, discussion, and debate is a necessary part of
   research.  IRTF research groups are encouraged to make broad
   connections with researchers, and other interested parties, to
   understand their interests, concerns, and points of view, and to
   share knowledge and expertise.

   A key role of the IRTF is in providing a venue where those studying
   the Internet can interact with those developing and operating the
   Internet.  That extends not just those studying Internet
   technologies, but also to those studying the wider implications and
   uses of the Internet, and its impact on economics, privacy, human
   rights, and society more broadly.  Helping those who develop and
   operate the Internet to understand the broader implications of their
   work, and helping researchers studying the wider use and impact of
   the Internet to understand how and why the Internet works as it does,
   is an important part of role of the IRTF.

7.  Security Considerations

   This document has no direct security implications.

   Research discussed in IRTF has the potential to significantly impact
   the security and privacy of users of the Internet.  Researchers must
   consider potential security risks and benefits when conducting their
   work.

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8.  IANA Considerations

   This document has no IANA actions.

9.  Informative References

   [ANTI-HARASSMENT]
              "IETF Anti-Harassment Policy", November 2013,
              <https://irtf.org/policies/#anti-harassment>.

   [OMBUDSTEAM]
              "Ombudsteam", November 2013,
              <https://www.ietf.org/contact/ombudsteam/>.

   [RFC2014]  Weinrib, A. and J. Postel, "IRTF Research Group Guidelines
              and Procedures", BCP 8, RFC 2014, DOI 10.17487/RFC2014,
              October 1996, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc2014>.

   [RFC4440]  Floyd, S., Ed., Paxson, V., Ed., Falk, A., Ed., and IAB,
              "IAB Thoughts on the Role of the Internet Research Task
              Force (IRTF)", RFC 4440, DOI 10.17487/RFC4440, March 2006,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc4440>.

   [RFC5743]  Falk, A., "Definition of an Internet Research Task Force
              (IRTF) Document Stream", RFC 5743, DOI 10.17487/RFC5743,
              December 2009, <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc5743>.

   [RFC7418]  Dawkins, S., Ed., "An IRTF Primer for IETF Participants",
              RFC 7418, DOI 10.17487/RFC7418, December 2014,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc7418>.

   [RFC8179]  Bradner, S. and J. Contreras, "Intellectual Property
              Rights in IETF Technology", BCP 79, RFC 8179,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8179, May 2017,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8179>.

   [RFC8789]  Halpern, J., Ed. and E. Rescorla, Ed., "IETF Stream
              Documents Require IETF Rough Consensus", BCP 9, RFC 8789,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC8789, June 2020,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc8789>.

   [RFC9775]  Perkins, C. S., "IRTF Code of Conduct", RFC 9775,
              DOI 10.17487/RFC9775, March 2025,
              <https://www.rfc-editor.org/rfc/rfc9775>.

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Acknowledgments

   This work was supported in part by the UK Engineering and Physical
   Sciences Research Council under grant EP/S036075/1.

   Thanks to Jane Coffin, Lars Eggert, Dirk Kutscher, Eliot Lear, and
   Allison Mankin for their feedback and review.

Author's Address

   Colin Perkins
   University of Glasgow
   Email: csp@csperkins.org

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