GARDENS AND RESOURCE CENTRE

L.N. 259 of 2019

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

STATUTE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MALTA ARGOTTI BOTANIC

GARDENS AND RESOURCE CENTRE

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon him by articles 74(5) and 75(6)

of the Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has

promulgated the following statute made by the Council of the University of Malta in

virtue of the powers conferred upon it by articles 72(h), 75(2), 77(c)(d) and 136(3)

of the said Act

Citation

This Statute may be cited as the ‘Statute for the University of Malta Argotti

Botanic Gardens and Resource Centre’.

Applicability

This statute shall be applicable from 1 August 2019 onwards.

Interpretation

In this Statute, unless the context otherwise requires

“the Board” shall mean the Board of the University of Malta Argotti Botanic

Gardens and Resource Centre;

“the Centre” shall mean the University of Malta Argotti Botanic Gardens and

Resource Centre.

Establishment

A University of Malta Argotti Botanic Gardens and Resource Centre

(UMAC) is hereby established.

Objectives and Functions

The Centre shall focus on applied training, research and outreach in areas of

botanical sciences, as outlined below. The Centre thus aims

(a) to promote higher education in applied fields of botanical sciences, including

research on bioactive compounds from plants, ethno-botany, taxonomy, in-situ and

ex-situ conservation of rare and endangered species, rehabilitation of degraded

habitats and restoration ecology, palaeo-palynology and aerobiology, horticulture,

and historic gardens;

(b) to conserve, update and expand the present plant collections at the Botanic

Gardens, namely, the herbarium, living plants and seed collections;

(c) to use the resource centre and its gardens for teaching and training purposes,

and to assist in the technical and logistical aspects of courses of study, which various

University entities may organise from time to time in botanical sciences and related

disciplines;

(d) to organise public lectures and seminars for special interest groups, with a

view to promote the Resource Centre as well as to raise awareness for the

conservation of flora, arboreal environments, historic gardens and trees in general;

(e) to encourage educational visits to the gardens by school children, and by

other interest groups and individuals alike;

(f) to collaborate with international institutions in fields of mutual interest

(including internships and specialised staff training) and to participate in funded

projects relating to the areas of interest outlined in (a) above; and

(g) to carry out other activities ancillary or conducive to the above aims.

Governance

The Centre shall be governed by the Board which shall consist of the

following

the Chairperson who shall be the Rector ex officio or delegate;

(i)

(ii)

a person appointed by the Council of the University;

(iii)

a person appointed by the Senate of the University;

(iv)

up to three scholars of repute in the field of botany and one in the field

of cultural heritage to be recommended by the Board and approved by

Senate; and

(v)

two representatives elected from the staff of the Centre.

The Registrar ex officio or delegate shall act as Secretary to the Board.

All the members of the Board, other than those appointed ex officio, shall be

appointed for a period of one year, renewable for up to four years. A retiring

member will be eligible for re-appointment.

The functions of the Board shall be

(a) to govern the affairs of the Centre, subject to the provisions of this Statute

and of such regulations, policies or directions as may from time to time be approved

by the Council and the Senate;

(b) to determine the policy of the Centre, and to supervise its activities and

administration, and without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing, the Board

may

(i) approve business plans and annual estimates of revenue and expenditure

of the Centre for consideration and approval by the Council;

(ii) enter into agreements with third parties for funding of the Centre or of

particular activities, with prior written concurrence of the Rector;

(iii) publish an annual report compiled by the Curator-Manager;

(iv) enrol the Centre in associations or institutions sharing similar aims and

interests, subject to written consent from the Rector

(c) to perform any other function conducive to the fulfilment of the above

functions.

Appointment of Curator-Manager

The Centre shall have a Curator-Manager, who shall be appointed by the

University of Malta on a full-time basis, following a Call for applications.

Duties of Curator-Manager

The duties of the Curator-Manager shall be

(a) to prepare and implement the strategic plan of the Centre;

(b) to manage and administer the Centre and its staff, as well as monitor the

performance of all staff attached to the Centre;

(c) to encourage and facilitate co-operation with the academic staff as well as

with other universities and other institutions;

(d) to authorise the Centre’s procurement of equipment; ensuring that the

resources assigned to the Centre – whether human or other – are utilized fully and

efficiently;

(e) to compile and submit to the Secretary of the University of Malta by the end

of September of each academic year, an annual report outlining the activities of the

Centre for the outgoing year;

(f) to compile and submit to the Director of Finance of the University of Malta

by not later than end of May of each academic year budgetary estimates for the

following year, to cover the projected workload of the Centre; and

(g) to perform other duties which may be assigned by the University of Malta

from time to time.

Furthermore the Curator-Manager

(a) shall report directly to the Chairperson of the Board governing the Centre

and shall collaborate with all University of Malta officials;

(b) shall not be engaged in any other activity and/or initiative outside the

University of Malta which may be in conflict with, or distract him from, his duties at

the University of Malta;

(c) shall not give access to any information to any third party that is not

associated with the University of Malta, about any work or data that relates to tasks

conducted at the University of Malta without the prior approval of the University of

Malta. All work carried out within the Centre must be treated according to Maltese

data protection legislation.

Scientific Coordinators

Members of the academic staff shall use the resources of the Centre for

teaching, research and outreach purposes. Academics will also be encouraged to

apply for projects requiring the support of the Centre, based on the premise that such

projects fall within its raison d’être. In such cases, the academic leading a project

will be referred to as the project’s “Scientific coordinator”, and the role will be

limited to the relevant project itself

(a) the decision to base successful projects at the Centre rests with the Board.

(b) management of resources, including staff, at the Centre will be the

responsibility of the Curator-Manager, unless the project itself has the

provision for staff engagement.

(c) Scientific coordinators shall not be permanently based at the Centre but will

make use of the Centre’s resources in relation to their respective project.

The Treasurer

The Director of Finance of the University of Malta ex officio shall be the

Treasurer of the Centre.

Repeal

The Statute for the University of Malta Argotti Botanic Gardens and

Resource Centre, published as Legal Notice 355 of 2016 and amended by Legal

Notice 98 of 2017 is hereby repealed.

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