Statutes

Statutes of the Association of Natural Science Museums Switzerland and Liechtenstein

I. NAME AND LOCATION

Art. 1
Under the name Association of Swiss and Liechtenstein Science Museums (hereinafter referred to as the Association), an association exists within the meaning of Articles 60 et seq. of the Swiss Civil Code (ZGB) with its headquarters at the Natural History Museum in Bern.

II. PURPOSE

Art. 2
The Association's purpose is to represent the interests of Swiss science museums vis-à-vis the Association of Swiss Museums (VMS), the Swiss Academy of Sciences (scnat), the federal government, and the public. The Association is politically independent and non-denominational. It operates exclusively for non-profit purposes and renounces any commercial activity or self-help activities.

III. MEMBERSHIP

Art. 3
l All natural science museums and collections in Switzerland and Liechtenstein that recognize and are willing to promote the Association's purpose are eligible to become members of the Association.

2 Admission Criteria:
All institutions with a scientific specimen collection managed by expert curators are eligible to become members of the Association. Given the importance of centralized, long-term collection data collection and maintenance, higher-level national scientific data collection centers with appropriate database managers may become associate members.

3 The Association Assembly sets the annual membership fee.

4 Membership expires upon resignation from the Association.

5 Resignation is by written declaration to the Board of Directors. It is only possible at the end of a calendar year.

6 A member may be expelled only if the member harms the Association's interests. Expulsion only occurs after the member has been heard and is communicated to the member in writing. Expulsion takes effect immediately. The expelled member may contest the expulsion in writing to the Association Assembly within 30 days, after which the Assembly makes the final decision.

IV. BODIES

Art. 4
The bodies of the Association are:
a. Association Assembly
b. Board of Directors
c. Auditors

A. Association Meeting

Article 5
l The ordinary Association Meeting takes place annually; if possible, at the meeting of museum curators.

2 Invitations to the Association Meeting shall be sent by the Board of Directors at least 20 days in advance in writing or by email, stating the agenda items.

3 Motions to be submitted to the Association Meeting must be submitted in writing to the President at least two weeks in advance.

4 An extraordinary Association Meeting shall be convened by resolution of the Board of Directors, at the request of at least one-fifth of the members, or at the request of the auditors. The invitation must be sent in writing or by email at least 10 days before the meeting.

5 The Association Meeting has the following duties and powers:
a. Approval of the minutes of the last Association Meeting;
b. Acceptance of the annual report, the annual financial statements, and the report of the auditors;
c. Discharge of the Board of Directors and the auditors;
d. Determination of the annual budget and annual dues;
e. Election of the President, the other Board members, and the auditors;
f. Consideration of motions from the Board and members;
g. Decisions on items on the agenda;
h. Admission of new members;
i. Amendments to the Articles of Association;
k. Dissolution of the Association.

6 Resolutions of the Association Assembly are passed by open vote with a simple majority. Voting is secret if expressly requested by a majority of the members present. In the event of a tie, the President has the casting vote.

7 All members present have equal voting rights. Each member is entitled to one vote. Representation is not permitted. The museum management, or in the case of university collections, the responsible curators, appoint the representatives. Representatives with voting rights must be employees of the member institutions.

8 The admission of new members requires a two-thirds majority of the votes cast.

9 When passing resolutions regarding the granting of discharge, a legal transaction, or a legal dispute between a member and the Association, the member concerned is excluded from voting rights.

10 Minutes of each meeting's resolutions shall be drawn up.

B. Board of Directors

Article 6
l The Board of Directors shall consist of at least four members, who must be employees of member institutions, of whom one member each from each of the three language regions, if possible, and shall be elected by the General Assembly for a term of three years. Re-election is possible twice. Newly elected members who replace departing members shall serve for the term of office of their predecessor(s).

his predecessor.

2 The Board of Directors has a quorum if at least 50% of the members are present. It is convened at the request of the President or at the request of a Board member. In the event of a tie, the President has the casting vote. Decisions of the Board of Directors are made by a simple majority of those present. Decisions may also be made by circulation.

3 The Board of Directors must consist of:
a. President
b. Vice President
c. Treasurer
d. Associate Members
e. Secretariat: The Board of Directors elects a secretary, who need not be a member of the Board of Directors, who takes the minutes and attends the meetings.

4 The Board of Directors has all powers not expressly delegated to another body of the Association. These powers include, in particular:
a. Preparation and conduct of the ordinary and extraordinary general meetings;
b. Adoption of regulations;
c. Accounting for the association's income and expenditures, as well as its financial situation.
d. In negotiations with third parties or representation on other committees, the Board may appoint members from among its members as representatives. In such cases, the Board must be regularly informed of the status.
e. Establishment of working groups.

f. Recommendations of new members for the attention of the Association Assembly.

5. The Board represents the association externally. Board members sign collectively in pairs, with the President, the Vice President, or the Treasurer.

6. Board members are generally not compensated by the Association for their work. They are entitled to reimbursement of actual expenses. Appropriate compensation may be paid for clearly defined operational tasks or extraordinary expenses. The Board of Directors shall issue appropriate expense and compensation regulations.

C. Auditors

Article 7
l The Association Assembly shall elect a natural or legal person, who need not be a member of the Association, as auditor for a term of four years. Re-election is permitted.

2 The auditor shall audit the accounting and annual financial statements and submit a written report on the audit of the annual financial statements to the Board of Directors, in conjunction with the Association Assembly, and shall submit a motion to the Association Assembly for the granting or refusal of discharge to the Treasurer and the Board of Directors.

V. ASSOCIATION ASSETS

Article 8
l The Association's assets shall consist of the annual contributions of the members, surpluses from the operating accounts, any donations, event contributions, and legacies.

2 The Association's assets shall be solely liable for the Association's liabilities. Personal liability of members for the Association's liabilities is excluded.

VI. AMENDMENTS TO THE STATUTES AND DISSOLUTION

Article 9
1 Amendments to the Statutes shall be decided by the Association Assembly.

2 The Association may be dissolved by a two-thirds majority of the votes cast at the Association Assembly or merged with another legal entity domiciled in Switzerland that is exempt from tax liability due to its non-profit status or public purpose.

3 In the event of dissolution, profits and capital shall be transferred to another legal entity domiciled in Switzerland that is exempt from tax liability due to its non-profit status or public purpose.

VII. ENTRY INTO FORCE OF THE STATUTES

Article 10
These Statutes were approved in their current form at the Founding Meeting held on October 31, 2014, in Lucerne and entered into force immediately. They were most recently amended at the General Meeting held on June 4, 2025, in Lausanne.

This document is a translation of the statutes approved on the June 4, 2025, in Lausanne. In case of doubt, the German statues take precedence.