IUVSTA Procedures Manual
IUVSTA works on a three year cycle, usually known as a Triennium, but formally as a Period. The Triennium begins and ends at a General Meeting, usually held in conjunction with the joint International Vacuum Congress and International Conference on Solid Surfaces (IVC/ICSS).
The financial year starts on 1st January and ends on 31st December of each calendar year.
The General Meeting (GM) is the highest authority of IUVSTA.
General Meetings take two forms, known informally as Triennial full General Meetings and Ordinary General Meetings. Each National Vacuum Society which is a member of IUVSTA may send a Delegation of up to 3 people to a GM.
Triennial full General Meetings occur at the transition between successive Periods at about 3 year intervals.
The Triennial full General Meeting elects the Officers for the coming Triennium and ratifies the national representatives who have been proposed by their National Vacuum Societies as the Councillors and Alternate Councillors for the same Period.
This GM also hears reports on the activities of the previous Triennium; approves activities and an indicative Budget for the coming Period; determines the share value (subscriptions); votes on changes of membership and considers proposed changes to the Statutes and ratifies changes to the By-Laws.
Ordinary General Meetings (Also known as Annual General Meetings) are held during the first half of each financial year. The business of these GMs is related solely to the acceptance of the Financial Accounts for the previous financial year and approving the working budget for the current financial year.
Fuller details on GMs are found here .
The Executive Council administers the affairs of IUVSTA except for business reserved for a General Meeting. It consists of the Officers and Councillors or Alternates. The Officers are: President, two Vice-Presidents (President-Elect and Past President), Secretary General, Treasurer, Scientific Director and Scientific Secretary.
The Executive Council normally meets twice per year and each of these Executive Council Meetings (ECM) is held in a country to which it has been invited by the local National Vacuum Society.
At each ECM the members of the Executive Council hear reports and proposals from the President, Secretary General and Treasurer, as well as from the STD and Divisions, and all of the Committees which will have met during the preceding two days. The Executive Council, being the governing body between GMs, must then ratify, accept or reject proposals submitted to it and make its own determinations where necessary. It also monitors the spending against the Budget and determines the location of future ECMs
Under the direction of the President, the activities of IUVSTA are conducted by the Scientific and Technical Directorate (STD) and various standing or ad hoc committees or groups.
A major role of IUVSTA is to conduct scientific and technical activities. These activities are coordinated by the Scientific and Technical Directorate (STD), working through the scientific Divisions. The STD consists of the Scientific Director, Scientific Secretary, Chairs of Divisions, Chair of the Education Committee and other co-opted experts.
Further information on the STD will be found here.
The current eight Scientific Divisions are
The Divisions are made up of the Divisional Representatives nominated by each National Vacuum Society with an interest in the subject of the Division. These Representatives elect a Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary from amongst themselves.
In addition, there is a Steering Group on Bio-interfaces.
During each triennium the President sets up a number of Committees which are jointly responsible for all of the activities not attended to by the STD.
Standing Committees are at present
Other ad hoc committees or groups may also be set up as required.
Each Committee consists of a Chair, Vice Chair and Secretary (all appointed by the President) and all Councillors or Divisional Representatives who express an interest in serving on that Committee. The Committees normally meet during the two days preceding each ECM. In fact it is common, and welcomed, for as many Councillors as may so wish, to attend the Committee meetings as observers and to contribute to the discussion. In general, other observers, especially from the local National Vacuum Society, are welcome to participate at these meetings. Each Committee then reports to the ECM and/or STD as appropriate.
Terms of Reference of the Committeees are to be found here.