Statutes of the SCNP
SCANDINAVIAN COLLEGE OF NEURO-PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY
(SCNP)
STATUTES
Originally adopted at the General Assembly on the 12th March 1964.
Statutes amended on 10th March 1972, 16th March 1973, 16th March 1984, 11th April 1991, 5th April 2000, 18th April 2001, 23rd April 2015, and 27 April 2017
§ 1 The name of the Society is Scandinavian College of Neuropsychopharmacology (SCNP). The registered office is the official address of the SCNP Secretariat.
§ 1.1 The Society is registered as a non-profit organisation.
§ 2 The objective of the Society is to promote Scandinavian neuro-psychopharmacological research.
§ 3 Membership of the Society can be obtained by researchers and clinicians from the Nordic Countries i.e. pharmacologists, pharmacists, physiologists, chemists, psychologists, psychiatrists, neurologists or other clinicians who are working with neuro-psychopharmacological research or have demonstrated a special interest for this research discipline.
§ 3.1 Fellows. SCNP Fellows have training or experience in any of the biomedical fields relevant to neuropsychopharmacology. They must demonstrate to the Credentials and Membership Committee their interest and ability in some aspect of Neuropsychopharmacology. Fellows shall be eligible to participate in all activities of SCNP, as well as to vote, hold office, serve as members of committees, propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws, and nominate candidates for officers and members of Council. New Fellows should be proposed by 1 senior member of the Society and recommended for membership.
§ 3.2 Members. SCNP Members shall have training or experience in any of the biomedical fields relevant to basic and clinical neuropsychopharmacology, including psychiatrists with a clinical focus in psychopharmacology. They must demonstrate to the Credentials and Membership Committee their sincere interest and ability in some aspect of neuropsychopharmacology. They need not have any peer reviewed publications. Members shall have voice but are not eligible to vote or hold office. They are eligible to serve as members of committees and propose amendments to the Constitution and By-Laws. New members do not need to be proposed by any senior member of the Society and recommended for membership.
§ 3.3 Corresponding members (outside the Nordic Countries). Corresponding members follows the same guidelines as in §3.2
§3.4 Corporate membership can be obtained by Pharmaceutical Companies, which are entitled to be represented at the Annual Meetings of the Society by 4 participants having the same advantages as Members. In addition, members from the Pharmaceutical Industry have the opportunity to arrange an exhibition, a satellite symposium or other similar activities following separate agreement.
§ 4 The SCNP board. The board of the Society exists of 7 members, representing both basic research- and clinical science. The Board is constituted with 1 member from each of the Nordic countries (including the past-president) with the exception of 2 members from the country representing the largest number of Ordinary Members/Fellows and in addition with 1 member from the pharmaceutical companies.
§ 5 Election of Board Members takes place at the Annual General Assembly. The representatives from each country are separately elected. All Fellows present at the General Assembly have the right to vote.
Board Members are elected for a period of 3 years, however, with the option to be re-elected for an extra period, i.e. a total period of service of 6 years. At each General Assembly, only 4 members of the board can be on election. Among the Board Members elected the General Assembly constitutes a Chairman/President of the Society. The President is elected for a period of 3 years, and can be re-elected for a period of 3 years.
All votes are decided by simple majority.
Apart from the election of the President the Board constitutes itself and establishes new committees. The Board can dissolve committees established by the Board itself.
§ 6 The General Assembly is taking place each year during March or April at the SCNP Annual Meeting and notice is forwarded to the fellows/members of the Society during January/February. The agenda of the General Assembly must include the following items:
1. Election of Chairperson
2. Procedural questions
3. Report from the President
4. Report from the treasurer and auditors report
5. Discharge of obligations for the board
6. Election of board members and chairman if actual
7. Report from the SCNP committee(s) constituted by the General Assembly
8. Report from the Journal, ‘Acta Neuropsychiatrica’.
9. Venue and date for the coming SCNP Annual Meeting
10. Membership fee for next year
11. Other business
With the notice for the General Assembly, the board announces which board members who are on election and which candidates are proposed by the Board. All members of the Society can make proposals for new board members. Such proposals should be received by the Board no later than one month prior to the time of the General Assembly.
At the General Assembly, all members have the right to vote- and to make proposals. Each pharmaceutical company which holds an extraordinary membership is entitled to have one vote.
The General Assembly may be extraordinarily summoned if such decision is made by the General Assembly or if 25% of the members are requesting such summon with a justified agenda. An extraordinary General Assembly can be summoned with no less than 1 day- and no further than 28 days of notice.
§ 7 The annual accounts of the Society are presented at the annual General Assembly. The accounts are audited by a Chartered Accountant.
§ 8 The membership fee is proposed by the board at the annual General Assembly.
§ 9 The board can decide to contribute with economical support to travel- and other expenses to scientific meetings for members of the Society and can as well support research projects and publication of such projects for members of the Society.
§ 10 The SCNP owns and runs the Journal, ’Acta Neuropsychiatrica’. The SCNP board have responsibility to make separate agreements with a publisher and an Editor-in-Chief, who independently of the SCNP will manage the journal. An annual report of the Journal will be presented at the General Assembly.
§ 11 The President and Secretary of the Society manage the activities of the Society and run all these activities through the administrative secretariat of the Society including correspondence and contact to the members. The administrative secretariat is getting paid by fees per separate agreement with the Society.
§ 12 The statutes of the Society can be changed, if more than 2/3 of the votes at the General Assembly decides so. Proposals for such changes must be forwarded to the Board no later than one month prior to the General Assembly and must be forwarded to the members at least 14 days prior to the time of the General Assembly.
The Society can only be dissolved if such decision is made at the General Assembly by more than 2/3 of the votes given by the members present. If less than 2/3 of the members of the society are present an extraordinary General assembly must be summoned and at least 2/3 of the members present on this occasion must vote for the decision.
In case the Society is dissolved it is the responsibility of the Board to decide how to manage the capital of the Society.