Regulations of the German Centre for Integrative Research (idiv) Halle- Jena-Leipzig

Transcription

1 19 April 2013 Regulations of the German Centre for Integrative Research (idiv) Halle- Jena-Leipzig German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (idiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig Deutscher Platz 5e Leipzig, Germany Please note: This is not an official document, it is only a translation from the offical German document. Contact idiv Directorate Prof Christian Wirth, Prof Helge Bruelheide Prof Francois Buscot, Prof Kirsten Küsel idiv is a central facility of the Leipzig University within the meaning of Section 92 (1) of the Act on Academic Freedom in Higher Education in Saxony (Sächsisches Hoch-schulfreiheitsgesetz, SächsHSFG). It is run together with the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and the Friedrich Schiller University Jena, as well as in cooperation with the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ. The following non-university research institutions are involved as cooperation partners: the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry (MPI BGC), the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology (MPI CE), the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA), the Leibniz Institute DSMZ German Collection of Micro organisms and Cell Cultures, the Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry (IPB), the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) and the Leibniz Institute Senckenberg Museum of Natural History Görlitz (SMNG). Page 1 of 9

2 1 Legal status, location, cooperation partners (1) The name of the DFG research centre for integrative biodiversity research shall be German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (idiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig (in German: Deutsches Zentrum für integrative Biodiversitätsforschung (idiv) Halle- Jena-Leipzig) and it is established as a central facility of the Leipzig University as defined by 92(1) of the Saxon Act on the Freedom of Institutes of Higher Education (SächsHSFG). The centre is run in accordance with the cooperation agreement and the respective Higher Education Acts and regulations of Leipzig University (UL), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and Friedrich Schiller University Jena (FSU) as well as the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research GmbH UFZ. (2) In addition, the following non-university research institutions are defined as cooperation partners: - Leibniz Institute for Plant Biochemistry (IPB) - Leibniz Institute for Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) - Senckenberg Natural Research Society (SGN) - Leibniz Institute DSMZ - German Collection of Microorganisms and Cell Cultures GmbH - Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry - Max Planck Institute for chemical Ecology - Max Planck Institute for evolutionary Anthropology (3) idiv is located in Leipzig. The Leipzig University acts as a host university and coordinates idiv. The nature and extent of this involvement as well as the rights and obligations of the involved universities and extra-university cooperation partners (hereafter referred to as cooperation partners) is defined by the cooperation agreement. 2 Purposes and objectives of idiv Purposes and objectives of idiv are: 1. Further development of the young discipline of integrative biodiversity research through theory-based experiments, synthesis of empirical data as well as data-oriented formation of theories; 2. Concentration of national biodiversity research and increase of its international visibility; 3. Using basic research as a starting point to find and to define ways for coping with the ecological and social consequences of species extinction all over the world (biodiversity crisis). In order to ensure sustainable development and expansion of idiv, the three involved universities consider biodiversity research as a major aspect of their strategic development. Page 2 of 9

3 3 Structure of idiv (1) Research at idiv comprises of five thematic core areas. These areas are supported by eight research groups at the involved universities and at the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research UFZ, each led by a university professor. The research groups are assigned to the core areas and universities as follows: A. Theory in Biodiversity Sciences (FSU) B. Interaction Ecology (Experimental I. E.: UL and Molecular I. E.: FSU) C. Evolution and Adaption (UL) and Physiological Diversity (MLU) D. Biodiversity Conservation (MLU) and Ecosystem Services (FSU) E. Biodiversity Synthesis (MLU) The size and equipment of the research groups within their core areas depends on a. The specific needs (basic equipment) and b. The research dynamics and the growth of the research group. (2) In addition, several Independent Junior Research Groups shall be established at idiv and assigned to the core areas A - E. (3) The central instrument for national and international networking and for the promotion of idiv s visibility in accordance with 2(2) is the Synthesis Center for Biodiversity Sciences (sdiv), which provides different formats and supporting mechanisms (workshops, sabbatical programmes and postdoc programmes). 4 Promotion of young researchers (1) In addition, one of the tasks of idiv is to promote postgraduate students in the course of the Young biodiversity research training group (ydiv) through a range of courses, individual mentoring and financial support. (2) The Directorate enacts detailed implementation regulations, which regulate the selection of postgraduate candidates, quality assurance for mentoring and the process of promotion, the coordination of mentoring and financial support processes as well as participation of the postgraduate students in decision-making process. The regulations also define the connection to the structured graduate programmes of the universities and the UFZ. (3) idiv members shall contribute to student education in accordance with the regulations and curricula of the respective faculties as defined by their official duties. Page 3 of 9

4 5 Institutions of idiv The institutions of idiv are 1. The General Assembly 2. The Directorate 3. The Board of Trustees 4. The Scientific Advisory Board. 6 Members (1) Full members of idiv are - The applicants and scientists involved and mentioned in the proposal as founding members (Annex 1), - The university teachers newly appointed to conduct research at idiv, - The leaders of junior research groups established at idiv ( 3(2)). (2) Decisions about applications for the admission of new full members are taken by the Directorate in agreement with the Board of Trustees. (3) Membership at idiv does not convey any membership rights or obligations at the respective universities or partner institutions and does not affect these. (4) Members must recognize and follow the rules of conduct for members at idiv issued as the Rules of Procedure in a separate document. (5) Membership at idiv ends with the member s resignation which must be submitted to the Managing Director in writing, with termination of the member s occupation at one of the involved institutions or at idiv, as well as with exclusion of the member for good cause such as, in particular, violation of the obligations defined by this order or the rules of conduct. Exclusion for good cause follows decision by majority vote of the Directorate in agreement with the Board of Trustees and after an interview of the respective member, who shall be informed in writing about the exclusion and its reasons. In case of an appeal against the exclusion, decision is taken by the Board of Trustees. (6) External scientists involved in research projects funded by idiv as co-proposers or in idiv committees can be accepted as associated members upon personal request by the Directorate; 6(5) shall apply accordingly. Associated members may use idiv facilities as well as data platforms as defined by the data sharing agreement. They shall receive the same information as full members and shall be invited to the General Member Assembly, but have no right to vote or to submit motions. Associated members may not submit a request for the flexible pool mechanism as defined in 13. (7) Honorary members are individuals who have made special contributions to idiv. They are proposed during the General Assembly and assigned by the Directorate. Honorary members have the same status as associated members. Page 4 of 9

5 7 Rights and obligations of idiv members (1) idiv members may submit proposals for research projects to the Directorate, which can take place at idiv and be supported by idiv in the course of the flexible pool mechanism and in accordance with 13. The rights of the involved universities and non-university cooperation partners shall remain unaffected. (2) idiv members are entitled to use resources of idiv in accordance with the regulations in place, which are enacted by the Directorate and the General Assembly. (3) Full idiv members are obliged to contribute to the tasks of idiv in accordance with these regulations. idiv members are obliged to actively contribute to the achievement of the tasks of idiv, in particular through independent scientific achievements and participation of committees. (4) Full idiv members are obliged to examine proposals of sdiv workshops and sdiv postdoc projects as well as to participate to Young biodiversity Research Training Groups (ydiv) provided on request. The latter includes offering lectures and assisting in the selection and through mentoring of postdocs. (5) Full idiv members are obliged to report to the Directorate upon request. Moreover, they are obliged to contribute to reporting about scientific work at idiv, to annual and final reports and to proposals. (6) Full members resigning from idiv may continue using the funds provided by idiv for up to 3 as a completion funding. This does not apply after exclusion for important cause. Tools purchased as part of the basic equipment or flexible pool shall remain at idiv. Tools purchased by cooperation partners and financed out of their own resources shall be listed as part of the cooperation partner s inventory and not remain at idiv. If cooperation partners make use of idiv s flexible pool funds then the required tools will be purchased by the Leipzig University and the right to use them will be based on individual agreements with the respective cooperation partner. Different regulations must be approved by the Directorate and the respective owners. (7) If resources provided by idiv are not used in accordance with the goals and criteria defined by idiv, the Directorate may terminate the allocation of available funds after consultation with the budget officer of the respective cooperation partner. According to 13, the Directorate can take this decision without prior consultation in case of projects of flexible pool mechanism. Decisions regarding university professors must be confirmed by the Board of Trustees. 8 General Assembly (1) The Managing Director summons and chairs a General Assembly at least once a year. The invitation shall be issued at least one month prior to the meeting. Resolutions require the approval by the majority of the present full members unless stated otherwise in these regulations. (2) Associated members shall be invited to the assembly and hold the right to speak. Page 5 of 9

6 (3) Every two years, the General Assembly elects a group of representatives (spokespersons), who prepare a report about General Assembly for the Board of Trustees. The spokespersons represent the interests of the members during joint meetings with the Directorate which shall take place at least once every six months. The group of spokespersons comprises of 1. One representative from each of the involved universities 2. One representative from the UFZ 3. Three representatives from the non-university partners mentioned in 1(2) 4. Up to four further idiv members. (4) In principle, the General Assembly may address all questions concerning the purpose and goals of idiv and make recommendations to the Directorate through their spokespersons. Furthermore, the General Assembly holds the right to suggest - - Members of the Directorate - - Members of the Scientific Advisory Board. (5) Resolutions are approved by a majority vote of the present members. Details are provided by the rules of procedure. Representation by a third party is not permitted. (6) Recommendations of particular significance (especially changes to the scientific content and focus of idiv, request for exclusion of members, recommendations for dismissal of members from the Directorate or the Scientific Advisory Board including the proposal of new candidates) as well as suggestions according to (4) must be announced at least six weeks prior to the General Assembly to ensure inclusion into the invitation and the agenda. The date of each General Assembly is determined during the preceding assembly. Recommendations of particular significance require a two-thirds majority. At least fifty percent of the members must be present. The vote shall be secret. 9 Directorate (1) idiv is governed by the Directorate, the members of which are suggested by the General Assembly and appointed or dismissed by the Board of Trustees. Reappointment is possible. The decision about dismissal may also be taken without a resolution by the General Assembly. The members of the Directorate must be full-time university professors and members of one of the three involved universities or head of a department or of equal employment status at the UFZ. (2) The Directorate comprises of a Managing Director (in German: geschäftsführender Direktor - GfD) and three Co-Directors. One Co-Director must be a scientist employed by the UFZ. The other three members of the Directorate (Managing Director and two Co-Directors) represent the three involved universities. The term of office of the Directorate is two years. Every two years, the Board of Trustees decides in consultation with the Directorate which of the three university representatives shall take up the position of the Managing Director. The other members of the Directorate shall take up the function of Co-Directors; their competences are defined by the Board of Trustees in consultation with the Directorate. Page 6 of 9

7 (3) The Directorate manages the current business of idiv and is, in particular, in charge of conception, coordination and implementation of the scientific program. It coordinates scientific networking of idiv, represents idiv at the involved universities and in external matters. The Directorate is, in particular, responsible for compliance with budgetary provisions as well as the entire funding volume and adequate allocation of resources. The rights and obligations of the individual budget officers stay unaffected. The Directorate ensures compliance with the guidelines for the use of DFG funds for institutions of excellence and research centres, including the obligation to report about budget management. The Directorate submits reports about the use of funds to the Board of Trustees on a regular basis. Responsibilities in accordance with other regulations remain unaffected. (4) The Managing Director is head of the Directorate. In case of absence of the Managing Director, the decision about a deputy is taken by the Directorate in consultation with the Board of Trustees. (5) Decisions of the Directorate are taken during meetings, which take place at least once a moth and are led by the Managing Director. In the event of tie the Managing Director shall have the casting vote unless stated otherwise in these regulations. At least three members of the Directorate must be present at the meeting to take a valid decision. (6) The Directorate may establish committees to support its work. The members of such committees shall be recruited from idiv members or external experts. The latter may apply for the status of an associated member in accordance with 6(6). (7) The Directorate may adopt Rules of Procedure for itself and the committees. (8) In the event of resignation or dismissal of one of the members of the Directorate, a meeting of the Board of Trustees shall be convened immediately and the process required for a new appointment shall be initiated. For this, the group of spokespersons must be heard first. Until a new member of the Directorate is appointed, the position of the respective member is taken by its deputy in accordance with 4(2). The Board of Trustees may decide in the individual case about a different regulation. 10 Branch Office (1) The Managing Director is supported by the Branch Office. Details are regulated by the rules of procedure of the Branch Office which are adopted by the Directorate. (2) Employees of the Branch Office are hired by the Leipzig University in agreement with the Directorate. The Managing Director has the right to give instructions to the employees of the Branch Office. Page 7 of 9

8 11 Board of Trustees (1) The Board of Trustees supports and supervises the Directorate and fulfils further tasks according to these regulations. (2) In Particular, the Board of Trustees has the following tasks: 1. Support and supervision of the activities of the Directorate 2. Receiving and discussion of the Directorate s reports 3. Passing of recommendations for idiv s further development in consideration of the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Board 4. Support of idiv at the political level 5. Consultation in case of interregional issues 6. Contribution to the acceptance and dismissal of idiv members 7. Taking decision on the Directorate in accordance with 9 8. Appointment of the members of the Scientific Advisory Board. (3) The Board of Trustees comprises of 1. The rectors of the involved universities 2. One additional member of the rectorate of each of the involved universities 3. The Scientific Manager of the UFZ 4. One representative of the ministry of science from each of the federal states involved Any position in the Board of Trustees must be taken up and executed in person; representation by a third party is not permitted. (4) The Board of Trustees shall be summoned at request of at least two members of the Board of Trustees or the Managing Director. Meetings take place at least once a year. (5) The Board of Trustees shall elect a chairperson and a co-chair from among its members for a term of two years. The chairperson shall convene and lead the meetings. (6) The Board of Trustees may establish working groups to support its work, which include members of the involved universities and non-university partners. Each working group shall be led by a member of the Board of Trustees. (7) The Board of Trustees may adopt its own Rules of Procedure which must regulate at least the notice period for convening a meeting and the voting arrangements. 12 Scientific Advisory Board (1) Advise for the idiv Directorate and its tasks shall be provided by the Scientific Advisory Board, which is supported by the Branch Office. The Scientific Advisory Board makes recommendations and comments on the thematic and structural development of idiv. This concerns, in particular, the establishment of new research areas and the focus and structure of idiv s research programme. (2) The Scientific Advisory Board evaluates the development of idiv every two years. The evaluation takes place after the first and third year of each funding Page 8 of 9

9 period. The results of the evaluation shall be communicated to the General Assembly, the Directorate and the Board of Trustees. (3) The Scientific Advisory Board has a minimum of six and a maximum of eight members. The members of the Scientific Advisory Board must be scientists from Germany or abroad who have international reputation in idiv s research area and who are not employed by idiv, by one of the three involved universities or by a cooperation partner. (4) The members are nominated by the General Assembly and appointed by the Board of Trustees for a term of four years. Reappointment is possible. (5) The members of the Scientific Advisory Board elect a chairperson and a co-chair from among their number for a term of four years. (6) The chairperson convenes meetings of the Scientific Advisory Board at least once every two years and in accordance with (2). (7) The Scientific Advisory Board may establish its own Rules of Procedure which must regulate at least the notice period for convening a meeting and the voting arrangements. 13 Internal allocation of funds (flexible pool mechanism) (1) The flexible pool mechanism is a central instrument of idiv established with the aim of flexible and positive regulation of networking within idiv, between idiv research groups and idiv members at the universities and non-university institutions, as well as between the idiv consortium and the national scientific community. (2) Proposals may be submitted by all full idiv members. The modalities for the submission of proposals as well as the criteria for their selection shall be defined by separate regulations issued by the Directorate. The Directorate decides on the proposals. It may seek external advice in this decision. 14 Equal opportunities idiv is committed to equal opportunities and gender equality and considers the implementation of appropriate standards as a task of strategic management. idiv endeavours to have at least three female professors among its eight professorships. 15 Legal validity These regulations were enacted by the chancellor of the Leipzig University on 18 April 2013 after hearing the comments of the Senate of the Leipzig University as well as the involved universities and cooperation partners. It will be published in the official notices of the Leipzig University, of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg and of the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena. The regulations shall enter into force on the day after the official announcement by the Leipzig University. Page 9 of 9