The Slovak Biophysical Society is the public association established according to the law of Slovak Republic No. 83/1990 on public associations in a meaning of former rules and registered by Ministry of Inner Affairs according to decision VVS/1-900/90-18831.
1. Objectives of the Society
The Slovak Biophysical Society (hereinafter referred to as „SKBS“ only) is a voluntary nonprofit organization of the scientific, pedagogical and expert staff, hereinafter referred to as biophysicists, associated subject to their mutual interest in the advance of biophysics in Slovakia that includes: the free scientific research and dissemination of obtained results, including their application in the social practice, the expertise activity, education and popularization of biophysics within the society.
To fulfill the above objectives, SKBS shall:
- organize, deepen and coordinate the co-operation of biophysicists and their supporters in the field of science, pedagogy and practice,
- provide a forum for sharing knowledge, discussion of expertise activity results, sharing opinions and experiences most of all by means of organizing the regular conferences of biophysicists,
- accumulate information about outstanding results of its members, give SKBS awards, nominate its members for awarding by other domestic and foreign organizations, including state awards,
- maintain www page about SKBS, create and mediate relevant databases, mediate links to relevant www pages of its members and related organizations,
- cooperate with related professional societies , scientific and pedagogical institutions, as well as organizations representing business sphere,
- support a cooperation between academic and industrial sectors in the field of biophysics,
- apply for funding for specific projects, eventually contribute to the projects of related organizations,
- cooperate with partner national organizations in abroad,
- as a regular member of the European Biophysical Societies Association (EBSA), and association of Regional Biophysical Conferences (RBC), mediate and support their mission in Slovakia and support activity of SKBS members within these organizations.
2. Seat of the Society
2.1 The main seat of SKBS shall be the seat of its President. Currently, the seat of society is:
Institute of Medical Biophysics
Jessenius Faculty of Medicine
Comenius University
Malá Hora 4, 036 01 Martin
Slovak Republic
2.2 SKBS shall operate all over the Slovak Republic territory.
3. Membership and Rights of SKBS Members
3.1 The SKBS membership shall be individual.
3.2 As a status society SKBS shall be open for first of all the scientific, scientific and pedagogical, scientific and engineering or expert staff acting in the field of biophysics and closely related fields (medicine, biology, chemistry, mathematics, physics, informatics) as well as the secondary school teachers of the courses on natural sciences and students on all levels of education.
3.3 The interested person shall become a member subject to his written application and confirmed consent the SKBS objectives and goals and his willing to participate in its activity.
3.4 SKBS council decides about acceptance of SKBS membership application by ballot.
3.5 The membership shall terminate subject to the members` a) by written declaration on his membership cancelling, b) by nonpayment of the membership fee during three year period c) by excluding.
3.6 SKBS general assembly decides about exclusion of member on the base of the council proposal in the case, when SKBS member acted purposely so that he/she harmed the honor and reputation of SKBS within SKBS or the society. The concerned SKBS member has to be informed by Secretary, in written form, about the committee proposal for exclusion. He /she has the rights for protest on the SKBS general assembly. General assembly decides about the exclusion of member after hearing of an attitude of concerned member and submitted attitudes of absent SKBS members by ballot of three – fifth concordant majority votes of present SKBS members.
Along with the members` right to participate on the society expert activity, the SKBS member shall be entitled to:
3.7 Participate at the SKBS general assembly and take part in discussions.
3.8 Vote and be elected as a member of SKBS bodies. This right is bounded to paid membership
fee.
3.9 Become a member of the council, working groups, delegations and so on, created by the
SKBS bodies.
3.10 Be informed about all SKBS activities.
3.11 Suggest to SKBS general assembly and council agenda in terms of SKBS aims.
4. Bodies of SKBS
4.1 The SKBS bodies shall be:
- General assembly
- Council
- Statutory body
- Audit commission
4.2 Tasks of SKBS bodies:
General Assembly:
The general assembly of the members shall be a top body of SKBS. General assembly authority shall be the acceptance of the following resolutions on:
- the main strategy of SKBS activity determination,
- decision on Society Statutes and its changes (single majority of two-third present voters – presence of member at the meeting is not necessary, voting by internet is permitted),
- decision on SKBS winding up (two third majority of SKBS members – voting by internet is permitted),
- election of SKBS Council members, President and Executives of Council, Audit commission and Chair of Audit commission,
- approval of SKBS awards and the rules of awarding,
- awarding the SKBS complimentary membership to merited SKBS members and outstanding persons of the scientific and public life on the base of SKBS committee proposal, awarding memorable letter to its members on the occasion of their life jubilee,
- approval of activity plan, gains, expenses and SKBS revision reports once per two years,
- approval of annual balances,
- exclusion of SKBS member.
General assembly shall be held at least once per two years and shall be convened by the Council.
Council:
The council shall coordinate the SKBS activity in course of its position in Office which shall be four years and terminates on December 31 of respective year. The mandate of a new council starts on January 1st of the next year. Council consists of six elected members and these shall be: President, President-elect, Secretary, plus three further members of the Council. The Secretary is also the Treasurer. The mandate of the President is 2 years. After this time the President-elect became the President. The member of SKBS can be elected to the Council for maximum 2 consecutive terms. The associate members of the council with vote rights are representatives of SKBS in the international organizations (EBSA, IUPAP, IUPAB) and the chairs of the official scientific sections of SKBS.
The authority of Council includes:
- to entrust the Council members to fulfil certain tasks
- to ensure General assembly preparation
- to decide on membership and its cancellation
- to approve and coordinate the agenda on the base of SKBS member proposal
- to give SKBS awards
The Council meetings shall be held as needed and be convened by the Chaiman or member of the SKBS committee in writing charged by the President normally the President Elect. The Council can accept decisions by direct voting if more than half majority of members is present or by per rollam voting by more than half of votes.
Statutory body:
The statutory body of SKBS, i.e., an executive authorized to act on behalf of the Society in all matters, to sign documents for SKBS and sing financial documents shall be the President, or SKBS committee member charged in written by the President, normally President Elect of SKBS. The statutory body delivers SKBS awards, normally in the front of SKBS general assembly.
Audit commission:
The audit commission is composed of the Chairman and two members voted by the SKBS meeting from SKBS members. The membership in the audit commission is not compatible with membership in the SKBS council. The role of commission is to perform an audit of financial management once per year in term agreed with the SKBS president. The chairman of audit commission submits the report about results of the audit together with the attitude of the SKBS council to SKBS members once per year by internet and to the SKBS general assembly once per two years. The subject of the audit is documents integrity and rightness, a suitability of expenses in respect to SKBS aims and insuring plan of the SKBS activity.
5. Financial Management Principles
The source of SKBS income shall be:
- Members` fees
- Sponsors` contributions
- State donation
- Grants for SKBS projects
- Income from conferences
- Expertise activity
- Bank interest
- Other sources
The membership fee is set by the SKBS council until the end of January of corresponding year. From 1.1.2010 the amount of membership fee is following:
SKBS members: 10.00 EUR
Undergraduate students, PhD. students: 3.00 EUR
Honorary members of SKBS and seniors above 65 years without regular employment are exempted from membership fees.
The payment deadline for membership fees is October 31 of the corresponding year.
Financial sources of SKBS is possible to use for:
insuring the administrative activity of SKBS up to maximum level 100.00 EUR per year, for the support of young SKBS members under 35 years to take part at SKBS general assembly and conferences of related scientific fields held in SR, for SKBS awards given by SKBS general assembly, for collective payment of membership fee of SKBS to EBSA (amount of collective membership fee in the given year is calculated using equation Nx2.00 EUR, where N is amount of SKBS members ( undergraduate students and PhD. students are excluded), which paid membership fee in the former year.
Financial sources of SKBS cannot be used for:
salaries of members and executives of SKBS.
The scientific meetings organized by SKBS are financially provided through bank account of the SKBS. The organizer of the meeting is responsible for not deficit budget. Respective financial profit from the meeting will belong to the SKBS.
The President shall be responsible for the Society proper financial management. The financial management shall be in the care of Secretary. The Secretary shall provide the document on the financial situation at least once a year and in written and oral form at the annual meeting. The Society finances shall be a subject of the inspection of the Audit commission SKBS and be accessible for all SKBS members. The President shall approve all SKBS expenses. The requests related to any payment shall be submitted by Secretary at the hands of President.
6. Association Winding-up
6.1 The Society shall wind up due to its voluntary dissolution. The top body of SKBS shall decide on Society dissolution.
6.2 The Liquidator appointed by the SKBS Commission shall execute the property settlement in case of Society winding up.
In Bratislava December 19, 2014