Maintain Your Certification

Your certification is active for a period of three years, beginning on the day you initially pass the certification exam. In order to maintain your certification you must obtain the required number of Innovation Development Units, or IDUs, within those three years and prior to the certificate expiration date.

The required IDUs for each certification are as follows:

  • Certified Innovation Professional (CInP)® – 45 IDUs
  • Certified Innovation Strategist (CInS)® – 45 IDUs
  • Certified Design Thinking Professional (CDTP)® – 45 IDUs
  • Certified Innovation Associate (CInA)® – 30 IDUs
  • Certified Chief Innovation Officer (CCInO)® – 60 IDUs
  • Authorized Innovation Assessor (AInA)® – 60 IDUs

Within six weeks of your certification expiration date, you must submit GInI’s Professional Development IDUs Form in which you will self-certify your completion of the required IDUs and pay the continuation fee. If you have failed to achieve the necessary number of IDUs, you can maintain your current certification by retaking the certification exam again before the end of your three years certification cycle.

You can also reinstate a lapsed certification by retaking the certification exam again.

Sources of IDUs / Maximum Allowable IDUs by Source

Continuing Education
Instruction/Teaching
On the Job Experience
Research and Publishing
Writing Exam Questions

Credential Re-examination

If you have failed to achieve the required number of IDUs within a given 3-year certification cycle, you can still maintain your current certification by retaking the associated certification exam, so long as you do so prior to the end of the current certification cycle.

You can likewise reinstate a lapsed certification by retaking the associated certification exam. To retake a certification exam, complete and submit the Exam Application through the GInI membership portal.

Please note that the following guidelines apply to credential re-examination:

  1. If you are within a current certification cycle, you must retake the exam prior to that cycle ending in order to avoid having your certification lapse.
  2. You can re-certify only for your current certification type (CInP, CDTP, CInS, CCInO, or AInA).
  3. You must wait at least 12 months from your most recent certification date before being eligible to retake the exam again.
  4. You must adhere to the same exam-application policies and procedures and pay the same Exam Enrollment Fee as first-time examinees.