| Charter for Specialized Divisions |
|
|
|
Index
- Introduction
- The role of a Specialized Division
- Objectives
- Activities
- Initiation and establishment of a Specialized Division
- Organization of a Specialized Division
- Membership
- The Board
- Elections
- Terms of Office
- Regulations
- Reporting
- Liaison
- Publications
- Financial support
- Dissolution
- Introduction
- This document is to give guidance for the formation and conduct of Specialized Divisions of the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering.
- The current development in Medical and Biological Engineering leads to a need for intensive work in specific areas but, even more, to the need for linking structures for the dissemination and exchange of information between interested people.
- The Federation has decided to facilitate these developments by the formation of Special Divisions of the Federations, under its Constitution and Bye-laws.
Index
- The Role of a Specialized Division
- A Specialized Division of the Federation may be set up to be concerned with a specific area of Medical and Biological Engineering. Basic and applied research, development, implementation of methods and techniques, and/or organization within the field may be covered by a Division, which must have a clearly defined function and long term objectives.
Index
- Objectives
The objectives of a Specialized Division shall be:
- To stimulate research and application of new developments within a special field of Medical and Biological Engineering.
- To improve co-operation and exchange of information between interested and competent persons working in different countries.
- To promote collaboration between specialists including those belonging to other scientific societies and, in particular, to medical societies.
- Other objectives as approved by the Administrative Council for each Specialized Division.
Index
- Activities
The activities of a Specialized Division may include:
- Planning, promoting and organizing specialized meetings, educational courses, and publications.
- Organizing joint sessions and other activities during the meetings of other scientific bodies.
- Preparing international documents such as guidelines, specifications, procedures and standards, in collaboration with the Publications Committee of the Federation.
- Promoting the exchange of appropriate individuals between research groups and other institutions.
- Establishing or contributing to the establishment of documentation systems.
- Undertaking projects in its own special field.
- On request, acting as a consultant body to the Administrative Council of the Federation.
- If requested by the Administrative Council to do so, acting as a liaison body with other international organizations.
Index
- Initiation and establishment of a Specialized Division
- A proposal for a Specialized Division may be made by the Administrative Council, the General Assembly, a Member organization, or a committee of the Federation. Such a proposal must outline the field of interest of the proposed division and must be sent to the Secretary-General. The Secretary-General will forward it to the Administrative Council and all the Member organizations, with a request for views and for a nomination of an individual who might be asked to serve on the board of such a Division if it were established, and who would be willing to serve, if elected.
- If there appears to be general approval of the concept of a Specialized Division for those with an interest in the proposed topic, the Administrative Council shall appoint a Coordinator to prepare the final proposal for the establishment of the Division.
- With the assistance of the Coordinator, a provisional board shall be set up. Member organizations will then be asked to vote on the nominations previously received for the seven members of the provisional board. The Administrative Council may designate up to two co-opted members to the Board.
- The provisional chairman of the proposed Division will be selected by the Administrative Council from among the successful candidates and co-opted members forming the Board, on the advice of the Co-ordinator and of the Specialized Division and Working Groups Committee. The Board will then proceed to appoint a secretary and treasurer from among their members.
- In conjunction with the provisional Board, the Co-ordinator will then draw up a final proposal which will include:
- the title and scope of the Division
- a provisional plan of activities with an estimate of the required financial support for the first fiscal year and an indication of financial consequences for future years.
- a recommendation as to whether the Division shall be established for a fixed term of years or indefinitely, and.
- the provisional membership of the Board.
- If the proposal is approved by the Administrative Council, the Division shall be established and the Board confirmed.
- The Secretary-General shall write to all Member organizations asking them to participate in the activities of the Specialized Division.
Index
- Organization of a Specialized Division
- Membership
A Specialized Division is composed of individuals (members) within the Affiliated Societies of the Federation who have an interest in the special topic of the Division. In addition, individuals who are not members of any of the Affiliated Societies of the Federation can become full members of the Division. They are called Corresponding Members. Organizations which are not members of the IFMBE or its Affiliated Societies can also become full members of the Division. These are Called Associated Organizations. Individuals and organizations wishing to become members of the Division must send a written application to its Board. Based on its recommendation the Administrative Council of the Federation accepts or rejects the application. An annual membership fee is charged from Corresponding Members and Associated Organizations. The fees for Associated Organizations are based on the IFMBE Affiliate Society fee structure. The fees for the coming year are proposed by the Division Board and set annually by the Administrative Council while processing and approving the Division budget (see section 8 Financial support).
- The Board
The affairs of a Division are administered by a Board consisting of:
- Chairman
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- four Board Members and
- at most two co-opted Members designated by the Administrative Council for a specific term.
- Elections
- Election procedure
- The elected members of the Board of a Division shall be elected by the IFMBE General Assembly and by the Delegates of the Corresponding Members At Large and of the Associated Organisations of that Division from a list of nominated members put forward by the Nominating Committee of that Division.
- At least 120 days before each Ordinary General Assembly Session the IFMBE Secretary-General shall notify the secretaries of each Member Organisation of listed Delegates and shall request notification of any amendments. (NB. The Delegates of IFMBE Member Organizations will be asked to vote in the IFMBE election AND in the Division elections. The Delegates of the Corresponding Members At Large and of the Associated Organisations of a Division being non-IFMBE affiliated can only vote in the election of the Division in question) He shall also request from them the names of any of their individual members which they would wish to have considered for nomination for Board membership of that Division.
- The Secretary-General shall forward to the Chairman and each member of the Nominating Committee of a Division a list of the Delegates and of the suggested names.
- In preparing the list of nominated candidates the Nominating Committee shall first consider the list transmitted. It is then open to the Nominating Committee to add further names to the list from the individual membership of the Membership Organisations of a Divsion, if the Committee considers this to be in the interest of the Division.
- From that list the Nominating Committee shall prepare a final list of individuals for presentation as nominated candidates. If feasible the list should provide at least twice the number of candidates as there are vacancies in the Board of a Division. The consent of each candidate to be nominated shall be obtained in writing by the Chairman of the Nominating Committee before the list is presented.
- The final list shall be presented to the IFMBE General Assembly at its Ordinary Session and to the Delegates of the Corresponding Members At Large and of the Associated Organisations of that Division. Voting shall be by simple majority, any tied vote being determined by the vote of the presiding officer of the IFMBE General Assembly.
- In case a Board position(-s) becomes unfilled, due to a resignation or other circumstances, between two sessions of the General Assembly the position(-s) shall be filled by the candidate(-s) of the previous ordinary election who received the most votes of those unelected.
- The Board shall elect its Officers from amongst its members.
- In determining the number of Delegates of the Corresponding Members At Large and of the Associated Organisations of a Division the same formula is to be applied as for IFMBE Member Organisations (§S12 of IFMBE Byelaws).
- Nominating Committee
Immediately after each Ordinary Session of the IFMBE General Assembly a Nominating Committee shall be established consisting of a Chairman and three members. These appointments shall be done by the IFMBE Administrative Council after consultation with the current Board of the Division in question. The members of the committee shall be Members, Corresponding Members or Associated Members of that Division. The Nominating Committee is responsible for preparing and presenting to the next Ordinary Session of the IFMBE General Assembly and to the Delegates of the Corresponding Members At Large and of the Associated Organisations a list of candidates eligible into the Board of that Division. The Nominating Committee is considered to be dissolved following the election of new Board members of that Division. Membership of a Nominating Committee shall be as widely representative as is feasible.
- Terms of Office
The term of office of any Board Member is six years. A Board Member who has been elected Officer may hold that office for three years. After the initial setting up, the first Officers may hold office for six years. No Member of Officer may be re-elected immediately upon the completion of his/her term Between elections, the Board shall fill Officer vacancies from its elected and co-opted Members, and other vacancies from unsuccessful nominees according to majority. These Members will serve only to the time of the next election. In order to initiate alternate terms of office, the three of the seven originally elected Board Members who received the least majorities will serve till the next election. They cannot run for re-election immediately after completion of their first three-year term. The remaining members of the Board will serve full six-year terms. The terms of the co-opted members are decided by the Administrative Council.
- Regulations
The Board shall formulate guidelines for its activities within the framework of the Constitution and Bye-laws of the Federation. These must be approved by the Administrative Council.
- Reporting
The Board is responsible for all activities of the Specialized Division. At least once a year a written report covering policy, plans, what has been achieved, membership numbers, and income and expenditure shall be prepared and submitted by the chairman to the Administrative Council.
- Liaison
The Vice-President of the Federation or an appointed member of the Administrative Council will act as Liaison Officer with the Specialized Division and may attend the meetings of the Specialized Division.
Index
- Publications
- A Specialized Division shall prepare a report of each seminar or conference held under its auspices and may also publish monographs in the field of concern of the Division. This publication shall be either a separate IFMBE publication or a publication in the Federation Journal. The Division shall be responsible for the editing of the publication. In the case of a separate IFMBE publication, the publication shall be presented to the Publications Committee for approval. The purchase price will be established by the Publications Committee, and the eventual revenues will accrue to the IFMBE. Copies of the publication shall be given without charge to the members of the Administrative Council, the Publications Committee and the Federation Journal editor, where appropriate.
- If the publication is to be published in the Federation Journal, this shall be submitted to the editor of the Journal.
- If a seminar or conference is organized by a Division in cooperation with other societies, the organizers shall publish the report in a joint publication, the cost and eventual revenues being shared between the organizers. Copies of the reports shall be distributed without charge to the Council, Publication Committee and editors of the cooperating societies.
- If the papers presented in the seminars or conference are to be published, each organization has the first right of publication of the papers presented by members of their society and/or presented on their invitation.
Index
- Financial support
- Approval of the establishment of a Specialized Division places responsibility with the Federation for financial support of the Specialized Division up to the extent indicated by the Administrative Council in its approval. The extent of the financial support may be modified at the yearly review of the Division. The Administrative Council shall be responsible only for the financial support which it has authorized.
- The Board of the Division shall be responsible for preparing an estimate of costs for each fiscal year in advance, together with a long term estimate of future expenditures, and for submitting an annual application to the Administrative Council for funding.
- The Board of a Specialized Division may be authorized by the Administrative Council to seek financial assistance for its activities from other sources, for example, through revenues from meetings of special topics arranged by Member organizations following an initiative by the Division. Such funding may not impose conditions on the activities of the Division which would contravene those laid down in this charter or the Constitution and Bye-laws of the Federation
Index
- Dissolution
- The Administrative Council of the Federation may dissolve a Specialized Division at any time if the Division has completed its task or does not conform to the conditions of this charter or fails to achieve satisfactory progress towards its objectives.
Index
Approved by the Administrative Council, September 1993.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
