Constitution

 

CONSTITUTION AND BYLAWS OF THE INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SEXUAL PLANT REPRODUCTION RESEARCH

 

Article 1. NAME

The name of the organization is "International Association of Sexual Plant Reproduction Research" (IASPRR).

Article 2. PURPOSE

  1. The purpose of the Association is to stimulate scientific research in the domain of Sexual Plant Reproduction and related subjects, and to promote the application of the
    results of such research in agricultural practice.

  2. The Association strives to accomplish these objectives by:
    a) promoting contacts among workers undertaking research in Plant Reproduction and related subjects;
    b) initiating conferences, workshops, schools, courses and databases at which topics in Plant Reproduction and related subjects are introduced and
    discussed;
    c) establishing contacts and cooperation with organizations in related and relevant fields of science aimed at similar general purposes;
    d) maintaining a public website for the exchange of information about the Society and Plant Reproduction research.

  3. The Association shall be organized and operated exclusively for scientific and educational purposes.

  4. Consistent with its not-for-profit nature, the activities of Association shall be carried on without the purpose of gain for its members, and any profits or other accretions to the Association shall be used in furtherance of its purposes.

Article 3. DURATION

  1. The Association is constituted for an indefinite period of time.
  2. The financial year of the Association coincides with the calendar year.

Article 4. MEMBERSHIP

  1. Membership shall be open to all persons and institutions engaged in the study or application of Plant Reproduction research and related subjects. Three categories of members shall be recognized:
    a) Individual Members - individuals, actively engaged in Plant Reproduction research or its applications in agricultural practice;
    b) Corporate Members - institutions, companies, and organizations involved in Plant Reproduction research or its application in agricultural practice. Such
    corporate bodies may only have one individual person representing it in the Association;
    c) Student Membership - individuals with student status enrolled at an academic institution
    d) Honorary Members - distinguished researchers in the Plant Reproduction field who have retired from active professional appointments. Their number shall not
    exceed five at any time.
    e) Supporting Members - individuals, institutions, companies sponsoring the Association.

  2. Membership shall be terminated by:
    a) decease of a member, or, in case of a corporate member, when the corporation
    ceases to exist;
    b) resignation by a member;
    c) notice given by the Organization.

  3. Membership shall be considered lapsed if the annual membership fee is not received by June 1 of the current year. A lapsed membership does not imply immediate
    removal from the email list but precludes a member from voting at a General Assembly. Membership is immediately reinstated upon receipt of the membership fee
    within two years of the most recent payment.

Article 5. BOARD

  1. The Board consists of the President, the Vice-President, the immediate Past President, the Secretary-General and the Treasurer, which latter two offices may be
    held by the same person, and such further Ordinary Members as elected by the General Assembly.

  2. The number of Ordinary Members shall be a minimum of two and a maximum of five.

  3. The composition of the Board shall preferably reflect the different disciplines and geographical distribution represented within the Association.

  4. The President, Secretary-General, Treasurer and Vice-President shall be the Officers of the Association.

  5. The duration of terms is specified in Bylaw C.

  6. The Board shall conduct the business of the Association between meetings of the General Assembly in accordance with the Constitution and Bylaws and the recommendations of the General Assembly. The Board has the power to suspend a Bylaw temporarily subject to the approval of the General Assembly.

  7. The Secretary-General should preferably once between International Conferences  call a meeting of the Officers of the Association in case difficulties should arise in holding such a meeting they may resort to correspondence.

Article 6. GENERAL ASSEMBLY

  1. The affairs of the Association shall be administered by the General Assembly and, on behalf of the General Assembly, by the Board. The General Assembly is the highest
    authority of the Association.

  2. Transactions of the General Assembly shall include:
    a) reports from Officers and the Board including the presentation of audited accounts;
    b) reports from Chairs of committees and working groups and from persons to whom special tasks have been entrusted by the Board or General Assembly;
    c) presentation of and voting on amendments if any, to the Constitution and the Bylaws;
    d) election of Officers and Board; election of Honorary Members;
    e) deciding the membership fee for the next two-year period;
    f) any other relevant business.

  3. All members have the right to attend the General Assembly, to participate in debates and to present proposals for nominations of Board members. In voting each member
    has one vote and may appoint any other person present at the General Assembly to act as their proxy. Authority to act as a proxy must be given in writing to the Board.

  4. Decisions of the General Assembly shall be by simple majority of votes, except for those on amendments to the Constitution and on the dissolution of the Association,
    which shall be transacted as determined by articles 8 and 9. If requested by at least one-third of the members present, or by the Board, voting shall be by secret ballot.

  5. The President and Secretary of the General Assembly shall be the President and Secretary-General of the Board.

Article 7. FINANCE

  1. The finances of the Association shall be acquired by:
    a) membership fees;
    b) profit from properties and transactions;
    c) grants, donations, legacies, and funds received from organizations or individuals.

  2. Members shall pay an annual fee determined by the Board and laid down in the Bylaws. The fees are payable on 1 January each year. Resignation by a member
    does not exempt from the obligation to pay their fees for the year in which they resigned.

  3. A membership is considered lapsed if it remains unpaid by June 1 of the respective membership year. It is reinstated upon receipt of payment.

  4. The funds of the Association shall be held in custody by the Treasurer who shall forward audited accounts to the Board annually. Normally the account shall be established in the country in which the Treasurer resides. However, an exception to this rule shall be made when it involves an uneconomic operation such as the transfer of funds to zones of not-easily-convertible currencies.

Article 8. AMENDMENT OF CONSTITUTION

  1. The Constitution may be amended only at a General Assembly. Amendments may be proposed by the Board or by at least ten members acting in concert. Proposals for amendments must be received at least four months before a General Assembly by the Secretary-General, who shall send them to the membership not later than two months before the General Assembly. The amendments shall take effect immediately on ratification by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.

  2. If a General Assembly cannot be held within the normal period (see Bylaws E) the matter should be put to the membership by e-mail, and presented to the membership for a web-based ballot via the website of the Association. A two-thirds majority of all votes received within one calendar month from the date of e-mail posting is required.

Article 9. DISSOLUTION

  1. The Association shall be dissolved only by a postal ballot among the entire membership and by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast. 

  2. Upon dissolution the Board shall distribute the assets and accrued income of the Association to one or more non-profit organizations with objects akin to its own.

Article 10. DOMICILE

The legal domicile of the Association shall be the place where the Secretary-General conducts the organization's business unless otherwise designated by the Board or General Assembly.

Article 11. REPRESENTATION

The official representative of the Association shall be the President or a person appointed by the President, with approval of the Board. All contracts involving the Association shall be
signed by the President and one other Officer.

Article 12. BYLAWS

     A. Members

1. A candidate for individual member or corporate member of the Association shall send a completed membership application form to the Secretary-General.

2. The Secretary-General shall be empowered to decide whether an application for membership is eligible under Article 4 of the Constitution and shall admit to membership any applicant who is in their opinion eligible. Should there be any doubt, the Officers should decide.

3. Membership may be terminated by decease or by resignation and any member whose annual fees are more than two years in arrears shall be deemed to have resigned, unless otherwise decided by the Board.

     B. Officers and Board

1. The President shall be the Chief Officer of the Society. They shall have the general and active management of the business of the Society. The President shall preside at meetings of the Association and its Board and shall rule on questions of procedure that may arise; ad hoc committees may be appointed at the President's discretion.

2. The Vice-President shall fulfil the duties of the President at any meeting from which the latter is absent and, if that office shall become vacant between two meetings of the General Assembly, they shall serve in interim role until the next General Assembly.

3. In the event of a vacancy occurring through the death or resignation of a Board member, or elevation to the post of President, between two successive General Assemblies, the President, acting on the advice of the Board, shall have power to fill such a vacancy for the unexpired part of the term of office.

4. The Secretary-General shall maintain the records of the Association and its Board, they shall call meetings of the Association and Board as provided for in the Bylaws and be
responsible for all secretarial duties required by the activities of the Association.

5. The Treasurer shall collect and disburse the assets of the Association and shall be responsible for the Association's accounts.

6. Each Member of the Board shall have one vote at all meetings of the Board at which they are present. Participation by remote means (phone, online) is deemed to constitute
presence.

7. A resolution in writing, signed by all Members of the Board entitled to vote on that resolution is valid as if it had been passed at a meeting of the Board.

8. Officers, as such, shall not receive any stated remuneration for their services but, by resolution of the Board, expenses of their attendance may be reimbursed for their
attendance at regular or special meetings of the Board.

      C. Terms of office

1. The President and Vice-President shall each serve for a four-year term generally from one General Assembly to the one four years later. Immediately after their term, the
President shall assume the office of Past-President for four years. The President shall not be eligible for election to any position on the Board until three years have
lapsed from the termination of their services as immediate Past President. The Vice-President shall not be eligible for immediate re-election to the same office but can be
an Ordinary Member or President.

2. The Secretary-General and the Treasurer shall each serve a four-year term, generally from one General Assembly to the one four years later and may be re-elected, but after they have served two consecutive terms of office they shall only be eligible for re-election by special resolution of the General Assembly.

3. Ordinary Members of the Board shall each serve a four-year term, or from one General Assembly to the one four years later and shall be eligible for re-election for two further consecutive terms. After six consecutive terms of office they shall not be eligible for immediate re-election as Ordinary Members but can be elected an Officer.

4. Having served consecutively as Vice-President for one term and as an Ordinary Member of the Board for two terms, or vice versa, a person is not eligible for either office until three years have elapsed.

5. Each term of office commences with the close of the session of the General Assembly at which the election takes place and ends upon adjournment of the General Assembly coinciding with the end of their term.

      D. Nominations and election

1. The Board of the Association serves as a nomination committee and shall, six months before a General Assembly and at least three years after being in office, present to
the Members through the Secretary-General a list of nominations for each office or position on the Board to be filled.

2. The members of the Association may also not less than four months before a General Assembly nominate in writing to the Secretary-General any eligible member of the
Association for each office or position to be filled on the Board. These nominees shall be added to the list drawn up by the nominations committee.

3. The list of nominees shall be presented to the entire membership in the form of a web-based ballot at least two months before the General Assembly. Election shall be
by simple majority of the votes received. In the event of a tie, the election shall be decided by drawing of lots by the President at the General Assembly. 

      E. Meetings

1. The Association shall normally hold an International Conference every two years. The Board shall appoint an organizing committee to be responsible for all arrangements in
connection with the Conference inclusive of the editing and publishing of the Proceedings. The Officers of the Association shall be advisory members of the organizing committee.

2. The International Conference shall have an account separate from those of the Association. The organizing committee shall present to the Board the accounts of the International Conference, which must be audited by the Treasurer. The accounts must be presented not later than one year after the meeting. The responsibility for any deficits and their settlement lies with the organizing committee.

3. During each biennial Conference of the Association a General Assembly shall be held, at which the business affairs of the Association shall be transacted.

4. An Extraordinary General Assembly to transact business of the Association may be called at any time by the Board, and one shall be called if the President receives a requisition for such an Assembly from a total of at least thirty members resident in at least seven separate countries.

5. At a General Assembly or an Extraordinary General Assembly no matter can be decided upon that has not been specifically mentioned in the agenda of the meeting.

6. The members shall be informed of the time and the place of a General Assembly or an Extraordinary General Assembly not later than two months before it is to be held.

7. At all meetings of the Association each member present shall have one vote, and the President shall have a casting vote. Except for decisions described in Articles 8 and 9
of the Constitution, all decisions are made by simple majority of the votes cast. 

8. Forty active members of the Association shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.

      F. Indemnities of the Board Members and Others

Every Ordinary Board Member or Officer of the Society or other person who has undertaken or is about to undertake any liability on behalf of the Society or any company
controlled by it and their heirs, executors and administrators, and estate and effects, respectively, shall from time to time and at all times, be indemnified and saved harmless
out of the funds of the Society, from and against:
  - all costs, charges and expenses that such Board Member, Officer or other person sustains or incurs in or about any action, suit or proceedings that is brought, commenced
or prosecuted against them, or in respect of any act, deed, matter or thing whatsoever made, done or permitted by them, in or about the execution of the duties of their office or
in respect of any such liability;
  - all other costs, charges and expenses which they sustain or incur in or about or in relation to the affairs thereof, except such costs, charges or expenses as are occasioned
by their own willful neglect or default.

      G. Finance

1. The expenses that can be declared by the Treasurer include office expenses, publishing expenses and, with the approval of the Board, special expenses relating to
the operations and activities of the Association.

2. The accounts of the Association shall be balanced as at 31 December each year, and audited accounts shall be forwarded to the Board before 1 May in the following year.

3. The membership fees for individual and corporate members shall be decided by the Board and have to be approved by the General Assembly. They shall be due on 1
January.

      H. General Assemblies

1. The Board shall hold a meeting immediately before each General Assembly. Additional meetings may be called by the President or by a majority of the Board.

2. A majority of the Board shall constitute a quorum.

3. The Board may at any time call technical meetings in addition to the General Assemblies.

4. The business at each Board meeting shall include:
a) reports and proposals by the President, Secretary-General and Treasurer;
b) reports and proposals by the Chair of Committees and Working Groups;
c) setting amounts of membership fees for the next period;
d) examination of applications for membership brought forward by the Secretary-General;
e) examination of proposals for Honorary Memberships.

      I. Committees and relations with other organizations

1. Members of standing committees shall be appointed by the Board. Members of ad hoc committees and observers shall be appointed by the President.

2. The Organization may cooperate with organizations in other fields of science aimed at similar general purposes. Such cooperation may take the form of joint committees
and be by invitation, delegation of observers, etc.

3. Persons with special talents, interest, or experience appropriate to the agenda may be invited by the President to attend meetings of the Organization.

4. Membership of all committees shall be notified to the members of the Association.

     J. Plant Reproduction Research

1. The Association shall scientifically support the international journal Plant Reproduction, related newsletters, and shall encourage its members to use these
journals as the prime international medium of information in the domain of Plant Reproduction research and related fields.

2. Newsletters could be supported by the association.

     K. Web-based ballots

For all matters to be decided by web-based ballot, the Secretary-General shall send an e-mail to each member, and the ballot shall be closed not less than one calendar
months from the date of the e-mail posting.

     L. Amendment of bylaws

1. The Bylaws may be amended at a General Assembly or Extraordinary General Assembly of the Association by simple majority of the votes cast.

2. Amendments to the Bylaws may be proposed by the Board, or by petition to the President by ten or more members of the Association.

     M. Awards

1. Awards Committee

The members of the Awards Committee shall be elected at the General Assembly and membership in the Committee is for six years. The committee shall consist of three Full
Members with staggered terms. The longest serving member of the committee becomes the Chair for the remainder of their 6-year term.

2. The Plant Reproduction Medal

a) The Association shall award the Plant Reproduction Medal to a researcher at an advanced career stage.
b) The Medal shall be given for outstanding research career achievements and leadership contributions to the field of plant reproduction. Special consideration will be
given to the impact of the body of research on the advancement of science and/or the importance of the leadership for the plant reproduction community. Nominees need
not be members of the Association but must have attended at least one IASPRR conference in the past.
c) The Plant Reproduction Medal shall be conferred by decision of the Board of the Association on the recommendation of the Awards Committee.
d) The Medal shall be normally awarded with a maximum frequency of once in four years and shall be presented at the scientific conference of the Association.
e) The recipient of the Plant Reproduction Medal shall be invited to address the members at the annual scientific conference following the one at which the Medal is awarded.
f) A nomination for the Plant Reproduction Medal must be supported by one Full Member and shall be documented with a full curriculum vitae and a citation outlining
the nominee's outstanding career research and leadership contributions to plant reproduction research. These documents must be submitted to the Chair of the Awards Committee by the 1st of February preceding the General Assembly. The Chair of the Awards Committee must send the committee recommendation to the President by the 15th of March preceding the General Assembly, following the process outlined in the Duties Manual.
g) Nominations shall stand for four years but may be revised annually and shall be renewable. Nominations and supporting documents shall remain confidential to the
Committee. After the four-year nomination period, or after the awarding of the Award to a nominee, the nominee's “nomination file” shall be destroyed unless the nomination is renewed.

3. The Early Career Research Award in Plant Reproduction

a) The Association shall award the Early Career Research Award in Plant Reproduction.
b) The Award shall be given for outstanding research contributions to plant reproduction. Special consideration will be given to originality and independence of thought.
Nominees shall have been in an independent, full-time research position for no more than 10 years. Career breaks will be taken into account for the calculation of the
eligibility period (e.g. maternity or parental leave, caregiver’s responsibilities, illness, etc.). Nominees need not be members of the Association but must have attended at
least one IASPRR conference in the past.
c) The Award shall be conferred by decision of the Board of Directors on the recommendation of the Awards Committee.
d) The Award shall be conferred with a maximum frequency of once every two years and presented at the biennial scientific conference of the Association.
e) The recipient of the Early Career Research Award shall be invited to address the members at the scientific conference following at the one at which the award is made.
f) A nomination for the Award must be supported by one Full Member and shall be documented with a full curriculum vitae (with contributions from their independent
research position clearly identified) and a citation outlining the nominee's originality and independence of thought in their outstanding research contributions to plant
reproduction. These documents must be submitted to the Chair of the Awards Committee by the 1st of February preceding the annual meeting of members. The
Chair of the Awards Committee must send the committee recommendation to the President by the 15th of March preceding the annual meeting of members, following
the process outlined in the Duties Manual.
g) Nominations shall stand for two years (as long as it remains within the eligibility time frame), but may be revised annually and shall be renewable. Nominations and
supporting documents shall remain confidential to the Awards Committee. After the two-year nomination period, or after the awarding of the Award to a nominee, the
nominee’s “nomination file” shall be destroyed unless the nomination is renewed.

4. The H.F. Linskens Lecture Award

a) The Society shall award the H.F. Linskens Lecture Award.
b) The H.F. Linskens Lecture Award shall be given for an outstanding oral presentation delivered at the biennial conference of the Association. Nominees shall be students or
postdoctoral fellows within 2 years of their PhD graduation.
c) The Award shall be conferred by decision of the Board on the recommendation of a jury struck by the local organizing committee of the conference.
d) More than one H.F. Linskens Lecture Award can be given at the biennial conference and the number of awards is decided by the local organizing committee as is any
potential monetary component of the award.

5. The M.T.M. Willemse Poster Award

a) The Society shall award the M.T.M. Willemse Poster Award.
b) The M.T.M. Willemse Poster Award shall be given for an outstanding presentation in poster format delivered at the biennial conference of the Association. Nominees shall
be students or postdoctoral fellows within 2 years of their PhD graduation.
c) The Award shall be conferred by decision of the Board on the recommendation of a jury struck by the local organizing committee of the conference.
d) More than one M.T.M. Willemse Poster Award can be given at the biennial conference and the number of awards is decided by the local organizing committee as is any potential monetary component of the award.

Adopted by tye IASPRR General Assembly.
Date: June 23, 2022

 

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