Regulations

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Regulations

30 March 2011

On the basis of Article 8 of the deed of foundation of 13 February 1987 as amended on 28 September 2011,

the Administrative Board hereby

declares:

Section 1 Organisation

a. The Administrative Board

Article 1 Composition

The Administrative Board shall choose its own members. It shall elect a President as well as one or more Vice-Presidents for a period of office of 4 years.

Article 2 Meetings, decisions

The Administrative Board shall meet at the invitation of the President or, should this not be possible, of the Vice-President as often as business requires but at least once a year or upon the demand of at least three members of the Administrative Board.
An agenda shall be sent out with the invitation at least 20 days in advance.
A quorum shall be constituted if at least half the members are present. Decisions shall be taken on the basis of a majority vote. In the case of a tie, the person chairing the meeting shall have the deciding vote.
Decisions may be taken by postal or e-mail voting and shall be considered passed if the majority of the members of the Administrative Board vote in favour.
Minutes shall be kept of the meetings of the Administrative Board.

Article 3 Tasks

As the supreme body of the Foundation, the Administrative Board shall fulfil the following tasks within the framework of those allotted to it in the deed of foundation:

running the Foundation insofar as this task has not been delegated to a third party;
mandating the Administrator or another suitable person to take care of daily business;
appointing a Scientific Advisor;
electing the members of the Evaluation Committee, with a period of office of 4 years, to review applications;
taking final decisions on whether and to what extent research projects will be funded by the Foundation;
drawing up guidelines for granting research funding, to include selection criteria vis-à-vis research projects, requirements concerning applications, general conditions for granting research funding and obligations on the part of the recipient;
mandating a research team to carry out a project;
concluding sponsorship contracts, as far as possible, with interested circles to ensure the continuation of the Foundation’s work;
deciding on how the Foundation’s assets should be invested;
drawing up an annual budget and financial statements comprising a balance sheet, a profit and loss account and notes to the accounts according to the principles of standard financial reporting;
dealing with public relations or assigning this task to a suitable third party; the public relations work shall be purely for the benefit of the Foundation and shall not favour particular interests.

Article 4 Authorised signature

The President and Vice-President of the Administrative Board and one further person designated by the Board shall have power of dual signature.

Article 5 The Administrator

The Administrator shall prepare the necessary documentation for the Administrative Board and deal with all business that is not allotted to other parties. He or she shall deal with secretarial tasks as well as keeping the books.
He or she shall advise the Administrative Board at their meetings.

Article 6 The Scientific Advisor

The Scientific Advisor shall be consulted on scientific questions and shall represent the Foundation on scientific committees. He or she shall provide information on applications and results of research projects at meetings of the Administrative Board; he or she shall attend these meeting in an advisory capacity.
The Scientific Advisor shall prepare the assessment of the applications by the Evaluation Committee and shall monitor the progress of projects that receive funding. He or she shall also ensure that the project leader submits intermediate and final reports.
The Scientific Advisor shall advise applicants and project leaders and, if necessary, explain the decisions taken by the Administrative Board concerning applications.
He or she shall take care of the production of the 3R-Info-Bulletins and reports on projects that the Foundation has funded on the internet, as well as being responsible for the scientific content of other texts published on the Foundation’s website.

b. Evaluation Committee

Article 7 Composition

The Evaluation Committee shall comprise at least 4 specialists. If possible a balance shall be maintained between areas of expertise and backgrounds (academia, industry, animal protection).
As a rule, new members will be proposed by existing members.
Normally the Administrative Board shall appoint the Scientific Advisor to chair the Evaluation Committee.

Article 8 Tasks

The Evaluation Committee shall be responsible for assessing applications for funding of research projects and shall submit its recommendation for acceptance, with a grant of a certain amount, or rejection of the application to the Administrative Board.
Once a funded project has been completed, the Committee shall assess the results and submit its assessment to the Administrative Board.
The Administrative Board may allot further tasks to the Evaluation Committee.

Article 9 Tasks of the chairperson

The chairperson shall be responsible for processing applications for funding promptly and professionally. He or she will then submit the Committee’s recommendation to the Administrative Board with justification for its opinion.
If necessary, the chairperson may ask a third party to assess a research project.
In preparation for discussions of applications, the chairperson shall distribute copies of the applications to all members of the Evaluation Committee in good time so that they have the opportunity to examine each application thoroughly and form an opinion. The chairperson shall designate a referee for each application.
An expert will be designated by the chairperson to monitor each project funded. This expert shall examine the intermediate and final reports submitted by the project leader and pass his or her opinion on to the other members of the Evaluation Committee.

Article 10 Procedures

The Evaluation Committee shall meet as often as business requires.
The chairperson shall send out invitations to meetings and draw up the agenda. If necessary he or she shall organise postal or e-mail voting.
Decisions shall be taken by majority vote.
Minutes shall be kept of the results of discussions and decisions as well as the main arguments.
Administrative tasks shall be carried out by the Scientific Advisor together with the Administrator of the Foundation. The Scientific Advisor shall draw up reasons for the Evaluation Committee’s recommendations to the Administrative Board.
The Evaluation Committee shall draw up its own guidelines as to how applications are to be assessed and how funded projects are to be monitored. It shall also set out procedures for dealing with unforeseen events during an ongoing project. These guidelines shall be submitted to the Administrative Board for their approval.

c. Appeal process

Article 11 Basic principle

Applicants who do not agree with the Administrative Board’s decision regarding their application shall have the possibility of appealing and obtaining a second decision by the Board.

Article 12 Aim of the appeal process

As part of the appeal process, the applicant shall have the possibility of justifying his or her project in greater depth in the light of the decision taken by the Administrative Board; a re-examination of the project may be requested.
In re-considering its initial decision the Administrative Board shall focus on the following aspects:
1. whether there are sufficient grounds for rejecting the application according to the prevailing stipulations (deed of foundation, regulations, guidelines, priorities, budget);
2. whether, if the application is approved, sufficient funds are guaranteed and appropriate conditions can be fulfilled.

Article 13 Appeal procedure

Any appeal must be submitted to the Administrator’s office in writing within 30 days of receipt of the Administrative Board’s decision. The appeal must include a proposal and justification.
The Administrator’s office shall forward the appeal to the Evaluation Committee for their opinion and offer the appellant the opportunity to express his or her views.
Should the appeal be maintained by the appellant, the chairperson of the Committee and the Administrator shall submit a corresponding proposal to the Administrative Board.
The decision of the Administrative Board shall be binding.

d. Auditors

Article 14 Appointment

An auditor approved under the terms of the Auditors Monitoring Act shall be appointed.

Article 15 Tasks

The auditor shall examine the accounts and financial statements, as well as vouchers and books once a year, in compliance with the stipulations set out in legislation on limited companies.
The auditor shall then report to the Administrative Board.

Section 2 Financial provisions

Article 16 Asset management

The Foundation’s assets, including contributions and yield on capital, shall be invested according to the principles of diligent business management.

Article 17 Appropriation of funds

The money made available to the Foundation shall be used within the framework of the Foundation’s aims, in particular for funding research projects insofar as it is not used to cover operating costs.

Article 18 Guarantee of funding for research projects

The Foundation guarantees research funding as part of its budget to the extent that it can be covered or guaranteed by the Foundation’s assets.

Article 19 Remuneration

The members of the Administrative Board shall receive no remuneration for their work. Travel expenses shall be reimbursed upon presentation of vouchers.
Apart from travel expenses, members of the Evaluation Committee shall receive a maximum of Fr. 200 for attending each meeting. Committee members who monitor research projects shall be paid Fr. 100 per project. External experts shall receive appropriate reimbursement of expenses according to prior arrangement.
Remuneration for the Administrator or the person responsible for running the secretariat and keeping the books, the Scientific Advisor and the auditor shall be set out in contracts with the Administrative Board.

Section 3 Final provisions

Article 20 Reporting

The Administrative Board shall draw up an annual report which shall be submitted to the supervisory body, sponsors and donors and distributed among any other interested parties. The annual report shall be made available to the general public.
The annual report shall provide an overview of the Foundation’s activities and financial situation. It shall include a list of the research projects currently being funded and those completed as well as a list of the Foundation’s publications.

Article 21 Approval

The present Regulations shall be submitted to the supervisory body (the Federal Department of Home Affairs) for their approval.

Article 22 Validity

The present Regulations replace those dating from 15 May 1987.
They shall come into force with the approval of the supervisory body and shall be published on the Foundation’s website.

Berne, 30 March 2011
(most recent amendment 4 December 2014)

For the 3R Research Foundation
sig.
Christine Egerszegi, President of the Administrative Board
Ernst P. Diener, Administrator

Approved by the Federal Department of Home Affairs on 28 September 2011.