The Idaho-based Lean Construction Institute (LCI), a nonprofit corporation, was founded in 1997 to research and disseminate knowledge about the management of production in design, engineering and construction. LCI offers levels of membership for companies that want to support research and to keep in touch with developments in theory and in practice. At the highest level, $30,000 per year, companies can participate in application and implementation research. Consortium memberships, at an annual fee of $10,000, are for smaller companies who work jointly to implement lean construction.
LCI conducts four introductory seminars annually in the United States. Information on the LCI and its activities can be found on its Web site, www.leanconstruction.org.