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ICTAC Statutes
(Revised statutes adopted by the General Assembly in Florida, USA on 16th August 2016)
1. FORMATION AND AIMS
1.1. ICTAC is a Confederation of Affiliated Societies. All of them are National or Regional Thermal Analysis and/or Calorimetry Societies or Groups. They may request affiliation to ICTAC in writing to the Secretary. After approval of this request by Council, Affiliated Societies are required to pay an annual fee based on membership size and to appoint an Affiliate Councillor.
1.2. The aim of the International Confederation for Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry (ICTAC) shall be to promote international understanding and cooperation in these branches of science.
1.3. In particular, ICTAC shall organize International Congresses covering the techniques and applications of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry.
2. MEMBERSHIP
2.1. ICTAC has three types of members, i.e. (i) Individual Members (ii) Institutional or Company Members and (iii) Honorary Members.
2.2. Individual membership of ICTAC is open to all interested individuals, institutions and companies on payment of the appropriate subscription. Students who have not completed their PhD may assess to individual membership at a reduced rate (cf Appendix 1) for a single period of 4 years, provided their status of student is certified by a written (or e-mailed) statement from their Supervisor or Professor. Membership shall begin on January first of the year subsequent to the payment of dues.
2.3. Individual members shall receive all announcements and circulars of ICTAC, have access to any restricted sections of the ICTAC website, and have the right to attend, participate in and vote at Business Meetings held during Congresses.
2.4. Associate Members are members of Affiliated Societies who have not paid the fee to become Individual Members. Together with the latter, they are proposed to participate in the life of ICTAC through the action and reports of their Affiliate Councillor.
2.5. Council may confer lifetime Honorary Membership in recognition of outstanding and sustained service to ICTAC. There shall not be more than six persons in this category at any one time. Membership fees are waived for honorary members.
2.6. Registers of individual or honorary members shall be kept by the Membership Secretary, who shall be responsible for ensuring that each individual or honorary member receives circulars and other publications.
2.7. Individual membership is lost either (i) by lack of payment of the membership fees by the 1st of July of the first year to which the membership relates, or (ii) by decision of Council on proposal of the Executive.
3. ADMINISTRATION
3.1. General administration shall be the responsibility of a Council consisting of an Executive Committee (made up of the five Officers - President, Vice-President, Secretary, Membership Secretary and Treasurer - plus the immediate Past-President and Chairman of the Scientific Commission), one Affiliate Councillor appointed by each Affiliated Society, and up to four Councillors-at-Large appointed by the other members of Council. Honorary members and members of the Advisory Committee are ex-officio non-voting members. No two Affiliate Councillors may be from the same country. All Councillors must be individual members of ICTAC.
3.2. All service as Officers, Members of Council, Committees, Working Groups, Task Groups or Correspondents shall be entirely honorary.
3.3. The legal domicile of ICTAC shall be the place where the Secretary conducts his/her business.
4. ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES
4.1. Should the office of President become vacant between Congresses, the Vice-President shall become acting President. Should the office of Vice-President become vacant, the election of a new Vice-President shall be organized as indicated in item 4.7. Should the offices of Secretary, Membership Secretary or Treasurer become vacant, an acting Secretary, Membership Secretary or Treasurer shall be appointed by Council from among its members until elections can take place (cf Sections 4.4, 4.5 and 4.6). Should the office of Affiliate Councillor become vacant it is the responsibility of the appropriate Affiliated Society to name the replacement subject to the conditions established in Sections 3.1, 4.2 and 4.7. Should the position of Chairman of the Scientific Commission become vacant the replacement shall be appointed by Council.
4.2. The period of service of Council shall be until the end of the Congress after that at which it was selected. The Vice-President shall then become President. The Secretary, Membership Secretary, and Treasurer should normally not be elected for more than one additional term. Affiliate Councillors and Councillors-at-Large may be elected for one additional term only.
4.3. The periods of service of Chairpersons of Committees, Working and Task Groups should normally not be longer than eight years. In special circumstances, the Executive of Council may recommend extension of this period for one additional 4-year term. Whenever possible the resignation of Chairmen of Committees or Editors should correspond to the time of an ICTAC Congress.
4.4. Election of Council members other than the Affiliate Councillors shall take place either by postal or e-mail vote, prior to a Congress, or during the General Assembly at each Congress, and each ICTAC Individual or Honorary Member will have one vote. The choice of an e-mail vote will have to be approved by Council, on proposal of the Executive.
4.5. A Nominating Committee comprised of the Vice-President, the outgoing President, the immediate Past-President (chairing the Committee) and one other member of ICTAC designated by Council will present to Council, at least six months before the Congress a nomination for each of the offices of Vice-President, Secretary, Membership Secretary, Treasurer and Chairman of the Scientific Commission, for the members of the Advisory Committee (taken among immediate past-members of the Executive) and for Councillors-at- Large. Nominations for any Officer may also be made by any 10 Individual or Honorary Members of ICTAC, from at least 4 different countries. Nominations for Councillors-at-Large may be made by any four Individual or Honorary members residing in areas not represented by an Affiliated Society. All nominations from the membership must be in the hands of the Secretary of Council four months before the Congress. All nominations must be accompanied by a statement from the candidate accepting the nomination.
4.6. If more nominations are received than there are vacancies, or if an early vacancy requests it (to be appreciated and decided by the Nominating Committee, except for the vacancy of the position of Vice-President, cf Section 4.7) a vote shall be organized, by post or e-mail, for those offices involved, among the Individual or Honorary members of ICTAC, prior to the Congress. Election shall be by simple majority of the votes cast. For the remaining positions, the vote shall be organized at the General Assembly. Any type of vote (by post, e-mail or at the General Assembly) will take place under the control of a Voting Committee chaired by the Secretary of Council and made up of two other members elected by Council.
4.7 If the vacancy of the position of Vice-President referred to in item 4.1 occurs less than one year before the Congress, the election of a new Vice–President is organized exactly as indicated in items 4.5 and 4.6. If the vacancy occurs earlier, the Nominating Committee is given 3 months to make a proposal to Council. Once this nomination is brought to the knowledge of Council, the membership is given a further 2 months to propose other nominations in the conditions indicated in item 4.5. In any case, a vote by post or e-mail is then organized as indicated in item 4.6.
4.8 The Chairman of the Scientific Commission nominates the Chairmen within the latter Commission, whereas the Executive nominates the Chairmen of the General Committees.
4.9. Each Affiliated Society shall elect one of its members to serve as an Affiliate Councillor. However, should two or more Affiliated Societies exist in the same country, they shall mutually agree on the Councillor to be elected. The President or Secretary of the Society will inform the ICTAC President and Secretary about changes.
4.10. Non-members of ICTAC may not participate in the deliberations of Council. If a member of Council is unable to attend, and a non-member has been formally designated as a replacement, that representative may attend Council to present business on behalf of the absent Council member. The name of a temporary substitute Councillor must be communicated to the Secretary at least four weeks in advance of a meeting of Council, together with an explanation of the need for the substitution.
4.11. The Advisory Committee members have the task of providing their successors with any information, help and advice the latter may feel necessary to fulfil their new duties. In any circumstances, the President may request their advice or propose to them a specific task. Their period of service should normally not be longer than four years.
4.12. Decisions of Council on all major issues of policy shall be submitted to the next General Assembly for ratification. Each member of Council has a single vote and the President a deciding vote: decisions are taken by simple majority. Council has the power to conduct its business by post and/or electronic mail.
4.13. Communication with each country interested in thermal analysis and calorimetry shall be through Affiliated Societies, through other appropriate Societies, or, in countries where neither of these exist, through Correspondents who are willing to accept responsibility for dissemination of information. A list of appropriate Societies and Correspondents shall be kept by the Secretary of ICTAC.
4.14. Council may confer Distinguished Service Awards on persons in recognition of outstanding service to ICTAC.
5. THE SCIENTIFIC COMMISSION AND THE GENERAL COMMITTEES
5.1. Council is empowered to set up Committees, Working Groups and special Task Groups and to split them, after their objectives, into the Scientific Commission (in which case they will report to Council through the Chairman of this Commission) and General Committees which report to Council through the President, Vice-President or Past-President. Committees, Working Groups and Task Groups have well-defined objectives, working plans and a definite time scale. In view of these plans and of their reports over the past four years and on the recommendation of the Chair of the Scientific Commission, Council may decide to stop the activities of such a Group or Committee or to change its status.
5.2. The Secretary of Council shall arrange distribution to Affiliate Societies of regular reports of the Scientific Commission, Committees, Working Groups and special Task Groups and other relevant information.
6. CONGRESSES
6.1. The interval between International Congresses on Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry shall be four years. As much as possible, no two successive Congresses shall be held in the same region of the world.
6.2. In the organization of Congresses, Council shall have the assistance of an Organizing Committee in the host country.
6.3. Invitations from intending host countries must be in the hands of the Secretary of Council at least four weeks before the preceding Congress. Only an invitation from an ICTAC Affiliated Society with a record of successful National meetings can be considered.
6.4. All invitations shall be assessed by Council who shall make a decision for the venue of the next Congress before the General Assembly at each Congress.
6.5. Council shall then nominate the Chairman of the next Congress Organizing Committee who, if not already a member, shall become an ex-officio member of Council. The Congress Organizing Committee is an ICTAC General Committee.
6.6. The composition of the Congress Organizing Committee shall be determined by its Chairman in consultation with the appropriate National Society and with interested scientists in his own country. The Executive Committee of ICTAC shall be ordinary members ex officio.
6.7. At least one General Assembly must be held during each Congress. The Chairman and Secretary of the assembly shall be the President and Secretary of Council. Only Individual and Honorary ICTAC members have the right to vote.
6.8. The Executive, with the approval of Council, shall provide Guidelines for the Organization of Congresses, covering the basic requirements for the scientific, social and accompanying persons’ programmes, invited lecturers, financial management, publicity, accommodation and publication of the Proceedings. The Guidelines will be regularly revised with the assistance of the Chairman of the previous Organizing Committee.
6.9. The Chairman of the Congress Organizing Committee shall consult with the Chairman of the Scientific Commission on the details of the scientific programme and the invitation of plenary lecturers. He shall also consult with the Chairman of the Awards Committee on the accommodation of the Awards Lectures in the programme.
6.10. At each Congress there shall be a Robert Mackenzie Memorial Lecture. The Lecturer shall be chosen by the Executive Committee in consultation with the Awards Committee and the Lecturer will receive an honorarium from ICTAC funds.
6.11. The Organizing Committee shall be assisted in all matters of publicity by Council and the Scientific and General Commissions.
6.12. Each Congress Organizing Committee shall set the Congress Fee at such a level that there will be a minimum estimated surplus (currently the equivalent of 5000 Swiss Francs) to assist with administration, etc., between Congresses. An additional amount equal to the membership rate shall be added to the registration fee. This levy will be transferred to the ICTAC Treasurer immediately after the Congress, thus covering the membership fees of all participants for the interval between Congresses.
6.13. For activities in the host country, the Congress Organizing Committee shall have a separate account into which shall be paid all moneys received for that Congress and from which shall be paid all debts incurred. This account shall be administered by the Organizing Committee and after each Congress a properly audited statement shall be submitted to Council.
6.14. The surplus funds (see Section 6.12) from each Congress, after payment of all just and lawful debts, shall be remitted expeditiously to the Treasurer along with a signed statement from the auditors confirming its accuracy.
6.15. The Treasurer shall disburse to the Organizing Committee for the next Congress such a sum as Council shall decide is necessary for preliminary organization.
7. GENERAL FINANCES
7.1. Membership fees, including fees of Affiliate Societies, shall be reviewed from time to time by Council. Fees currently approved by Council are shown in Appendix 1.
7.2. The Treasurer shall be responsible for all ICTAC funds. The Treasurer is empowered to operate bank accounts in the name of the Confederation and should ensure that the reserve funds are invested in the most advantageous manner.
7.3. The accounts shall be audited every second year, including the year preceding the Congress, by auditors in the country of the Treasurer and appointed by Council. Accounts shall be made up as of the 31st of December and a properly audited statement presented to Council by 1st May of the succeeding year.
7.4. Before incurring any expenditures to be paid from ICTAC general funds, Committees, Working Groups and Task Groups must obtain the sanction of the Executive Committee.
8. AMENDMENTS TO STATUTES
8.1. Amendments to the Statutes proposed by Council may be presented and discussed at a General Assembly of a Congress. If an amendment is approved by two-thirds of the members voting, it shall be adopted, unless a postal ballot is demanded by fifteen members present representing at least four different nations. Council may also directly propose a ballot by post or e-mail.
8.2. Amendments to the Statutes, other than those covered by Section 8.1., and any proposal for dissolution of the Confederation must bear the signatures of at least six members, be received by the Secretary of Council at least nine calendar months before a Congress and notified to members, along with any comments of Council and a ballot paper, at least six weeks prior to the Congress.
8.3. Proposals subject to a ballot shall come into force if accepted by two-thirds of all members voting.
9. DISSOLUTION
9.1. In the event of dissolution of ICTAC, disposal of funds shall be decided by Council. Such funds must not be used for personal gain, but only for the advancement of science.
APPENDIX 1 - CURRENT SCHEDULE OF FEES
Membership fees shall pertain to the four year intervals between Congresses and shall be as follows:
Swiss Francs (a) Individual Members 100 (b) Institutional or Company Member 200 (c) Affiliated Society (<100 members) 320(d) Affiliated Society (>100 members) 480or the equivalents of this in other readily convertible currencies as established at the beginning of each year by the Membership Secretary.
APPENDIX 2 - PROCEDURE AT ICTAC COUNCIL MEETINGS
Meetings shall be conducted in accordance with procedures as published in the current edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order”, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
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