Unofficial translation
Academy of Finland
Rules of Procedure
Decision on 8 December 2009
Chapter 1
BOARD AND PRESIDENT
Section 1
In addition to what is stipulated in the Act on the Academy of Finland (922/2009) and the Decree on the Academy of Finland (979/2009), hereinafter referred to as the Decree, it shall be the duty of the Board:
1) to issue guidelines and provisions on the basis for and preparation of research funding decisions as well as on the evaluation criteria for applications;
2) to decide on Centres of Excellence and on Centre of Excellence programmes, on the Finland Distinguished Professor Programme (FiDiPro) and projects to be selected for it, on Academy Professors and graduate schools;
3) to approve research programmes for launch;
4) to decide on the initiation of negotiations on research collaboration with new countries or organisations that are not involved in research collaboration with Finland or the Academy;
5) to approve agreements that fall within a research council’s scope of activity or proposals regarding these, for which the research council does not have appropriations or budget authority;
6) to decide on the initiation of evaluation projects that fall within the scope of activity of two or more research councils;
7) to issue guidelines and provisions on the use of the working time of Academy Professors and Academy Research Fellows for purposes other than research, on their salaries and on other preconditions related to their work;
8) to appoint Vice Presidents
9) to approve the Academy of Finland Equality Plan;
10) to accept donations and last wills and testaments;
11) to approve the standing orders of the internal audit.
Section 2
The President decides on research cooperation agreements that do not entail a financial commitment, provided that they do not fall within the scope of activity of the Board or a research council. The President also decides on agreements that fall within the scope of activity of two or more research councils in the event that the Board or a research council has allocated appropriations or budget authority to the agreements.
Section 3
When appointing a subcommittee as defined in Section 6 of the Act, the Board shall appoint a Chair, a Vice Chair and other members for the subcommittee. The duties of the subcommittee shall be defined in the appointment decision. The term of a subcommittee ends at the latest at the end of the term of the Board.
Section 4
The performance agreement with the Ministry of Education shall be signed by the Chair of the Board and the President.
Chapter 2
RESEARCH COUNCILS
Section 5
In addition to what is stipulated in the Act and the Decree, it shall be the duty of the research councils:
1) to approve a plan of action and a financial plan for the research council, as well as a plan for the use of the funds allocated to the scope of activity of the research council;
2) to adopt, within the limits of the appropriations and budget authority allocated, international agreements and other science promotion agreements or similar documents that fall within the scope of activity of the research council;
3) to make proposals for the promotion of science;
4) to decide on the awarding of general research grants, funding towards the salaries of Academy Professors and Academy Research Fellows, grants to Postdoctoral Researcher’s projects and Senior Scientists, and support to mobility in working life;
5) to decide on any far-reaching or in principle significant statements that fall within the scope of activity of the research council, insofar as the matter is not the responsibility of the Board;
6) to monitor the results of projects funded by the research council and to approve the final reports on the projects it has funded; and
7) to decide on proposals and statements to be submitted to the Board or the Administration Office.
Section 6
A research council may appoint working groups for the preparation, implementation or monitoring of matters. Outside experts may also be invited to be members of such working groups.
It shall be the task of a research council member, in addition to participating in preparatory work and decision-making, to serve as an expert in matters being processed at the Academy.
Section 7
The Chair of a research council shall decide on the awarding of an additional grant to a project funded by the research council or a subcommittee if the need for the additional grant is due to maternity leave or parental leave, military service or corresponding service, collective agreements, an amendment of a law, or to changes in foreign exchange rates.
The Chair of a research council shall decide on the funding granted towards the salary of an Academy Professor chosen by the Board.
Section 8
The Chair of a research council may submit to the research council for decision any matter on which he or she is to decide in accordance with these Rules of Procedure.
The performance agreement of a research council with the President shall be signed by the Chair of the research council.
Chapter 3
ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
Section 9
The Administration Office shall prepare and execute the decisions made by the Board, the research councils, the subcommittees and the President.
The Administration Office shall make the agreements required for the implementation of decisions made by the Board, a research council and a subcommittee.
The Administration Office shall be headed by the President assisted by the Vice President (Research) and the Vice President (Administration).
Matters pertaining to the Administration Office shall be decided on by the President, unless authority in the matter has been allocated to one of the two Vice Presidents or another public servant of the Administration Office through the provisions of these Rules of Procedure or in the Standing Orders of the Administration Office.
Section 10
The Administration Office is responsible for the tasks stipulated in the Act on Discretionary Government Transfers (688/2001) for a State aid authority with regard to preparation of decisions, payment, supervision, claw-back and other execution of the provisions of the Act that has not been allocated to the the Board, a research council or a subcommittee.
Section 11
The Vice President (Research) is responsible for the Academy’s science policy planning and development of research funding.
The Vice President (Administration) is responsible for the operations and development of the administration of the Academy.
Section 12
The President appoints or hires the Unit Directors and other public servants and employees to whom he or she is an immediate superior, and decides on their outside employment permits and discretionary leaves of absence or leave of absence for an employee.
The Vice Presidents appoint or hire the staff to the Units that are their responsibility and other public servants and employees to whom they are immediate superiors, and decide on their outside employment permits and discretionary leaves of absence or leave of absence for an employee.
The Director of the Administration Unit decides on leave of absence under the provisions of Acts and Decrees or collective agreements, or leave of absence for an employee.
Chapter 4
DECIDING A MATTER IN A MEETING OF THE BOARD, A RESEARCH COUNCIL OR A SUBCOMMITTEE
Section 13
The Board, a research council and a subcommittee shall be convened by their respective Chairs or, in the event that the Chair is prevented from acting, by their Vice Chairs. The call is to be dispatched no later than six days before the meeting.
Section 14
In the event that the Chair of a research council is prevented from acting, the Vice Chair of the research council shall have the right to be present and to speak at a meeting of the Board. The Vice Presidents have the right to be present and to speak at a meeting of the Board. The Chair may invite experts to be heard at a meeting.
The President and the Vice Presidents have the right to be present and to speak at a meeting of a research council. The Chair may invite experts to be heard at a meeting.
The presenting officials on the Board shall be the presenting officials of the Administration Office unless otherwise provided by Act or Decree. The presenting officials in a research council and in a subcommittee shall be the presenting officials of the Administration Office.
Section 15
It is the responsibility of the presenting official to ensure that matters he or she is responsible for handling are prepared and presented as expeditiously as possible and that any necessary clarifications and statements regarding the matter are obtained. It is also the responsibility of the presenting official to ensure compliance with the regulations of the Finnish Act on Cooperation in Government Departments and Agencies (651/1988) and the Government Cooperation Agreement.
Agendas shall be dispatched no later than six days before a meeting. The meeting shall decide on the adoption of any agendas dispatched at a later date or distributed at the beginning of the meeting. The Chair may, for special reasons, decide at the beginning of a meeting that an item on the agenda dispatched will not be dealt with at that meeting.
The presenting official has the right in his or her presentation to deviate from the written agenda, in which case the corresponding changes shall be made in the agenda.
Section 16
Matters shall be decided on at a meeting by a simple majority. If there is a tie, the Chair has the casting vote. If a member’s proposal deviating from the presenting official’s presentation is seconded, a vote shall be taken. If there are more than two proposals, the Chair shall place them in a voting order. The presenting official’s presentation shall be in the last voting.
Voting shall be by open vote. There can be no abstaining from voting. How each has voted shall be recorded in the minutes.
Section 17
A matter shall be tabled in the first handling of the matter if a seconded motion is made regarding tabling. When the matter is being handled for the second time, any decision regarding tabling shall be made by a majority decision.
Section 18
Minutes shall be kept of the decisions made at each meeting. The minutes shall be kept by a person appointed for the task by the Administration Office. The minutes shall be signed by the keeper of the minutes and by each presenting official regarding the matter presented by him or her. The minutes shall be approved by the Chair.
Section 19
Official documents made regarding the decisions of the Board, a research council or a subcommittee shall be signed by the Chair and countersigned by the respective presenting official. Notifications of the decisions recorded in the minutes shall, however, be signed by the respective presenting official singly. Extracts from the minutes shall be issued by the keeper of the minutes.
Section 20
Members and presenting officials have the right to present a dissenting opinion to the decision in the event that the decision deviates from what they have proposed. Such a dissenting opinion shall be stated immediately after the decision. The dissenting opinion shall be submitted in writing no later than a week after the decision. The dissenting opinion shall be signed by the person presenting it, and the Chair shall confirm that it is identical with that stated. The dissenting opinion shall be appended to the minutes. No other statements may be accepted for being appended to the minutes or to a decision.
Chapter 5
DECIDING A MATTER TO BE HANDLED BY THE COUNCIL CHAIR
Section 21
A matter to be presented to the Chair of a research council shall be presented in the form of an agenda or a draft resolution. The presenting official shall be the public servant of the Administration Office whose responsibility it is to prepare the matter. The presenting official shall bear responsibility for the matter being prepared and presented as expeditiously as possible, and for any necessary clarifications and statements regarding the matter being obtained.
In the event that the decision deviates from the proposal of the presenting official, the presenting official has the right to state a dissenting opinion to the decision. The dissenting opinion shall be recorded in the agenda or in the file copy of the decision. The dissenting opinion shall be signed by the presenting official, and the decision-maker shall confirm that it is identical with that stated.
A decision made by the Chair of a research council shall be signed by the Chair and countersigned by the presenting official. If an agenda has been drafted on the matter, and the decision has been recorded in it and the Chair has signed it, a decision notification concerning research funding may be signed by the presenting official alone.
Chapter 6
RESEARCH FUNDING
Section 22
Research grants, discretionary government transfers, and grants shall be declared open for application in accordance with what the Administration Office decides on the basis of general instructions issued by the Board.
Section 23
The Chair of a research council shall decide on the change of the principal investigator of a research project funded by the Academy.
The Administration Office shall decide on the transfer of a research project and related research grants to another organisation.
By decision of the Administration Office, the right to use an Academy research grant may be extended, or other slight changes to the decision may be made, within the framework of the research grant in question.
Section 24
The Administration Office shall, when necessary, issue more detailed instructions and provisions regarding application for funding and use and payment of research grants. The Administration Office also issues instructions regarding the obligation of a researcher who has received funding from the Academy to submit a report on the use of the research grant and on the research work done during the funding period.
Chapter 7
MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
Section 25
The members of the Board, the research councils, as well as subcommittees and working groups, shall be reimbursed for travel costs in accordance with the State’s Travelling Regulations. Outside experts may be paid an expert’s fee in accordance with instructions issued by the Administration Office.
Section 26
More detailed provisions on the Academy of Finland’s financial management are laid down in the Academy of Finland’s Financial Rules.
Chapter 8
ENTRY INTO FORCE
Section 27
These Rules of Procedure enter into force on 1 January 2010. Measures necessary for the implementation of these Rules of Procedure may be undertaken before their entry into force.
These Rules of Procedure repeal the Academy of Finland Rules of Procedure issued on 13 June 2006, as amended.
If handling of a matter concerning research funding or any other matter is in process at the time these Rules of Procedure come into force, further measures shall be transferred to the person who is to deal with the matter in accordance with these Rules of Procedure.
President Markku Mattila
Vice President, Administration Ossi Malmberg