The Articles of Association of CULSS

Chapter 1 General Rules
Article 1: The life sciences are a fast-growing frontier field involving many scientific disciplines which strongly influence the health, economic growth, and social development of human beings. It is one of the basic natural science fields attracting the most attention in today's world. In recent years, Chinese scientists in the life sciences have achieved remarkable accomplishments thanks to the active and critical role played by various life science societies in driving the development of theirrespective disciplines. As proposed by the Chinese Association of Science and Technology (CAST), The China Union of Life Science Societies (hereafter referred to as “The Union”) was officially formed with 11 life science societies as founding members with a charter to enhance communication and resource sharing between different societies, to strengthen the international influence of China's life science community, to better undertake functions transferred from the government, and to accelerate the development of the societies themselves. ”
Chinese name: 中国科协生命科学学会联合体
English name: China Union of Life Science Societies
Article 2: The Union was initiated and founded by the national societies within CAST based on the principles of "voluntary participation, equality, and cooperation". All societies within the life sciences may apply for a membership on a voluntary basis. The organization's mission is to promote innovation and scientific development without interfering with the work of the member organizations. To meet this goal, The Union will explore innovative management models to promote resource sharing, science popularization, academic exchange, and improvements within each member society, through training, consultancy, and joint development. Through these activities, The Union will enhance life science research and development, contributing to human health, knowledge and culture, and the economic and social development of China. The administrative duties of The Union will be carried out by designated personnel from each society on a rotating basis.
Article 3: The Union's tenet is "fairness, cooperation, responsibility, and development". The Union is subject to the supervision of all member societies.
Article 4: The Union abides by the Constitution, laws, regulations, and public policies of the People's Republic of China, and enforces the government's principles and policies regarding the development of scientific societies.
Article 5: The Union is subject to the guidance, supervision and management of the CAST regarding its business and operation.

Chapter 2 Tasks
Article 6: The Union's core tasks are to unite research personnel in the life sciences and to promote the prosperity and development of the life sciences in China; to create and refine a mechanism for the sharing of academic and human resources, to promote the growth and improvement of scientific personnel, and to better train young research talent; to enhance communication among government authorities so as to promote the transfer of government functions to the societies, to push forward the harmonious development of the member societies, and to increase the ability of the societies to undertake the functions transferred from the government; to promote the popularization and promotion of sciences and technologies, and to strengthen the industry-university-research connection; to deepen domestic and international cooperation and exchange, to increase the overall national competitiveness of the member life science societies, and to better serve national economic growth, the improvement of the scientific quality of the general public, and all the scientific personnel dedicated to life sciences.
1. To organize and design a strategy for The Union regarding innovation and development, leverage the advantages of each member society, organize and implement academic exchange, science popularization and talent training programs, and push forward the healthy growth of The Union;
2. To establish an academic conference platform through a resource a sharing mechanism built between all member groups to jointly hold academic workshops, thereby accelerating the interdisciplinary exchanges and science and technology cooperation.
3. To assist member societies in sponsoring or hosting large-scale international academic conferences by jointly hosting, co-organizing, or providing funding, with a specific aim to establish the top ranked international conferences in various disciplines in China; to encourage research personnel from related disciplines within The Union to attend such conferences; to consistently upgrade the international academic position of China's life science community as a whole; and to promote the voice of Chinese science in international academic fields.
4. To share expertise among the member societies of The Union, to organize and launch programs to train innovative talent for The Union, to create channels for personnel training, exchange and cooperation, to build a think tank for the life sciences, and to advance the formation of a talent alliance;
5. To encourage The Union's member societies to launch joint activities for technology transfer and promotion of technologies, to promote industry-university-research connections, to realize the effective utilization of resources, and to improve the influence and increase the market share of life science related industries in China;
6. To create and refine a long-term mechanism for science popularization for The Union, and to organize and implement popular science programs aiming to improve the scientific literacy of the general public;
7. To undertake in a positive manner the functions transferred by the government, and to play certain roles in proposing rational recommendations to the government in designing relevant policy and in implementing major projects;
8. To be engaged in other relevant activities upon approval by the presidium of The Union.

Chapter 3 Organizational Structure
Article 7: The managing organization of The Union consists of the presidium and the secretariat.
Article 8: The Union's presidium shall be the decision-making and leadership body. Each member society shall recommend one qualified candidate to sit on the presidium, who shall be president of the society in principle. The presidium shall have one president and one secretary general. The term of office for the president and secretary general of the presidium shall be one year.
The presidium shall meet at least once a year. The meetingshall beheld only with a quorum of at least two thirds or more of the presidium members, which shall be presided over by the president. Resolutions shall come into force only when they are determined and passed by presidium members representing two-thirds or more of those with voting rights. If circumstances require, the meeting may be held through electronic communications. When a presidium member is unable to attend a meeting to vote, he or she may appoint a representative to vote on his or her behalf.
Article 9: Responsibilities of the presidium
1. To approve amendments to The Union’s Articles of Association;
2. To provide guidance regarding the business of The Union, to make decisions on major affairs, and to coordinate the unanimous operations of The Union;
3. To review and approve The Union's annual work plan and major programs;
4. To review and approve applications submitted by relevant organizations to join or withdraw from The Union;
5. To make decisions on the alteration and termination of The Union;
6. To review miscellaneous matters submitted by Union's members.
Article 10: Terms of office of The Union's president:
1. To convene and preside over the presidium's meetings;
2. To review the implementation of the presidium's resolutions;
3. To sign relevant important documents on behalf of The Union.
Article 11: The presidium shall establish a subordinate Academic Advisory Council consisting of experts from relevant fields engaged by the presidium.
Article 12: The duty of the Academic Advisory Council is to provide advice and guidance for the development of The Union and its academic activities.
Article 13: The secretariat is the administrative body of The Union. The secretary general is appointed on a yearly rotating basis. The secretariat has several deputy secretaries general, who are nominated by the secretary general and appointed by the presidium.
Article 14: Function and power of the secretariat:
1. To draft resolutions for The Union, to organize, manage, and coordinate various types of work of The Union, and to set up ad hoc groups to conduct special activities in accordance with collaborative programs;
2. To formulate internal management rules and regulations;
3. To prepare and convene the presidium's meetings;
4. To prepare and implement work plans, projects, and relevant activities;
5. To coordinate work conducted by different departments of The Union;
6. To compile and publish newsletters on a regular basis;
7. To accept applications submitted by relevant organizations for joining The Union, to provide initial review on qualifications of the applicant organizations, and to submit the applications to the presidium for review and approval;
8. To propose the removal of Union members that have infringed upon the rules of The Union in accordance with relevant rules and regulations, to accept the applications of members for withdrawal from The Union, and to submit relevant matters to the presidium for review and approval;
9. To be engaged in miscellaneous matters as requested by the presidium.

Chapter 4 The Union's Membership
Article 15: The Union consists of members who initiate the association and voluntarily join the Union. The member units are national social organizations, enterprises, scientific research institutions, andinstitutions of higher learning that are legally registered in China. The Presidium Bureau has the right to invite relevant units to join the Union according to development needs.
Article 16: Joining procedure: the applicant society shall submit the relevant application (complete the Membership Application Form for The Union), the qualifications of the applicantshall be reviewed and recognized by the presidium; Upon approval, the society shall be accepted as a member society of The Union.
Article 17: Withdrawal procedure: The member society shall notify the secretariat in writing, thirty days in advance of the intended withdrawal date.
Article 18: If a member society seriously violates the Articles of Association or The Union's Code of Conduct, exhibiting behaviour contrary to professional ethics, its membership shall be cancelled upon a simple majority vote of the presidium. In case a member society fails to fulfill its obligations to The Union, the presidium may encourage the relevant society to withdraw from The Union.
Article 19: The rights of member societies of The Union:
1. To participate in The Union's activities;
2. To enjoy the right to make proposals and to supervise The Union's work;
3. To withdraw from The Union at will.
Article 20: Obligations of The Union's member societies:
1. To abide by The Union's Articles of Association and execute The Union's resolutions;
2. To actively participate in the innovation activities of The Union and to improve their own innovative ability;
3. To accomplish the work entrusted to them as designated by The Union;
4. To submit demands and information to The Union;
5. To share resources in terms of equipment and facilities, et cetera, on a compensation basis.

Chapter 5 Funds and Assets
Article 21: Funding sources of The Union:
1. Grants from the government;
2. Income from commissioned projects;
3. Income from activities organized within the business scope, as approved;
4. Donations from domestic and international organizations, enterprises, and individuals;
5. Other legitimate income.
Article 22: The allocation of The Union's funds and assets shall conform to The Union's tenets and business scope as well as to the applicable national and provincial/municipal regulations.
Article 23: The Union's presidium is the supreme authority in deciding the allocation ofThe Union's financial resources, which authorizes The Union's secretariat to exert routine financial control and to establish a strict financial management system on its behalf.

Chapter 6 Bylaws
Article 24: Amendments to The Union's Articles of Association shall be approved by a simple majority vote of the presidium's members.
Article 25: To affect dissolution of The Union due to volition or due to division, merger, or any other causes, a resolution for terminationshall be proposed by the presidium and approved through a vote.
Article 26: On the occasion of The Union’s dissolution, surplus assets of The Union shall be liquidated in accordance with relevant government regulations.
Article 27: The right to interpret this Articles of Association shall belong to The Union's presidium.
Article 28: The Articles of Association shall come into force when it is approved by the presidium through consultation.