Statutes of the Slovak Society for Neuroscience
Fundamental provisions
Article 1
1. Slovak Society for Neuroscience (SSN) is voluntary civil association of scientific, scientific-educational and technical workers working in neuroscience field. Its objective is to participate on development and increase of quality level of neurosciences in Slovak Republic, to be a part of conceptual and prognostic activity, as well as to promote and to implement results of scientific and research activities in practice.
2. SSN is independent legal entity. It is affiliated with Slovak Academy of Sciences (SAS) by resolution of SAS Presidium.
3. Society is "Civil Association" under the rule of the law number 83/1990 of Slovak Republic codex.
Article 2
1. SSN resides at the Institute of Neurobiology, Soltesovej 4, 04001 Kosice, Slovak Republic
2. SSN acts on the whole territory of Slovak Republic.
Article 3
1. SSN fulfills these main mission:
a. supports development of neurosciences by taking the initiative in scientific work, by introducing of new knowledge and diagnostic procedures, performs expertise and diagnostic work for legal and individual entities;
b. orientates interests of members to solve those problems in neuroscience field, which are important in terms of the whole Slovak society needs;
c. promotes prognostic activity, organizes, deepens and coordinates collaboration between members working in research and clinical practice;
d. provides help and assistance to the members in their professional work;
e. contributes to increase of professional expertise of the members;
f. submits initiatives to measures related to the development of neuroscience field, to competent professional institutions and bodies.
2. SSN co-operates with foreign societies of similar orientation.
Article 4.
1. To fulfill its mission SSN:
a. organizes scientific and working conferences, lectures, seminars, courses, tours, etc.;
b. gives opinions to scientific and publication activity in neurosciences;
c. co-operates with Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health, and with other scientific and professional societies;
d. can organize competitions, and recognize important and exceptional results;
2. SSN bodies coordinate organization of individual events listed in paragraph 1
3. SSN can become collective member of international societies for neuroscience, it can take active part in their activity, and it can delegate own representatives.
SSN structure
Article 5
1. SSN can be divided to sections
Article 6
1. Sections are created according to professional interests of SSN members. Sections associate SSN members according to their professional interests, or according to specialization of their professional activity. Creation of sections must be approved by SSN General Meeting.
Membership
Article 7
1. Membership is individual and collective
2. Membership can be honorary
Article 8
1. Individual members are regular members of SSN.
2. Regular membership is intended for scientific, scientific-educational, scientific-technical, technical workers, or university students, who are actively working in neuroscience field, or who have deep interests in neurosciences. Each applicants has to send written application for membership, has to declare agreement with mission and responsibilities of SSN, and willingness to participate actively on their realization.
3. Regular membership can be granted also to foreign applicant, if applicant fulfills all stipulations listed in paragraph 2 of this article.
4. Membership originates by it’s approval, and payment of annual membership fee.
5. Membership is approved by decision of SSN Committee. Applicant can appeal committee decision to SSN General Meeting within 30 days.
Article 9
1. Collective membership is intended for civil associations and their administrative units (further only "organizations"), if they show interest by sending written application.
2. Collective organization applicant describe the conditions and forms of it’s participation in work and mission of SSN. Organization also nominates its representatives, who will act in the name of organization (further only "organization delegates").
3. Collective membership originates by its approval.
4. Collective membership is approved by decision of SSN Committee. Applicant organization can appeal committee decision to SSN General Meeting within 30 days.
Article 10
1. Honorary membership is intended for distinguished domestic or foreign scientific, or technical worker working in neuroscience field.
2. Honorary members are chosen by SSN General Meeting.
3. Honorary members do not pay membership fees.
Article 11
1. Each members can participate in activity of one or several SSN sections.
Members rights
Article 12
1. Members have rights:
a. to take part in SSN General Meeting and actively participate;
b. to vote, and to be elected into SSN organs;
c. to be member of commissions, working groups, delegations, etc., established by SSN;
d. to give proposals and to vote about proposals submitted at all meetings, conferences and other events organized by SSN;
e. to be informed about all events organized by SSN;
f. to take part in all events organized by SSN, and to obtain materials issued by SSN.
Members responsibilities
Article 13
1. Regular members have responsibilities:
a. to observe SSN statutes, to participate actively in fulfillment of SSN mission, and to observe principles of scientific ethic all the time;
b. to fulfill resolutions of SSN organs regarding individual members duties;
c. to perform elective office and to guarantee filling of all duties with full responsibility;
d. to participate in transfer of novel scientific and specialistic information to practice;
e. to pay annual membership fee.
Article 14
1. Individual membership terminates:
a. by decease of the member;
b. by written statement of member declaring his membership cancellation;
c. by unpaid annual membership fee during two years, despite of requisition;
d. by member disqualification;
2. Member can be disqualified only because of serious reasons, mainly if he acts in contradiction with SSN Statutes. Disqualification of member is matter of decision of SSN Committee. Disqualified member can appeal committee decision to the soonest SSN General Meeting.
Article 15
1. Collective membership terminates:
a. by extinction of organization;
b. by written statement of organization declaring its collective membership cancellation;
c. by the decision of SSN Committee to cancel collective membership of organization, if the organization did not actively participate in SSN work, without reasoning and justification to SSN Committee.
Article 16
1. Organs which guarantee and control activity of SSN are:
a. General Meeting of SSN
b. Committee of SSN
2. Inspection organ of SSN is Revisory Commission
Article 17
1. General Meeting of SSN is the Societys supreme authority;
2. General Meeting of SSN has competence:
a. to define main directions of SSN activity for the period until next General Meeting;
b. to accept and to approve report of SSN Committee about activity since last General Meeting;
c. to accept and to approve report of SSN Revisory Commission since last General Meeting;
d. to elect honorary members;
e. to define number of members in SSN Committee, in Revisory Commission, and number of substitute members in listed organs, with respect to total number of SSN members;
f. to accept decisions in important economic measures;
g. to define value of annual membership fee;
h. to create or to cancel sections;
i. to elect - members and substitute members of SSN Committee
- members and substitute members of SSN Revisory Commission
j. to accept statutes and by laws, and their amendments;
k. to pass resolution of SSN termination.
Article 18
1. Regular SSN General Meeting takes place at least once in three years. It is called by SSN Committee.
2. SSN Committee can call also for extraordinary General Meeting. Extraordinary General Meeting will be called by Committee also in the case, that at least one third of SSN members signs petition and inquire it. In that case General Meeting has to take place within one month after Committee received written petition signed by all petitioners.
3. Written notice about time, place and program of regular SSN General Meeting is sent to the members at least 30 days in advance.
4. Written notice about time and place and reasoning of extraordinary General Meeting is sent to members at least 15 days in advance.
Article 19
1. SSN General Meeting is chaired by the president, eventually vice-president, or another member of SSN Committee, who was delegated for that.
2. General Meeting has a quorum if at least half of members is present. SSN Committee can recommend to deliberate matters listed in Article 17, paragraph 2 also by correspondence method.
3. Proposal becomes valid resolution of General Meeting if more than 50% of present members voted for it. If there is equality of votes, then the vote of president is decisive.
4. Correspondence method of voting means, that the proposals and votes are collecting until assigned time (deadline), and the results of voting are reported to members within 30 days after deadline. Proposals and votes are archived for 3 years.
5. To accept resolution about change in statutes, or SSN termination, votes of two thirds of all regular members (present and corresponding) are required.
6. SSN General Meeting elects SSN Committee members and their substitutes, and also members and substitutes of Revisory Commission, by the closed ballot (in correspondence method anonymously).
SSN Committee
Article 20
1. SSN Committee controls activity of SSN between General Meetings.
Article 21
1. SSN Committee insures activity of the whole SSN, in development and increase of quality level of neurosciences, in transfer of results of Slovak science to practice, and in collaboration with foreign organizations.
2. The Committee is competent:
a. to elect president, vice-president(s), scientific secretary and treasurer, out of its members;
b. to accept annual SSN activity report;
c. to accept annual economical SSN report;
d. to approve plan of SSN activity for the next year;
e. to approve financial plan of SSN for the next year;
f. to prepare SSN General Meeting, including list of candidates and ballots;
g. to create SSN sections;
h. to create commissions accredited by specific work, and to name its members;
i. to approve and to accept agreements with other Slovak or foreign organizations;
j. to negotiate conditions of collective memberships, including membership fee value.
Article 22
1. SSN Committee meeting is called by the president, or vice-president which represents him. The meeting is called at need, minimally twice a year. If at least one third of members requests Committee meeting, president of SSN calls it within 2 weeks. If president did not call Committee meeting, the vice-president can do it;
2. Committee meeting is chaired by the president, or vice-president;
3. Committee meeting has a quorum if at least half of its members is present;
4. Proposal becomes valid resolution of Committee meeting if more than 50% of present members voted for it. If there is equality of votes, then the vote of president is decisive.
Article 23
1. Revisory Commission performs supervision over economical activity of SSN. It also reviews performance of SSN duties from economical point of view.
2. Members of Revisory Commission are elected by SSN General Meeting (Article 17, paragraph 2i). Members of Revisory Commission elect their chair during the first Commission meeting.
3. Revisory Commission meeting is called at need, usually twice a year.
4. Revisory Commission presents economical report, by the hand of chair, or commission member accredited by chair, to SSN General Meeting and to SSN Committee. SSN Committee can not approve financial statements, or compensation of a loss, without taking account of Revisory Commission proposal.
Organization of internal SSN structure
Article 24
1. Section activity is controlled by the committee of section, which consists of 3 members, who are elected during meeting of all members registered, according to their professional orientation, to work in the section.
2. Section Committee members are chair, vice-chair, and secretary.
3. Chair of Section Committee has rights to join SSN Committee meetings.
Article 25
1. Sections committees call plenary meetings of their members at need, minimally once in their terms of office.
Common Provisions
Article 26
1. Terms of office of SSN Committee and section committees is normally three years.
Article 27
1. SSN Committee can create appropriate coordination, or working organs, for organization of collaboration with other scientific societies, social organizations, universities, scientific, research, diagnostic and therapeutic institutions.
2. Members of commissions created according to paragraph 1 can be chosen only from regular SSN members.
Article 28
1. Organs of SSN can create working commissions from regular SSN members. These commissions are created for preparatory work, or for filling some duties, e.g. of economical character. To participate in activity of working commission, the non-members can be invited too, as specialist advisers. The commissions work according to rules of organs which created them.
Article 29
1. SSN is affiliated with Slovak Academy of Sciences. Member’s fee for affiliation is part of member’s annual membership fee. In the case of change of member’s fee for affiliation, it will automatically change value of member’s annual membership fee. There is no need for approval by General Meeting for this type of annual membership fee change.
Article 30
1. To insure its activity economically SSN utilizes:
a. annual membership fees;
b. acquired property;
c. donation resources;
d. gains resulted from SSN activity by itself;
e. presents, heritage and sponsorship.
2. In economical activity SSN follows general laws and regulations.
3. Economical activity of SSN conforms to authorized annual budget for particular fiscal year. SSN budget is prepared by SSN treasurer, and it is approved by SSN Committee.
4. Resources exploitation is controlled by the resolutions of SSN Committee.
5. SSN Committee presents economical report, together with report of Revisory Commission, to SSN General Meeting.
6. SSN can claim appropriate remittance from other legal or individual entities for the provided services, by the course of respective law and regulations.
Article 31
1. SSN is represented by the president, who also acts in name of SSN.
2. President signs documents in the name of SSN in such a way, that he/she encloses his/her signature together with his/her position to the name of SSN.
3. SSN Committee can delegate also another of its members to represent SSN, and to act in its name, in assigned extend.
Article 32
1. Resolutions of SSN organs, which are related to members, or other important facts, are circulated to all members by letters, by SSN reports, and by means of electronic communication.
Article 33
1. After termination of SSN, the property of SSN, which will remain after all settlements of liabilities, will devolve to the Council of Scientific Societies of SAS with stipulation, that Council will transfer it to another voluntary organization, which should originate within 3 years after SSN termination, with similar mission in neuroscience field.
The proposal of statutes was registered by the Slovak Ministry of Interior on January 27th, 2005.
The statutes has been approved by The Slovak Society for Neuroscience at the Statutory General Meeting September 20th 2005, at the SAS Conference room in Stara Lesna, Slovakia.