Regulations – ICNIRS.ORG

Regulations of the International Council fo Near Infrared Spectroscopy

1. ICNIRS

There shall be an international learned society called the “INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR NEAR INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY”, which may be abbreviated to “ICNIRS”, and is referred to in these regulations as “the Council”.

2. Objectives

The object of the Council shall be to advance the theory and practice of near infrared spectroscopy by:

(a) Arranging for ICNIRS Conferences to be held every two years, in odd-numbered years

(b) Holding other International Symposia and/or Meetings as appropriate

(c) Taking whatever steps it feels necessary to promote, advance and safeguard the scientific and professional interests involved in the science and technology of near infrared spectroscopy and related fields

(d) Organising educational and training activities in the science and technology of near infrared spectroscopy and related fields

(e) Providing information on ICNIRS activities through a well-maintained website ( https://icnirs.org)

3. Council Language

The official language of the Council is English.

4. Council Membership and Voting Rights

(a) Membership of the Council shall be open to any individual having an interest in near infrared spectroscopy or related fields.

(b) Delegates attending an ICNIRS Conference may become ICNIRS members by paying the membership fee at the same time as the Conference registration fee. Alternatively, individuals can apply for membership by writing to the Council Secretary, enclosing the membership fee.

(d) The membership period shall run from date of payment until the 31st March of the next-odd-numbered year. Members should be reminded just before the expiry date that they need to renew.

(e) A financial member is entitled to vote at a Council General Meeting and to state that he/she is “Member, ICNIRS”.

(f) This Regulation shall take effect from the first day of the 2011 ICNIRS Conference, replacing the previous Regulation 4.*

(g) For the 2009 ICNIRS Conference only, all registered delegates shall be deemed financial members of ICNIRS for the purpose of voting at the 2009 General Council Meeting, and shall remain financial members until the first day of the 2011 ICNIRS Conference.*

* Regulations 4(f) and 4(g) will be removed from the Regulations as from the 2013 ICNIRS Conference.

5. Council Management Committee and Executive

(a) The elected members of the Council Management Committee shall consist of the Executive Members who form the Executive Committee, the Conference President for the next ICNIRS Conference, the Conference President for the current ICNIRS Conference and three other members.

(b) The Executive Committee shall consist of the President, President-Elect, Honorary Secretary, Honorary Treasurer and Immediate Past President

(c) The Council Management Committee will be responsible for the administration of all the business of the Council except when a General Meeting is in session. It may approve guidelines on any topic, and appoint committees as required, with specific responsibilities for such matters as publications, education, etc. The Council Management Committee will appoint the Convenor of such a committee, who will then co-opt other members as required. The office of Convenor of such an appointed committee may be held for a maximum period of eight years.

(d) All positions on the Council Management Committee, except Immediate Past President, current ICNIRS Conference President and next ICNIRS Conference President (see Regulation 5(a)), fall vacant at each biennial General Meeting. The incumbent members of the Committee shall be considered to be automatically nominated until they reach the end of their terms of office (see Regulation 5(k)). Any new nominations must be with the Council Secretary by the commencement of the General Meeting. All nominations shall be seconded. Each new candidate for election should indicate on nomination, his/her willingness to serve. Where an election is necessary, all financial members present at the General Meeting shall be eligible to register a vote (see Regulation 4).

(e) In accepting nomination as an ordinary member of the Council Management Committee, a candidate should be prepared to consider standing for a position on the Executive in the future.

(f) In accepting nomination as President-Elect, candidates accept responsibility for standing for the position of President at the election when the President retires. Should the President resign before his term expires, or for any other reason is unable to serve, the President-Elect shall serve out the remainder of the President’s term.

(g) In the event of a tied vote on any matter being considered by the Council Management Committee, the President shall have the casting vote.

(h) The Council Management Committee may appoint officers with special responsibilities to assist it to carry out specific duties as required. These officers shall be regarded as non-voting members of the Council Management Committee, with the right to attend and contribute to meetings.

(i) The Council Executive Committee shall report to all members of the Council at the General Meeting during an ICNIRS Conference, and at least once by printed circular, e-mail or website posting between Conferences

(j) The President or his/her proxy shall be the Council’s representative to any external bodies.

(k) The maximum number of successive years any member of the Council Management Committee may hold the office of President shall be four years, President-Elect four years, Secretary eight years, Treasurer eight years, Immediate Past President four years and Committee Member six years.

(l) Members of the Council Management Committee who are unable to attend meetings of the Committee may appoint proxies. Such proxies shall be appointed in writing or by e-mail.

(m) A quorum shall consist of not less than half the membership of any committee.

(n) Between General Meetings the Council Management Committee shall conduct the business of the Council.

(o) Between Council Management Committee Meetings, or e-mail conferences, the Executive Committee shall handle Council business.

(p) If a member of the Executive Committee resigns between General Meetings, the Council Management Committee may appoint a replacement until the next General Meeting, when the position shall fall vacant.

6. General Meetings of the Council

The General Meeting of the Council shall be held at the time of the ICNIRS Conference. Delegates attending the General Meeting:

(a) Shall receive reports from, and may make recommendations to, the Council Management Committee.

(b) Shall elect the members of the Council Management Committee, and also four members of the President’s Advisory Committee (see Regulation 12).

(d) May recommend any fees or levies to the Council Management Committee.

(e) May discuss and amend, where agreed, the Regulations of the Council (see Regulation 10).

(f) May discuss and vote on any motion or matter, other than the Regulations of the Council (see Regulation 6(e)), provided notice has been given to the Secretary no later than the start of the current ICNIRS Conference.

(g) If in any biennial period, an ICNIRS Conference is not held, the Council Management Committee will nominate a time and place for a General Meeting of the Council. Members of ICNIRS will receive at least three months’ notice of the Meeting and not more than thirty months will elapse between General Meetings. All agenda items will be circulated at least a month before the Meeting and the President will collate responses. Postal or e-mail ballots may be conducted prior to the meeting.

7. The Council Secretary

The duties of the Secretary of the Council shall include responsibility for:-

(a) Ensuring that a current register of financial members is maintained.

(b) Keeping minutes of General Meetings and Council Management Committee Meetings.

(c) Publicising Council activities by the issuing of notices, through NIR News or as directed by the Council Management Committee.

8. The Council Treasurer

The Treasurer of the Council shall be charged with responsibility for:-

(a) The collection and distribution of Council funds as authorised by the Council Management Committee.

(b) Keeping a proper record of these transactions.

(d) Administering the arrangements for Travel and Emeritus Awards, with assistance from other members of the Council Management Committee as required (see Regulation 11).

9. The Council Finances

(a) The Council Management Committee may charge a levy on all non-student paid registrations at ICNIRS Conferences (currently US$ 0.00).

(b) National or Regional NIR Societies may affiliate with the Council on payment of a biennial fee, as determined by the Council Management Committee from time to time. Payment of this fee will entitle the National or Regional Society to state that it is affiliated with ICNIRS.

10. Resolutions and Regulations

(a) The Council Management Committee or the Council General Meeting may, by resolution, order a postal or e-mail ballot of voting delegates from countries represented at the most recent ICNIRS Conference to resolve any matter. The Secretary shall attempt to contact all concerned.

(b) The Council Management Committee shall appoint the Immediate Past President, or if he/she is unable or unwilling to accept, a previous President of the Council to act as a Returning Officer in any such ballot.

(c) Amendments to these Regulations may only be made at a duly constituted General Meeting of the Council, provided that formal written notice of motion is received by the Council Secretary at least two months prior to a General Meeting.

11. Travel Grants

(a) The Council will provide Travel Grants from time to time, to assist post-graduate students to attend ICNIRS Conferences. These will be known as the John Shenk Travel Grants, in honour of the late John Shenk.The Council may also provide a maximum of two Emeritus Grants, to assist eligible senior scientists, who have retired from full-time paid employment, to attend a given ICNIRS Conference and act as mentors to young scientists, providing research advice in a designated and closed conference session.

(b) The process in 11(a) will be administered by the Treasurer and supervised by the Executive Committee, who will determine the number of John Shenk Travel Grants and the amount for each successful applicant.

(c) The Executive Committee will determine the recipients of the grants, based on the written applications received prior to the advertised closing date, but a grant will only be awarded once to any individual.

12. Awards

(a) The sponsored “Tomas Hirschfeld Award” will be awarded annually, either at the ICNIRS Conference (odd years) or at the International Diffuse Reflectance Conference, Chambersburg, USA (even years).

(b) The ICNIRS Karl Norris Award may be awarded every two years, at the ICNIRS Conference.

(c) The Council may confer the title “Fellow of Near Infrared Spectroscopy” on one individual every two years, at the ICNIRS Conference.

(d) The Council Management Committee will be responsible for administering the Tomas Hirschfeld Award, the ICNIRS Karl Norris Award and the Fellowship Award and for issuing a document, to be updated from time to time as required, listing the description, eligibility and procedures to be followed for managing and presenting the Awards.

13. President’s Advisory Committee

(a) The President’s Advisory Committee (PAC) shall consist of the Council Executive Committee, the Immediate Past President of the PAC, the Conference Presidents of the last two ICNIRS Conferences, and eight elected members.*

(b) The PAC shall be chaired by the Immediate Past President of the Council.

(d) The President of the PAC will retire from the PAC four years after completing his/her term as Immediate Past President of the Council.

(e) The eight elected members will each serve a period of four years, with four of them retiring and four new members elected at the Council General Meeting every two years. The procedures for nomination and election of these members will be the same as for the Council Management Committee (see Regulation 5(d)).

(f) The PAC will provide strategic planning advice to the Council as required.

(g) The President may seek advice from the PAC on any matter of concern to the Council.

(h) The PAC members will vote to determine the annual winner of the Tomas Hirschfeld Award (see Regulation 12(a)).

(i) The PAC members will vote to determine the winner of the biennial Fellowship Award (see Regulation 12(c)).

* The three permanent founding members of the PAC shall continue their membership under existing arrangements until such time as they resign.

14. Hosting of ICNIRS Conferences

The Council Management Committee will provide Conference Organising Committees from host countries with a set of guidelines for running an ICNIRS Conference. These guidelines may be updated from time to time by the Council Management Committee. The Council Management Committee will also, upon request, provide assistance to Conference Organising Committees on any matter, including financial assistance in the early stage of the planning process where appropriate, on condition that the agreed sum is repaid to the Council immediately after the Conference.

ICNIRS recognises that a Conference Organising Committee needs sufficient flexibility to plan and undertake a stimulating and innovative Conference. However, ICNIRS also requires a Conference Organising Committee to agree to meet a set of conditions prior to being granted approval to host a
given Conference.

Countries wishing to host an ICNIRS Conference:

(a) Must notify the Council Secretary in writing of a bid to host a Conference, not less than two months prior to the Council General Meeting that will decide the venue for the Conference in four years’ time.

(b) Must ensure that the prospective Conference Convener or an appointed representative makes an oral presentation at the Council General Meeting referred to in 14(a) on preliminary plans to host the Conference and that, if possible, an on-line presentation is also available for circulation on the
ICNIRS website prior to the Conference where the decision will be made.

(c) Must, on being granted the right to host a given Conference, sign an agreement with ICNIRS which outlines the responsibilities of the host country, including the understanding that ICNIRS reserves the right to withdraw approval to host a Conference if the agreement is not met.

(d) Must notify the Council Secretary of the name of the Conference Convener as soon as he/she is appointed, so that he/she can become a member of the Council Management Committee.

(e) Must form a Conference Organising Committee, including a Secretary and Treasurer, and comprising a Scientific Sub-Committee and other Sub-Committees as appropriate.

(f) Must ensure that absolute control of Conference finances remains in the hands of the Conference Organising Committee, and that all payments are made by resolution of the Committee following presentation of detailed invoices.

(g) Must ensure that a copy of the minutes of each meeting of the Conference Organising Committee is promptly forwarded to all members of the ICNIRS Executive, together with regular updates on financial arrangements and plans for the Conference programme.

(h) Must arrange for the Conference Convener or an appointed representative to make an oral presentation at the Conference immediately prior to the one being hosted giving details of location, date and estimated registration costs.

(i) Must ensure that all Conference delegates are requested to include payment of the ICNIRS membership fee, currently US$50.00 for two years as per Regulation 4(c), and if applicable the Council levy, currently US$0.00, with the Conference registration fee, and that the total amount due to the Council is forwarded not later than one year after the Conference.

(j) Must ensure that a proportion of the Conference profit, as determined by the Conference Organising Committee when its financial affairs are finalised, is paid to the Council for use by the Council as it sees fit, including for the purpose of funding future Travel Awards as per Regulation
11(a).

(k) Must understand that if a Conference makes a loss, that loss is the responsibility of the Conference Organising Committee and not the Council.

(l) Must ensure that a Book of Abstracts, in hard copy form, is provided to each delegate attending the Conference.

(m) Must ensure that a citable Conference Proceedings, in a format agreed with the Council Management Committee, is provided to each delegate following the Conference, and that the
Conference budget allows for editing, management, printing/CD production and distribution in a timely manner.

(n) Must ensure that the procedure for submission, acceptance and rejection of abstracts is kept entirely separate from the registration procedure, as it is a learned society activity and not an administrative one.

(o) Must recognise that poster presentations are equivalent in status to oral presentations, and therefore ensure that posters are displayed for an adequate period (preferably for the duration of the Conference) and are located in a prominent position in the Conference venue, preferably where refreshments are served.

(p) Must ensure that a dedicated and secure website is professionally hosted to provide all up-to-date information about the Conference and to enable submission of abstracts and on-line registration, preferably including payment.

(q) Must arrange, in consultation with the Council Management Committee, to allow a period of at least 90 minutes in the Conference programme for the Council General Meeting, together with time slots for addresses by the winners of the Hirschfeld and ICNIRS Medal awards, and a short presentation on the next Conference.

(r) Must ensure that all publicity material for the Conference includes reference to and the logo of ICNIRS.

15. Dissolution of the Council

If a Council General Meeting has not been held for a period in excess of 50 months, it is the responsibility of the Executive Committee (see Regulation 5(b)) to terminate the Council and dispose of its assets. On this occurrence, the assets will be disposed of to a like-minded international scientific organisation, such as the Society for Applied Spectroscopy, or failing this to a registered charity.

Updated : 11 April 2019