The Learned Society of the Czech Republic

Statutes of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic
(as approved at its twelfth General Assembly held on 16 May 2006;
the change of its name was approved at its 121st meeting held on 19 September 2006)
[ statutes.pdf ]

Preamble

Participants attending a meeting on 10 May 1994 in the Prague Karolinum resolved to establish a civic association bearing the name the Learned Society of the Czech Republic. They expressed their will in the “Declaration of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic” which was affirmed at this meeting and confirmed by the signatures of those present. Participants of this meeting conveyed their decision during an audience with the President of the Czech Republic on 25 May 1994. Pursuant to Section 6, paragraph 4 of Act No. 83/1999 Coll., on free association of citizens, in the wording of Act No. 342/2006 Coll., a civic association has been hereby established under the name the “Learned Society of the Czech Republic (hereinafter referred to as the “Society”).

The status of the Society in scientific life of this country was legally determined by the provision laid down in Section 3, paragraph 4 of Act No. 283/1992 Coll., on the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, in the wording of Act No. 342/2005 Coll., effective from 13 September 2005, according to which the Academy supports the Society which contributes to the free, self-directed advancement of science in the Czech Republic and represents it towards similar foreign scientific institutions. On this legal basis, a framework agreement was signed 12 January 2006 between the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic and the Society on cooperation and material support of the activities of the Society.

The head office of the Society is in Prague. The Secretariat of the Society is located in the building of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Prague 1, Národní třída 3, postal code 110 00. The designation, the “Learned Society of the Czech Republic“, shall be used in all international contacts.

The goals of the Society are to encourage the free development of science in all its aspects, to disseminate scientific notions and concepts to the general public, to awaken a thirst for and delight in scientific knowledge within society, to support the enhancement of the level of education and a creative, rational and humanly responsible climate in the Czech Republic. The Society promotes thought and action which exceed the boundaries of individual fields of science and lays stress on ethical scientific conduct. It seeks to facilitate scientific knowledge so as to contribute to the formation of effective and qualified views and decisions in public life of this country as do other learned societies in all developed countries. The Society tries to achieve for its activities the broadest possible support of citizens of the Czech Republic and representatives of public life at the national and international levels.

(1) The Society is an association of outstanding scientists from all disciplines of science. There shall be two kinds of membership in the Society: regular and honorary. A prerequisite to membership is a member’s substantial and creative contribution to science, and moral integrity. In exceptional instances, a recognized person who has made extraordinary contributions to the dissemination of scientific values in society may also become a member of the Society.
(2) In general, only scientists active within the territory of the Czech Republic can be elected regular members of the Society (hereinafter referred to as “regular member”).
(3) Only scientists active abroad can be elected honorary members of the Society (hereinafter referred to as “honorary member”).

(1) Regular members have the same and equal rights and obligations in all respects. Rights include in particular the right to participate in any and all activities of the Society, the right to decide by voting on the formation of bodies of the Society, on accepting new members, and on all activities decided by voting. Regular members have the right to submit suggestions relating to items specified in section 2. Regular members choose their section membership (Section12) according to their scientific specialisation. They may also participate in meetings of other sections, however, without having the voting right.
(2) Regular members are obliged to participate appropriately in activities of the Society and to pay membership dues. The annual contribution of the Society´s members equals to 1% of the annual net income, from retired members 0,5% of the annual income, unless the General Assembly decides differently for the following year.

(1) Honorary members may, and are invited to take part in meetings of the Society, to propose new members and to consider proposals for new members. However, they do not have the voting right and may not be elected to bodies of the Society. They may join scientific sections as they choose.
(2) Honorary members are not obliged to pay membership dues; they may express their support for the goals of the Society by paying voluntary contributions.
(3) An honorary member may be admitted as a regular member upon his/her request on condition that his/her main research activities have been transferred into the Czech Republic and if it does not contradict Section 6.

(1) The number of regular members of the Society shall not exceed one hundred and eleven.
(2) The number of honorary members of the Society is not limited.

(1) Membership in the Society ends with the member´s death, resignation or exclusion for failure to pay his/her membership dues (Section 7, para 3).
(2) A member shall be expelled if he/she knowingly and purposely violated the existing Statutes of the Society, impaired its reputation or contravened the ethical norms of scientific work. In these instances, the Council shall submit a proposal for exclusion of a member at a Society meeting and a decision will be taken by secret ballot at the next General Assembly of the Society (Section 8). The proposal shall be accepted should there be an absolute majority of votes of the regular members of the Society.
(3) The membership of a regular member who fails to pay his/her membership dues for two successive years despite being reminded of his/her obligations shall be suspended until he/she pays his/her dues contributions. The membership of a regular member will expire if membership dues are not paid for a period of three years and notices of being in arrears are ignored.

(1) The supreme body of the Society is its General Assembly. The General Assembly has a quorum when more than half of all regular members of the Society are present. The President of the Society shall summon the General Assembly of the Society at least once a year.
(2) The President is obliged to summon a General Assembly upon the written request of one-third of the regular members within one month from the receipt of the request which must include a proposal for a basic meeting agenda.
(3) The General Assembly takes decisions by majority vote of the regular members present unless another procedure is stipulated in the Statutes (Section 7, Section 14, Section 17 and Section 18).
(4) The General Assembly confirms the composition of the Council (Section 10).

(1) Except for the General Assembly, Society members meet for regular working meetings as the work of the Society requires.
(2) If necessary, a working meeting may also decide by vote. The vote can be open or secret and the result of the vote shall be determined by a simple majority of the regular members present. If serious matters are under consideration, a secret ballot is held upon the proposal of the Council of the Society or if required by at least three regular members who are present.

(1) The executive body of the Society is the Council consisting of regular members. The Council is composed of the President of the Society, the first Vice President designated as President for the next electoral period and substitutes for the President when absent, the second Vice President who is the immediate Past President, the Scientific Secretary and Chairpersons of all four scientific sections (Section 12). The Council directs the activities of the Society, establishes working goals and submits them to the General Assembly or a working meeting for discussion.
(2) The Council is elected for a two-year term.
(3) Any member of the Society may submit a proposal for a designated President.
(4) The designated President is elected at a General Assembly meeting by secret ballot by a majority of votes cast by the regular members present. If none of the candidates receives the necessary majority, a second round of election shall be held between two candidates who have obtained the highest number of votes in the first round.
(5) If the President resigns or his/her post becomes otherwise vacant, the first Vice President shall assume the office. In this case or if the designated President resigns, a new designated President shall be elected for the unexpired term at the next working meeting of the Society by secret ballot and a simple majority of votes of the regular members present. This circumstance does not exclude the possibility of his/her being elected repeatedly for the following functional period.
(6) If the second Vice President resigns, his/her successor shall not be elected.
(7) The Scientific Secretary is elected by secret ballot for a two-year-term. The incumbent may hold the office for a maximum of two consecutive electoral terms.
(8) The Council takes decisions by a simple majority of all its members. Should
there be a tie vote the presiding person has the decisive vote.

The President represents the Society officially before the public, looks after and maintains ongoing activities of the Society and takes all necessary decisions relating to current affairs if required by their nature and urgency. He is obliged to report his/her decisions to the next meeting of the Council.

(1) The Society is divided into four scientific sections according to individual fields of science which makes it possible to judge expertly proposals for new members of the Society, for awarding the Society´s honours, and to address promptly and immediately topical issues emerging in science. The scientific sections are as follows:

I. Section of Mathematic and Physics
II. Section of Chemical Sciences
III. Section of Biology and Mecicine
IV. Section of the Social Sciences and the Humanities

(2) Sections elect their Chairpersons and Deputy Chairpersons by secret ballot for a two-year-term at a section meeting. Those elected are the ones who have obtained the highest number of votes of the regular members present. They may hold their offices for a maximum of two consecutive electoral terms.
(3) If the post of the Chairperson of a section becomes vacant before the term expires, the Deputy Chairperson shall assume that post. His/her membership in the Council is confirmed by a simple majority of votes of regular members at the next working meeting of the Society. A new Deputy Chairperson of a section is then elected by a simple majority in a secret ballot of the regular members present of the section at its next meeting.
(4) Individual sections meet if needed. Their meetings are convened by the respective Chairperson of the section.
(5) The Chairperson of the section is obliged to convene a meeting on the request of at least two section members.

(1) Candidates for membership in the Society can be proposed by any member of the Society. A substantiated proposal in a written and electronic forms,recommended by at least two other Society members, shall be submitted in the date indicated by the Council of the Society. The proposal shall include a biography and materials documenting the creative contribution of the candidate to the respective scientific discipline and his moral integrity. The Council files the proposal and will notify the next working meeting of the Society of it. Based on proposals of the plenum, the Council shall recommend three reviewers to consider the proposal. Reviewers shall be members of the Society.
(2) Until the date of the election, copies of proposals, viewpoints of reviewers and other materials are deposited in a place available to all members of the Society and at the Society´s websites.
(3) Individual sections may present their viewpoints to proposals for new members with respect to their scientific disciplines.
(4) The Council shall prepare a candidate list and submit it at the next General Assembly for approval by secret ballot.

(1) The General Assembly votes on the proposed candidates for membership in the Society (Section 8). The candidate must be elected by secret voting by a two-thirds majority of the regular members present.
(2) If more candidates than stipulated by Section 6 receive a two-thirds majority of votes of the regular members present, a second round of election takes place in which those participate who have obtained a two-thirds of votes in the first round. In the second round of election the elected candidates shall be ranked in the order of the votes cast and their total must not infringe Section 6.
(3) The President of the Society will notify the newly elected member in writing of the result of the elections, the rights and obligations of membership, and will ask whether he/she accepts membership.

(1) The resource of the property of the Society is membership dues of its members and financial means and material gifts obtained from natural and legal persons, and the support of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.
(2) All property of the Society can be applied solely towards the goals pursued by the Society (Section 2).

(1) Funds of the Society are deposited in its bank account. Gifts and other items of value are recorded, placed on file and maintained securely.
(2) The Council of the Society manages the Society´s financial resources and is
responsible for all financial accounting, auditing and filing.
(3) The President together with the Council provides a report once a year on the
financial management of the Society to the General Assembly which approves it and the annual balance sheet.

The General Assembly decides on amendments and supplements to the Statutes of the Society by an absolute majority of the votes of all regular members of the Society.

(1) The Society can be terminated if the General Assembly so decides by an absolute majority of the votes cast by regular members of the Society.
(2) If the Society is terminated, the liquidation of its property will be made pursuant to valid legal regulations. The remaining property of the Society will revert to the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.

(1) In the first elections, President and the designated President of the Society are elected in accordance with the current Statutes.
(2) These Statutes shall enter into force on the day of their registration by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic, according to Section 11, paragraph 3 of Act No. 83/1990 Coll., on free association of citizens, as subsequently amended by later regulations.
(3) The Statutes approved by the eighth General Assembly of the Society on 21 May 2002 shall be revoked on the day of the registration of the new Statutes by the Ministry of Interior of the Czech Republic.

RNDr. Jiří Grygar, CSc.,
President,
Learned Society of the Czech Republic, a civic association