Rules of Procedure for the Walther-Meißner-Institute (WMI)

The Walther-Meißner-Institute for Low Temperature Research (WMI) in Garching near Munich is an institute of the Academy (Section 22 of the BAdW Statutes). The WMI has its own budget item within the Academy’s budget and manages its affairs independently. It adopts these Rules of Procedure in accordance with Section 21 of the BAdW’s Statutes of 1 October 2015

(1) The WMI is divided into research departments, whose fields of research are intended to complement one another, and into shared facilities (workshops, administration, library, IT and others).

(2) The WMI carries out research in the field of low-temperature and quantum physics in collaboration with the professorial chairs and institutes of Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), as well as other national and international research institutes and industry partners.

(3) It develops techniques for generating low temperatures, as well as apparatus and methods for conducting low-temperature experiments.

(4) It serves to provide training and further education in the fields of low-temperature and quantum physics, as well as cryogenics.

(5) It operates a helium liquefaction plant to supply Munich’s universities with liquid helium.

(1) The duties of the project committee within the meaning of Section 18 of the BAdW’s Statutes are carried out at the WMI, as set out below, by the Management Board of the Walther-Meißner-Institute (hereinafter referred to as the WMI Management Board).

(2) The duties of the project advisory board within the meaning of Section 19 of the BAdW’s Statutes shall be performed by the Advisory Board of the Walther-Meißner-Institute (hereinafter referred to as the WMI Advisory Board).

(1) The WMI is managed, both academically and administratively, by the Management Board. The WMI Management Board consists of the Institute’s academic staff in management roles (directors at the Institute) and two non-voting members of the Institute.

(2) The directors at the Institute are professors holding chairs at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) or the Technical University of Munich (TUM). They are the immediate supervisors of the research associates assigned directly to their department. They are appointed by the WMI Advisory Board in consultation with the Academy’s Executive Committee and the Munich university which proposes their appointment. The directors’ terms of office are linked to their tenure as chair holders.

(3) The Technical Director and an elected representative of the WMI’s research staff shall sit on the WMI Management Board in an advisory capacity without voting rights. They are appointed on the recommendation of the WMI Advisory Board by Section III: Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology. Their term of office is five years. Re-appointment of members is possible.

(4) The rights and duties of the WMI Management Board include, in particular:

a. It advises on and decides all matters concerning the Institute as a whole in accordance with the Statutes of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

b. It decides on the allocation of the Institute’s budget within the framework set by the Free State of Bavaria. It may delegate the independent management of parts of the Institute’s budget to research staff.

c. It draws up guidelines for the operation of the WMI and is responsible for providing scientific and technical support for research projects, as well as for all specialist and technical services.

d. It decides on the implementation of research projects and the allocation of the necessary resources. It may delegate the independent management of individual research projects to research associates.

e. It submits a report to the WMI Advisory Board in good time prior to its meeting, setting out the current status and plans for the Institute’s research activities, as well as measures to support junior researchers. In addition, it reports to the WMI Advisory Board during its meetings on the Institute’s activities and, upon request, informs the relevant Section spokesperson and the BAdW research committee about the Institute’s academic work and projects.

f. It prepares proposals for the permanent appointment of research staff and submits them to the BAdW President. This shall be without prejudice to the right of each director to select their own staff.

g. It decides on the appointment of staff in the shared facilities (e.g. workshops, helium liquefaction, administration).

h. It sets out the responsibilities of the directors for managing the central scientific and technical facilities.

i. It ensures the coordination of long-term research projects and fosters a spirit of trust and cooperation within the Institute.

j. It may propose the establishment of new departments to the BAdW President.

(5) The voting members of the WMI Management Board take turns to chair the Management Board every two years. The Chair is appointed by the BAdW President as the Managing Director of the Institute. The President may revoke the appointment for good cause.

(6) The WMI Management Board shall be convened by the Managing Director at appropriate intervals, with the agenda being circulated in good time. It must also be convened if a member of the Management Board so requests. The Management Board may invite guests to attend its meetings.

(7) Resolutions of the WMI Management Board require the approval of a majority of its members; proxy voting is permitted. Where there are only two directors in office, decisions must be taken unanimously. If a consensus cannot be reached, the BAdW President must be consulted.

(8) The Managing Director manages the day-to-day affairs of the Institute and represents it externally and in dealings with the governing bodies of the BAdW. His or her duties include, in particular:

a. He or she submits the budget estimate agreed by the Management Board to the Academy administration in good time. He or she informs the Management Board of the contents of the approved budget for the Institute. The same applies to medium-term budget planning.

b. He or she ensures that the budget is properly managed and that the decisions taken by the Management Board are properly implemented. In this regard, he or she is supported by the Institute’s administration, to which tasks may be delegated and authorisations granted.

c. He or she shall report to the WMI Management Board at appropriate intervals on the duties he or she has performed.

d. He or she prepares human resources matters relating to staff working at the WMI for the President of the Academy, in accordance with statutory and collective agreement provisions. In particular, he or she is required to make recommendations regarding the appointment, promotion, upgrading and dismissal of staff. He or she ensures that new staff members are selected in accordance with the applicable regulations.

(9) Members of the Management Board may resign from it at their own request. Resignation must be submitted in writing to the relevant Section spokesperson and the chair of the WMI Advisory Board, stating the reasons for it.

(10) Further provisions are set out in the Rules of Procedure of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

(1) The WMI Advisory Board advises the WMI Management Board on matters relating to the safeguarding of academic standards. The WMI Advisory Board consists of academically qualified members of the Academy, as well as other external researchers.

(2) The WMI Advisory Board is involved in appointing members to the WMI Management Board (see above).

(3) The members of the WMI Advisory Board are appointed by Section III: Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology, on the recommendation of a Section member. The term of office is five years. Re-election is permitted.

(4) In addition, the WMI Advisory Board shall include one representative each from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM), appointed for a term of five years, who shall be nominated by Section III: Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology, on the recommendation of a Section member.

(5) Members of the WMI Advisory Board who also sit on the WMI Board of Directors shall have only an advisory role in decision-making.

(6) The WMI Advisory Board is chaired by a chairperson who is appointed by Section III: Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology, on the recommendation of the WMI Advisory Board for a period of five years. Re-election is possible. A deputy is also elected. Upon taking office or being re-elected, the chair and the deputy chair must not be over 75 years of age. The chair must be a member of the Academy.

(7) The WMI Advisory Board meets at least once a year.

(8) Further provisions are set out in the Rules of Procedure of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.

(1) Research staff employed full-time at the Institute may present their views to the WMI Management Board regarding the planning and implementation of research projects, human resources planning and staff regulations.

(2) Research staff may propose and apply for their own research projects and externally funded research projects. The WMI Management Board shall decide on the implementation, taking into account the general guidelines issued by Section III: Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology, and the necessary resources.

(3) A representative of the research staff shall be a member of the WMI Management Board. He or she is elected by secret ballot for a term of five years by all researchers working at the WMI from among their own ranks and appointed by Section III: Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Technology, in consultation with the WMI Advisory Board. Only permanent research staff employed by the Institute are eligible for election.

(4) Research staff report annually on their work as part of the Walther-Meißner-Institute’s annual report and at the meeting of the WMI Advisory Board.

(5) The academic and professional development of staff members shall be promoted through work that involves taking on personal responsibility, within the framework of the Institute’s research objectives.

(6) The proper involvement of research staff in the decisions of the Institute’s management is ensured by providing those concerned with timely and adequate information and by holding regular joint consultations on the general objectives, methods and implementation of research projects. Regular institutional meetings are held for this purpose.

(1) Non-academic staff assist research staff in carrying out their research.

(2) The immediate line managers of non-academic staff are the Managing Director and the Technical Director of the Institute.

(3) Further details are set out in the Walther-Meißner-Institute’s schedule of duties.

(1) Safeguarding good scientific practice is a particular priority for the WMI. All research staff are required to comply with the relevant regulations of the BAdW (see http://www.badw-muenchen.de) and any third-party funding bodies (see, for example, http://www.dfg.de/). This includes, in particular, the obligation to keep laboratory records and to carefully retain all relevant original data for at least 10 years.

(1) The Institute’s management and research staff are both required to publish the results of their research in relevant academic journals and to present them at national and international conferences. Any support received in the form of third-party grants must be referenced appropriately. Abstracts of conference papers and manuscripts of articles for academic journals must be submitted to the relevant line manager for information prior to submission. Initially, the right to use the results of the work shall lie with the Walther-Meißner-Institute of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities. This includes, in particular, the right to publish through book publishers or in journals.

(2) The Walther-Meißner-Institute shall inform the Institute’s Advisory Board of its scientific work through an annual report and presentations at a meeting of the WMI Advisory Board held at least once a year. All research staff are required to participate.

(3) The Walther-Meißner-Institute shall, within reasonable limits, inform the general public about its scientific work. This is achieved through electronic media, information events, exhibitions and open days. All research staff are required to participate.

(1) Resolutions to amend the Rules of Procedure require the approval of at least half of the members of the WMI Advisory Board present at the time the resolution is passed. The Rules of Procedure and any amendments thereto shall be adopted by the BAdW plenary meeting following approval by Section III (Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Technology).

(2) These Rules of Procedure were adopted by the WMI Advisory Board on 20 September 2019. They were approved by the plenary meeting of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities on 18 October 2019.

(3) The Rules of Procedure shall enter into force on 18 October 2019. At the same time, the Rules of Procedure of 21 October 2016 shall cease to apply.