CIJ Statutes
CIJ STATUTES
CHAPTER I
General Provisions
ARTICLE 1
Name, nature, object and headquarters
1. The FDUP Legal Research Centre, hereinafter abbreviated as CIJ, is a research and development unit, without legal personality, dedicated to promoting and carrying out scientific research and developing activities for the transmission of knowledge in the field of legal sciences, including an interdisciplinary perspective.
2. CIJ is linked to the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto, as the host institution that it is part of and where the centre is based.
ARTICLE 2
Objectives
The following objectives are pursued in the activity of CIJ:
a) Carrying out actions and research projects on matters covered by the lines of research as may be defined by the Scientific Council of CIJ;
b) Disclosing and debating the results of actions and research projects among the scientific community and the general public, by holding scientific meetings;
c) Holding training courses;
d) Publishing monographic or periodical works;
e) Developing scientific exchange and cooperation with similar national and foreign institutions, including by entering into protocols;
f) Promoting interdisciplinary dialogue and multidisciplinary studies in the scientific domains covered by its different lines of research;
g) Supporting postgraduate students’ research activities when they are part of defined research lines;
h) Collaborating with the host institution in the provision of external services.
CHAPTER II
Researchers
ARTICLE 3
Member researchers
1. The following are CIJ member researchers:
a) Professors and Lecturers at the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto who cumulatively express an interest in joining the Centre and developing scientific activity within the scope defined in article 1 (1) of these Statutes, upon approval by the Scientific Council of CIJ;
b) Other researchers of recognised scientific merit who carry out studies in the lines or areas of research of the Centre and express interest in becoming members, with the approval of the Scientific Council of CIJ, under the proposal of two of its members.
2. Member researchers take the quality of integrated researchers or collaborating researchers.
ARTICLE 4
Jumior Researchers and External Researchers
1. The Scientific Council, upon proposal of at least one of its members, assigns the status of:
a) Junior researcher to students of any of the FDUP teaching degrees who are invited to join one or more research projects developed by the Centre;
b) External researcher to researchers who are invited to join one or more research projects developed by the Centre.
ARTICLE 5
Rights and duties of researchers
1. CIJ researchers are entitled to take part in its activities and, in accordance with the Statutes, in the definition of its scientific policy.
2. CIJ researchers are responsible for:
a) Contributing to the achievement of the Centre’s objectives, allocating to that purpose the agreed percentage of time in developing individual or collective R&D activities within its scope;
b) Performing the management duties for which they are elected or appointed;
c) Timely fulfilling the projects presented by them or the tasks incumbent upon them in collective projects;
d) Scrupulously observing the objectives and ethical-deontological rules of scientific research.
ARTICLE 6
Loss or change of the quality of researcher
1. The quality of a CIJ researcher is lost:
a) On own initiative, by written notice to the Directive Board;
b) By extinction of the formal bond with the FDUP in the cases of article 1 (1) a), unless the Scientific Council decides that the former member should remain as a member of the Centre, after the interested party has expressed their will in this regard, in writing;
c) Upon completion of research projects that justified the admission of junior associate researchers and external associate researchers, upon notice from the Directive Board;
d) By exclusion, in case of serious breach of the duties mentioned in article 5 (2), by decision of the Scientific Council, approved by two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not being counted as such, with the participation of at least at least one third of the body’s members.
2. Without prejudice to the remaining duties set out in article 5 (2), the following are serious breaches of the duties set out in article 5 (2) a):
a) Failure to submit for publication, without justification, at least three scientific works related to the Centre’s research areas, within three years, in the case of integrated researchers, or one work, during the same period, in the case of other researchers, except junior researchers;
b) Failure to take part, without justification, in activities, projects or research lines of the Centre, for one year
CHAPTER III
Organisation
ARTICLE 7
Bodies
The bodies of the CIJ are:
a) The Scientific Council;
b) The Directive Board; and
c) The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee.
ARTICLE 8
Scientific Council
1. The Scientific Council is composed of all the PhD member researchers of the Centre.
2. The Coordinator of the Directive Board chairs the Scientific Council, which elects one Deputy Chairperson and one Secretary, by resolution of two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not counting as such, with the participation of at least one third of the members of the body.
3. The Scientific Council ordinarily meets four times per year and extraordinarily when convened by its Chairperson, on their initiative, at the request of one member of the Directive Board or one third of the members of the Scientific Council.
4. The notices, accompanied by the relevant agendas, are sent by email at least eight calendar days in advance, and a date may be thereby scheduled for holding the meeting on second call.
5. The Scientific Council can only deliberate, on first call, with the presence of the majority of its members.
6. If, at the time scheduled for the meeting of the Scientific Council, the members required to constitute a quorum are not present, the body may meet, on second call, at least 24 hours later, with any number of members present.
7. The Scientific Council may deliberate in person, by telematics or in a hybrid way.
8. The Scientific Council is responsible for:
a) Approving and changing these Statutes;
b) Approving its Statutes;
c) Defining the Centre’s scientific policy;
d) Defining, creating and extinguishing CIJ lines of research, under proposal of the Directive Board;
e) Deciding on the admission, quality and exclusion of researchers;
f) Deciding on maintaining the status in the cases set out in article 6 (1) b);
g) Electing the Coordinator of the Directive Board and appointing the Deputy Coordinators based on the Coordinator’s proposal;
h) Removing the Directive Board, in case of serious breach of its duties, by resolution approved by two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not counting as such, with the participation of at least one third of the members of the body.
i) Appointing the members of the Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee;
j) Electing the coordinators of the research lines;
l) Issuing a binding opinion on the annual activity plan and the budget, to be submitted by the Directive Board in the last quarter of the year prior to that which such documents concern;
m) Issuing an opinion on the annual activity report to be submitted by the Directive Board, in the first quarter of the year following the period to which it relates;
n) Issuing a binding opinion on the Centre’s participation in research projects not included in the activity plan.
ARTICLE 9
Directive Board
1. The Directive Board is made up of one Coordinator and four Vice-Coordinators, who hold a PhD degree, and the Coordinator and at least two of the Vice-Coordinators must be Professors and Lecturers or career researchers at FDUP.
2. The Coordinator of the Directive Board is elected by the Scientific Council, and the Vice-Coordinators are appointed by the Scientific Council under proposal of the Coordinator.
3. The term of office lasts for three years, and each member of the Directive Board may serve no more than two consecutive terms.
4. It is incumbent upon the Directive Board to:
a) Coordinate the Centre’s research policy and activity planning;
b) Prepare the Centre’s activity plans, budgets and activity reports;
c) Approve the allocation of resources to the development of research projects set out in the activity plan;
d) Manage the Centre’s human, material and financial resources;
e) Propose to the Scientific Council the creation and extinction of research lines and projects;
f) Submit proposals for revision of the Statutes for approval by the Scientific Council.
5. It is incumbent upon the Coordinator to:
a) Issue expenditure authorisations;
b) Represent the Centre internally and externally.
6. The Coordinator may delegate some of its duties to other members of the Directive Board.
ARTICLE 10
Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee
1. The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee has between seven and nine members, and is made up of researchers of recognised merit outside the Centre and FDUP, at least half of whom should work in foreign institutions.
2. The members of the Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee are appointed by the Scientific Council, on a proposal from the Directive Board, to serve for a period of three years, and each member may remain in office for no more than six consecutive years.
3. The members of the Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee elect the Chairperson and Secretary.
4. The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee ordinarily meets once per year and, extraordinarily, when convened by its Chairperson, by one third of its members or at the request of the Coordinator of the Directive Board.
5. The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee performs assessment and advisory duties, namely:
a) Monitoring and reviewing the operation of the Centre;
b) Assisting the other bodies in defining the main scientific guidelines;
c) Issuing opinions on the plan and on the annual activity report of the Centre and others as it sees fit, and others that may be requested by the Directive Board.
CHAPTER IV
Financial resources
ARTICLE 11
Financial resources
1. CIJ has its own income, which must be allocated to the scientific activities of the Centre and its researchers.
2. CIJ’s own revenue sources are:
a) Appropriations attributed by public and private entities, national and foreign, including the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and European programmes to support scientific research;
b) Subsidies, allowances, contributions, donations, inheritances and legacies;
c) Those arising from the provision of services and sale of publications;
d) Any others that it may legally obtain.
3. The administrative and financial procedures required to develop CIJ’s activities are, under legal and regulatory terms, carried out by the Services of FDUP and UP.
CHAPTER V
Final provisions
ARTICLE 12
Revision
1. These Statutes can be revised by the Scientific Council, at the request of one third of the members of the Scientific Council or by proposal of the Directive Board.
2. The revision of these Statutes is approved by a majority of two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not counting, provided that it exceeds the majority of the members of the Scientific Council.
ARTICLE 12
Transitional Provisions
1. The term of office of the Directive Board members in office continues until the end of the period for which they were elected.
2. The term of office of the members of the Permanent International Scientific Advisory Committee ends upon entry into force of these Statutes.
ARTICLE 14
Doubts and Omissions
The doubts and omissions of this regulation are subject to the deliberation of the Scientific Council.
ARTICLE 15
Implementation
These Statutes come into force on the day after their approval.
CHAPTER I
General Provisions
ARTICLE 1
Name, nature, object and headquarters
1. The FDUP Legal Research Centre, hereinafter abbreviated as CIJ, is a research and development unit, without legal personality, dedicated to promoting and carrying out scientific research and developing activities for the transmission of knowledge in the field of legal sciences, including an interdisciplinary perspective.
2. CIJ is linked to the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto, as the host institution that it is part of and where the centre is based.
ARTICLE 2
Objectives
The following objectives are pursued in the activity of CIJ:
a) Carrying out actions and research projects on matters covered by the lines of research as may be defined by the Scientific Council of CIJ;
b) Disclosing and debating the results of actions and research projects among the scientific community and the general public, by holding scientific meetings;
c) Holding training courses;
d) Publishing monographic or periodical works;
e) Developing scientific exchange and cooperation with similar national and foreign institutions, including by entering into protocols;
f) Promoting interdisciplinary dialogue and multidisciplinary studies in the scientific domains covered by its different lines of research;
g) Supporting postgraduate students’ research activities when they are part of defined research lines;
h) Collaborating with the host institution in the provision of external services.
CHAPTER II
Researchers
ARTICLE 3
Member researchers
1. The following are CIJ member researchers:
a) Professors and Lecturers at the Faculty of Law of the University of Porto who cumulatively express an interest in joining the Centre and developing scientific activity within the scope defined in article 1 (1) of these Statutes, upon approval by the Scientific Council of CIJ;
b) Other researchers of recognised scientific merit who carry out studies in the lines or areas of research of the Centre and express interest in becoming members, with the approval of the Scientific Council of CIJ, under the proposal of two of its members.
2. Member researchers take the quality of integrated researchers or collaborating researchers.
ARTICLE 4
Jumior Researchers and External Researchers
1. The Scientific Council, upon proposal of at least one of its members, assigns the status of:
a) Junior researcher to students of any of the FDUP teaching degrees who are invited to join one or more research projects developed by the Centre;
b) External researcher to researchers who are invited to join one or more research projects developed by the Centre.
ARTICLE 5
Rights and duties of researchers
1. CIJ researchers are entitled to take part in its activities and, in accordance with the Statutes, in the definition of its scientific policy.
2. CIJ researchers are responsible for:
a) Contributing to the achievement of the Centre’s objectives, allocating to that purpose the agreed percentage of time in developing individual or collective R&D activities within its scope;
b) Performing the management duties for which they are elected or appointed;
c) Timely fulfilling the projects presented by them or the tasks incumbent upon them in collective projects;
d) Scrupulously observing the objectives and ethical-deontological rules of scientific research.
ARTICLE 6
Loss or change of the quality of researcher
1. The quality of a CIJ researcher is lost:
a) On own initiative, by written notice to the Directive Board;
b) By extinction of the formal bond with the FDUP in the cases of article 1 (1) a), unless the Scientific Council decides that the former member should remain as a member of the Centre, after the interested party has expressed their will in this regard, in writing;
c) Upon completion of research projects that justified the admission of junior associate researchers and external associate researchers, upon notice from the Directive Board;
d) By exclusion, in case of serious breach of the duties mentioned in article 5 (2), by decision of the Scientific Council, approved by two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not being counted as such, with the participation of at least at least one third of the body’s members.
2. Without prejudice to the remaining duties set out in article 5 (2), the following are serious breaches of the duties set out in article 5 (2) a):
a) Failure to submit for publication, without justification, at least three scientific works related to the Centre’s research areas, within three years, in the case of integrated researchers, or one work, during the same period, in the case of other researchers, except junior researchers;
b) Failure to take part, without justification, in activities, projects or research lines of the Centre, for one year
CHAPTER III
Organisation
ARTICLE 7
Bodies
The bodies of the CIJ are:
a) The Scientific Council;
b) The Directive Board; and
c) The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee.
ARTICLE 8
Scientific Council
1. The Scientific Council is composed of all the PhD member researchers of the Centre.
2. The Coordinator of the Directive Board chairs the Scientific Council, which elects one Deputy Chairperson and one Secretary, by resolution of two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not counting as such, with the participation of at least one third of the members of the body.
3. The Scientific Council ordinarily meets four times per year and extraordinarily when convened by its Chairperson, on their initiative, at the request of one member of the Directive Board or one third of the members of the Scientific Council.
4. The notices, accompanied by the relevant agendas, are sent by email at least eight calendar days in advance, and a date may be thereby scheduled for holding the meeting on second call.
5. The Scientific Council can only deliberate, on first call, with the presence of the majority of its members.
6. If, at the time scheduled for the meeting of the Scientific Council, the members required to constitute a quorum are not present, the body may meet, on second call, at least 24 hours later, with any number of members present.
7. The Scientific Council may deliberate in person, by telematics or in a hybrid way.
8. The Scientific Council is responsible for:
a) Approving and changing these Statutes;
b) Approving its Statutes;
c) Defining the Centre’s scientific policy;
d) Defining, creating and extinguishing CIJ lines of research, under proposal of the Directive Board;
e) Deciding on the admission, quality and exclusion of researchers;
f) Deciding on maintaining the status in the cases set out in article 6 (1) b);
g) Electing the Coordinator of the Directive Board and appointing the Deputy Coordinators based on the Coordinator’s proposal;
h) Removing the Directive Board, in case of serious breach of its duties, by resolution approved by two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not counting as such, with the participation of at least one third of the members of the body.
i) Appointing the members of the Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee;
j) Electing the coordinators of the research lines;
l) Issuing a binding opinion on the annual activity plan and the budget, to be submitted by the Directive Board in the last quarter of the year prior to that which such documents concern;
m) Issuing an opinion on the annual activity report to be submitted by the Directive Board, in the first quarter of the year following the period to which it relates;
n) Issuing a binding opinion on the Centre’s participation in research projects not included in the activity plan.
ARTICLE 9
Directive Board
1. The Directive Board is made up of one Coordinator and four Vice-Coordinators, who hold a PhD degree, and the Coordinator and at least two of the Vice-Coordinators must be Professors and Lecturers or career researchers at FDUP.
2. The Coordinator of the Directive Board is elected by the Scientific Council, and the Vice-Coordinators are appointed by the Scientific Council under proposal of the Coordinator.
3. The term of office lasts for three years, and each member of the Directive Board may serve no more than two consecutive terms.
4. It is incumbent upon the Directive Board to:
a) Coordinate the Centre’s research policy and activity planning;
b) Prepare the Centre’s activity plans, budgets and activity reports;
c) Approve the allocation of resources to the development of research projects set out in the activity plan;
d) Manage the Centre’s human, material and financial resources;
e) Propose to the Scientific Council the creation and extinction of research lines and projects;
f) Submit proposals for revision of the Statutes for approval by the Scientific Council.
5. It is incumbent upon the Coordinator to:
a) Issue expenditure authorisations;
b) Represent the Centre internally and externally.
6. The Coordinator may delegate some of its duties to other members of the Directive Board.
ARTICLE 10
Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee
1. The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee has between seven and nine members, and is made up of researchers of recognised merit outside the Centre and FDUP, at least half of whom should work in foreign institutions.
2. The members of the Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee are appointed by the Scientific Council, on a proposal from the Directive Board, to serve for a period of three years, and each member may remain in office for no more than six consecutive years.
3. The members of the Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee elect the Chairperson and Secretary.
4. The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee ordinarily meets once per year and, extraordinarily, when convened by its Chairperson, by one third of its members or at the request of the Coordinator of the Directive Board.
5. The Permanent Scientific Advisory Committee performs assessment and advisory duties, namely:
a) Monitoring and reviewing the operation of the Centre;
b) Assisting the other bodies in defining the main scientific guidelines;
c) Issuing opinions on the plan and on the annual activity report of the Centre and others as it sees fit, and others that may be requested by the Directive Board.
CHAPTER IV
Financial resources
ARTICLE 11
Financial resources
1. CIJ has its own income, which must be allocated to the scientific activities of the Centre and its researchers.
2. CIJ’s own revenue sources are:
a) Appropriations attributed by public and private entities, national and foreign, including the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) and European programmes to support scientific research;
b) Subsidies, allowances, contributions, donations, inheritances and legacies;
c) Those arising from the provision of services and sale of publications;
d) Any others that it may legally obtain.
3. The administrative and financial procedures required to develop CIJ’s activities are, under legal and regulatory terms, carried out by the Services of FDUP and UP.
CHAPTER V
Final provisions
ARTICLE 12
Revision
1. These Statutes can be revised by the Scientific Council, at the request of one third of the members of the Scientific Council or by proposal of the Directive Board.
2. The revision of these Statutes is approved by a majority of two thirds of the votes cast, abstentions not counting, provided that it exceeds the majority of the members of the Scientific Council.
ARTICLE 12
Transitional Provisions
1. The term of office of the Directive Board members in office continues until the end of the period for which they were elected.
2. The term of office of the members of the Permanent International Scientific Advisory Committee ends upon entry into force of these Statutes.
ARTICLE 14
Doubts and Omissions
The doubts and omissions of this regulation are subject to the deliberation of the Scientific Council.
ARTICLE 15
Implementation
These Statutes come into force on the day after their approval.