Article 1 - Name and Headquarters
1. The Research and Development Unit known as the Center for Research in Management of Assets and Systems Engineering, hereinafter referred to as RCM2+ or Center, is a Non-profit research and indefinite duration that, in its genesis, is constituted mainly by researchers from the Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra (IPC) and the University Lusophone.
2. The RCM2+ is constituted with headquarters at the Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra (ISEC), of the Instituto Coimbra Polytechnic Institute (IPC), located at Rua Pedro Nunes, 3030-199 Coimbra.
Article 2 - Objectives
1. The main objectives of RCM2+ are to develop Scientific Research and Development Technology (IC&DT), as well as its dissemination and promotion, in the areas of Systems Engineering and Management of Physical Assets, as well as in other scientific areas related to Science and Technology (CT).
2. The following are also specific objectives of the RCM2+:
a) Promote excellence, originality and internationalization of science and technology developed by the Centre's researchers, through the attraction and development of resources qualified human resources, investment in infrastructure and advanced equipment and its application in innovative scientific and technological projects that aim to respond to problems relevant and complex aspects of civil society and public and private organizations;
b) Serve as a reception and professional development center for researchers, creating a environment conducive to scientific creativity, the advancement of knowledge, the appreciation of talent, the development of scientific and technological skills and the progress and consolidation of their careers, through their involvement in multidisciplinary research teams and interdisciplinary and national and international IC&DT projects;
c) Promote, among the scientific community, organizations and the general public, the appreciation and dissemination of the scientific and technological results produced by the Centre, through the organization or collaboration in advanced training initiatives, in events for the dissemination of knowledge and promotion of scientific and technological culture (e.g. conferences, congresses, conferences, seminars, exhibitions, fairs) and the publication of the results achieved in magazines scientific and technological;
d) Promote, internally and externally, the exchange and cooperation between researchers and the society, through its participation in national and international networks of IC&DT, of the establishment of scientific and technological partnerships with national and international organizations of an academic, business or governmental nature, mobility of researchers or promoting a culture of participatory governance.
Article 3 - Research Areas
1. RCM2+ develops, since its inception, its activity centered primarily on the following thematic areas of scientific and technological application:
a) Engineering, Management of Physical Assets and Maintenance;
b) Systems Engineering and Sustainability.
2. IC&TD activities are mainly of an applied nature, based on the integrated knowledge of a common set of scientific tools and methods, namely in the areas of modeling mathematics and the creation and management of technologies, which provides a shared and aggregating perspective among the various activities carried out by its members.
Article 4 - Research Centers
1. The RCM2+ can be made up of several autonomous poles, in Portugal and abroad, namely with the aim of sharing human and material resources and developing strategies joint actions of national and international affirmation.
2. The poles have administrative autonomy.
3. Financial management is determined in an Internal Regulation that will define the respective model of operation.
4. In its genesis it is constituted by the following two poles of human and material resources specifically dedicated to research and development activities subject to RCM2+:
a) Coimbra hub: located at the Center Headquarters and legally subordinated to Instituto Superior de Engenharia de Coimbra (ISEC), from the Instituto Politécnico de Coimbra do (IPC), which is constituted as the main management entity of the RCM2+;
b) Polo de Lisboa: located at Universidade Lusófona, located at Av. do Campo Grande, 376, in Lisbon, and legally subordinated to COFAC - Cooperative of Animation and Cultural Training, Crl., headquartered at Campo Grande, 376, in Lisbon, which is constituted as the management entity of the
RCM2+.
5. The Center's poles may incorporate their own or shared laboratories.
Article 5 - Research Members of the Center
1. RCM2+ members benefit from the human, technical and financial resources available, committing to observe the present statutes and to fulfill the mission, vision and strategy of the Center.
2. RCM2+ members are classified according to the following three categories, in accordance with with the nomenclature for the research and development units of the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT): integrated members; collaborators; and visiting researchers.
3. RCM2+ membership is acquired through a proposal signed by one of its members integrated and after ratification by the Directive and Scientific Boards and implies a minimum allocation percentage of time spent on the Center's activities as defined for this purpose by the FCT.
4. The researchers who want to join the RCM2+ are integrated members, provided that they meet the conditions defined by FCT to be classified in this category and that none of the members integrated countries is fundamentally opposed to such integration.
5. RCM2+ collaborators are researchers who, on a permanent basis, want to join as so dedicate part of their research time to the activities of the Center and none of the members integrated entities manifests a reasoned opposition to this affiliation.
6. RCM2+ visiting researchers are those who, on a temporary basis, wish to join as such, dedicate part of that investigation time to the activities of the Center and none of the members integrated entities manifests a reasoned opposition to this affiliation.
7. Membership ceases with a resignation made in writing or through exoneration by the Board of Directors under proposal of the Scientific Board, namely if check one of the following conditions:
a) Non-compliance with these statutes, the Centre's guiding principles or other norms contained in the regulations or bylaws of the institutions that make up the Center;
b) Non-compliance with contracted research objectives;
c) The continued lack of pursuit of relevant activities within the framework of the Centre's objectives, or marked by the violation of the underlying principles of its constitution;
d) Non-compliance with mandatory identification formalities with the FCT or with the institutions that make up the Center;
e) Assuming behavior contrary to good research practices or the spirit of the Centre, or the lack of participation in its activities and operation.
8. The RCM2+ shall safeguard the freedom of investigation and the spirit of initiative of its members, the which must strive to follow standards of excellence that allow the Center to be recognized
as a Research and Development Unit of national and international reference.
Article 6 - Organic Structure
1. The organic structure of RCM2+ is made up of the following management bodies:
a) Board of Directors;
b) Scientific Council;
c) Internal Assessment Board;
d) Advisory Board.
2. The constitution of the bodies should reflect the relative diversity in the number and time equivalent to
full-time dedicated to the activities of the Center of the integrated members and collaborators of each of the poles.
Article 7 - Board of Directors
1. The Board of Directors is made up of the President and the Vice-Presidents.
2. The decisions of the Board of Directors are taken by a majority of votes, with the President having the vote of quality.
3. It is incumbent upon the President of the Board of Directors:
a) Manage and represent the Centre;
b) Propose the strategic policy for the scientific and technological development of the Centre;
c) Preside over the Board of Directors and call its meetings;
d) Propose the Development Plan for approval by the Board of Directors and the Scientific Board,
in conjunction with the Internal Assessment Board and the Advisory Board;
e) Propose the Budget, Plan and Report of Activities and Accounts for approval by the Board Executive Board and the Scientific Board, in articulation with the Internal Assessment Board and with the
Consulting board;
f) Define the creation or extinction of poles;
g) Propose to the Scientific Council the appointment and dismissal of the members of the Evaluation Council Internal and Advisory Board;
h) Administratively coordinate the tasks and responsibilities related to obligations contractual;
i) All other functions assigned to it by law, regulation or by decision of the management entities of the Centre, through its bodies.
4. The President may appoint a number of Vice-Presidents equal to the number of poles of the Centre, from among the Center's integrated researchers, to assist it in the exercise of its functions.
5. The President may sub-delegate to the Vice-Presidents the powers that prove necessary for a efficient management and representation of the Center, in situations where it deems it convenient, taking into account taking into account the regulations and legal diplomas in force.
4. The President is elected by the integrated members of the Centre, following the presentation of the respective application accompanied by a Program of Action. Elections are made by secret ballot, the candidate who obtains an absolute majority of the votes cast shall be considered elected. In case of no member obtains an absolute majority in the first ballot, a new restricted ballot will be held to the two most voted candidates, the one with the most votes being elected.
5. The term of office of the President is four years, and may be re-elected for another successive term.
Article 8 - Scientific Council
1. The Scientific Council is made up of all integrated members who are in each currently assigned to the Centre, as long as they hold a doctor's degree or are part of the career of research, the career of teaching staff at universities or the career of teaching staff at polytechnic higher education.
2. The Scientific Council is responsible for:
a) Elect the President and Secretary of the Scientific Council;
b) Approve the Development Plan including the strategic policies and objectives of scientific and technological development of the Center, under proposal of the Directive Council;
c) Annually approve the Report and Plan of Activities, the Accounts Report and the Budget;
d) Decide on the integration or exclusion of new members, as well as the creation or extinction of poles;
e) Decide on any amendments to these Statutes, on the proposal of the majority of its members;
f) Propose and approve an internal regulation, which may specifically provide for its functioning in autonomous sections, organized by poles or scientific areas, as well as, in these cases, the existence of a coordinating committee of the Scientific Council;
g) Issuing the opinions requested;
h) Approve the appointment and dismissal of the members of the Internal Assessment Board and the Advisory.
3. The meetings of the Scientific Council must be convened by its President, or by proposal of two integrated members of the Centre, at least five days in advance, whenever possible, containing the corresponding agenda.
4. The Scientific Council cannot deliberate without the presence of, cumulatively, at least 50% of the its members.
5. Minutes of all sessions and meetings shall be drawn up by the Secretary, obligatorily containing the names of the participants and the resolutions taken, with attached the declarations of vote that
eventually presented, duly signed by their authors.
Article 9 - Internal Assessment Board
1. The Internal Assessment Board is made up of an odd number of members, not less than five, appointed by the Board of Directors and approved by the Scientific Board, experts and individuals outside the RCM2+, with recognized scientific competence in the areas of activity of the Centre, and, whenever possible, part of them should carry out their activity in institutions foreign.
2. The Internal Assessment Board is responsible for:
a) Regularly review the functioning of the Centre;
b) Assess and advise, at the request and guidance of the Centre's management bodies, on the functioning of this;
c) Issuing the opinions that are requested or that they deem appropriate, namely on the Report and Plan of Activities, the Accounts Report and the Budget.
Article 10 - Advisory Board
1. The Advisory Board is made up of individuals of recognized merit, national and foreign institutions, to choose from among researchers, professors and professionals, from the scientific or business, with an eminent curriculum in the Centre's areas of activity.
2. The members of the Advisory Board are proposed by the Board of Directors and approved or dismissed
by the Scientific Council.
3. The Advisory Board is responsible for:
a) Advise on the scientific orientation of the Centre's research;
b) Issuing the opinions that are requested or that they deem appropriate, namely on the Activity Report, the Activity Plan, the Accounts Report and the Budget.
Article 11 - Resources
1. The Center has the facilities and equipment specifically assigned to it by the entities to which its members belong in order to pursue its purposes.
2. The Board of Directors, in managing the Centre's resources, must raise the financial means that, together with those obtained by the Center or made available by the entities to which their members, are suitable for the pursuit of the purposes assigned to it.
Article 12 - Scientific Production
1. Publications and other results of scientific production carried out within the scope of research promoted by the Center must properly identify their members' affiliation with this research and development unit.
2. Publications and other research work produced by members of the Center must be sent to the Board of Directors in electronic format, which will publish and file them.
3. The Center may directly provide specialized services to public or private entities.
Article 13 - Entry into Force
The present statutes enter into force immediately after their approval by the competent bodies of the IPC and by the Rector and Administrator of Universidade Lusófona, which must be published in the Diário of the Republic.
Article 14 - Installation Regime
The leaders of the RCM2+, President and Vice-Presidents, in the Centre's first management cycle, will result the direct appointment of ISEC/IPC and Universidade Lusófona.