Regulations

Regulations of the Committee of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences
Adopted during the Committee’s plenary meeting on 12.11.2020 [Resolution no. 1/2020]

§1

These regulations of the Committee of Geological Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, further referred to as “Committee” were adopted during the Committee’s plenary meeting on 12.11.2020 [Resolution no. 1/2020] and ratified by Professor Paweł Rowiński, Vice-President of the Polish Academy of Sciences on 12.01.2021. The Committee operates within Division III: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Earth Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences, further referred to as “Division III”.

§2

The range of the Committee’s activities includes geological sciences. The Committee is an autonomous representation of the discipline of Earth and environmental sciences aimed at integrating scientists from all over the country.

§3

Apart from tasks indicated in Art. 36, par. 1 of the Law on the Polish Academy of Sciences from 30. April 2010 (Polish Journal of Laws 2020, pos. 1796), the Committee’s tasks include undertaking all activities as regards the development of the scientific discipline represented by the Committee and utilising its achievements for the good of the country, in particular:

1. Analysing and assessing the condition of science, and commenting on the science policy of the country, chiefly on the developments and research priorities in the disciplines represented by the Committee;
2. Cooperation with government bodies, in particular with the Minister responsible for science and higher education, Minister responsible for education, Council of Higher Education, Polish Accreditation Commission and Council of Scientific Excellence as regards assessment of the state, level and priority of research tasks and development directions in the disciplines represented by the Committee;
3. Initiating research, establishment and development of research institutions in the disciplines represented by the Committee, as well as assessment of their research programmes and range of activities on request of the supervising government bodies and authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences;
4. Cooperation in the popularisation of research and scientific work results, and implementation of research results in the disciplines represented by the Committee in social and economic practice through organisation of discussion panels and scientific meetings;
5. Elaborating expertise appraisals and opinions on matters within the range of the Committee’s activities and issues particularly important for the social-economic and cultural development of the country on commission of government bodies, authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences and the Committee’s own initiative;
6. Expressing opinions on matters related to the level and requirements of scientific publications in the disciplines represented by the Committee and conducting publishing activities;
7. Analysing and assessing teaching programmes, expressing opinions on the scientific training and conducting actions aimed at enhancement of the participation of young research staff in the disciplines represented by the Committee in the country’s scientific life and assuring their development;
8. Initiating and conducting cooperation with international organisations and research centres, and fulfilling, according to the Resolution of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, the function of a national committee for cooperation with international research organisations in the disciplines represented by the Committee;
9. Appointing national sections of international unions and scientific associations;
10. Assessing candidates for corresponding members of the Polish Academy of Sciences in the range of the disciplines represented by the Committee;
11. Submitting and assessing applications for scientific awards in the range of the disciplines represented by the Committee;
12. Cooperation with specialised scientific societies in the range of disciplines represented by the Committee;
13. Other issues, commissioned by the authorities of the Polish Academy of Sciences or undertaken at the request of the Committee.

§4

1. The Committee encompasses specialists in fields in the range of the scientific issues represented by the Committee, elected by the scientific community in disciplines represented by the Committee, in accordance with the Regulations on the election of members and organs of scientific committees, annexed as an attachment to Resolution No. 50/2019 of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences of 17. September 2019, amended by Resolution No. 20/2020 of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences of 19. May 2020, whose uniform text is annexed as an attachment to Resolution No. 21/2020 of the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences of 19. May 2020 (referred to below as “Regulations on the electoral procedures of the members and organs of scientific committees”);
2. The Committee includes also national members of the Polish Academy of Sciences representing the relevant specialities and members of the Polish Young Academy, declaring their participation in the Committee’s activities, or representatives of specialist science associations invited to participate in the Committee’s activities and the honorary president of the Committee and honorary members of the Committee, appointed according to § 5 par. 3 and 4 of these regulations and taking account of § 1 par. 3-5 and 9-10 of the Regulations on the electoral procedures of the members and organs of scientific committees;
3. The Committee may also appoint specialists in scientific, economic and social life; they attain a Committee member status with full powers.
   

§5

1. The electoral procedure of the Committee members and its organs is expressed in the Regulations on the electoral procedures of the members and organs of scientific committees;
2. The Committee members are appointed by the Dean of Division III.
3. The Committee may appoint only one honorary president. The honorary president participates in the plenary meetings of the Committee without a casting vote.
4. On request of the plenary meeting of the Committee, approved by the Dean of Division III, the plenary meeting may, in recognition of the contribution to the works and achievements of the Committee, appoint an honorary president of the Committee.
5. The honorary president of the Committee shall be a person with outstanding achievements in the development of the discipline of Earth and environmental sciences and meritorious for the Committee as its president for at least two terms in office.
6. The position of honorary president of the Committee is entitled to life.
7. The resolution of the plenary meeting related to the selection of the candidate for honorary president shall be adopted on the basis of a simple majority in the presence of at least half of the members of the Committee.
8. The honorary members of the Committee and the honorary presidents of the Committee, elected on the basis of the existing principles, may maintain their status.
   

§6

1. The organs of the Committee include:
   1. the President of the Committee,
   2. the Presidium of the Committee.
2. Meetings of the Presidium of the Committee and the plenary meetings shall take place in Warsaw or in other cities in Poland – following the invitation from relevant universities/faculties or institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
   

§7

1. The President of the Committee convenes meetings of the Presidium of the Committee (not less than four times a year) and plenary meetings (not less than twice a year) and chairs these meetings; moreover, the President of the Committee conducts the current works of the Committee and represents the Committee externally. In case of absence, the President of the Committee shall be replaced by the Vice-President of the Committee, indicated by him/her, or, when this was not possible, by the Dean of Division III.
2. The Presidium of the Committee may perform its activities also with the use of electronic means (tools and techniques, such as: e-mail, on-line meetings, etc.). In special cases, after approval by the Dean of Division III, the Committee meetings shall be conducted by means of data transmission tools with application of the Polish Academy of Science voting system. The protocol of the meeting shall be conveyed to Division III immediately after the meeting.
3. The President of the Committee convenes the plenary meetings of the Committee (and the meeting of the Presidium of the Committee) by notifying the members of the Committee (Presidium of the Committee) and other relevant persons from outside the Committee in electronic or paper form, by sending an invitation with the meeting schedule and materials at least 2 weeks before the meeting.
4. Meetings of the Presidium of the Committee may be convened ad hoc, by notifying all its members in electronic form.
   

§8

1. The Presidium of the Committee comprises:
   1. the President of the Committee;
   2. Vice-Presidents of the Committee (not more than two persons);
2. Members elected during the plenary meeting of the Committee, not more than 3 persons;
3. The Presidium of the Committee may select a secretary of the Committee out of its members;
4. In accordance with par. 4, 5 and 6, persons elected and appointed to the Presidium of the Committee shall be members of the Committee in the term of office in question.
5. The President of the Committee, elected during the first plenary meeting of the Committee in the new term of office, is appointed by the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences after submission of the proposal by the Dean of Division III.
6. The vice-presidents, secretary and members of the Presidium of the Committee, elected during the plenary meeting of the Committee, are appointed by the Dean of Division III.
7. In meetings of the Presidium of the Committee may take part, without a casting vote, the honorary president of the Committee or the honorary members of the Committee, or the presidents of commissions, sections or working groups of the Committee (provided that the Committee has established such units) and the editors-in-chief of the publications of the Committee and representatives of specialist scientific societies. The plenary meeting of the Committee elects and adopts the resolutions with regard to this issue.
   

§9

1. The tasks of the Presidium of the Committee include the supervision of the activities of the Committee, preparation of draft resolutions, adaptation of resolutions in all substantial and regulatory matters related to the functioning of the Committee and accomplishment of its tasks, preparation of work schedules and reports on the activity of the Committee, execution of the resolutions of the plenary meeting of the Committee and undertaking decisions in matters indicated by the plenary meeting of the Committee, Division III, or the Presidium of the Polish Academy of Sciences, provided that these decisions do not require a consent from the plenary meeting of the Committee.
2. Validity of the resolutions of the Presidium of the Committee shall be maintained by a simple voting majority in the presence of at least half of its members. If the votes are evenly divided, the meeting chair shall have the casting vote.
   

§ 10

1. The plenary meetings of the Committee take place whenever necessary, not rarer than twice a year.
2. Validity of the resolutions of the collegial organs of the Committee shall be maintained by a simple voting majority in the presence of at least half of the members of each organ. If the votes are evenly divided, the meeting chair shall have the casting vote.
   

§11

1. For accomplishment of the mandatory tasks of the Committee and those mentioned in § 3, the plenary meeting of the Committee may establish, with a resolution in accordance with § 5 par. 6-9 of the Regulations on the electoral procedures of the members and organs of scientific committees, its internal organisational units: commissions, sections or working groups. The Dean of Division III may report comments or reservations to the resolution on the establishment of commissions, sections or working groups (i.e. internal organisational units).
2. Members of the commissions, sections or working groups are elected following a resolution by the plenary meeting of the Committee. The president, vice-president/-s and secretary, if their appointment is justified, of the commissions, sections or working groups, are appointed by the Dean of Division III.
3. The commissions or sections of the Committee may also include non-members of the Committee.
4. National sections of international unions and scientific societies may act as commissions or sections of the Committee. Their appointment takes place according to the rules specified in the Law on the Polish Academy of Sciences and in the Statute of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
   

§12

1. The Committee supports the high publication standard of the journal Acta Geologica Polonica, along with assessment of its scientific position conducted at least once a year, and supports other journals publishing in all aspects covered by the scientific disciplines represented by the Committee;
2. The Editor-in-chief of the journal supervised by the Committee and the University of Warsaw is appointed by the Dean of Division III, following an agreement with the Dean of the Faculty of Geology, University of Warsaw. Editors and Members of the Editorial Board are appointed by the President of the Committee.