STATUTE FOR THE INSTITUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.480

STATUTE FOR THE INSTITUTE FOR THE CENTRE

FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS

INCUBATION

21st January, 2014

LEGAL NOTICE 20 of 2014.

The title of this statute is the Statute for the Centre for

Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation.

In this Statute, unless the context otherwise requires

"the Board" shall mean the Board of the Centre for

Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation; and

"the Centre" shall mean the Centre for Entrepreneurship and

Business Incubation.

The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation

is hereby established as an institution of the University of Malta.

The aims of the Centre shall be

(a) to stimulate and support the growth and development

of Entrepreneurship in, inter alia, Science,

Technology, Engineering, Media and Creative

Industries in Malta on practical, strategic, educational,

and research levels;

(b) to deliver a world-class, postgraduate education and

training in Entrepreneurship, through, inter alia, a

practical hands-on approach;

(c) to supply various Faculties, Institutes and Centres at

the University of Malta with Entrepreneurship-related

teaching and advice at different academic levels;

(d) to engage in business incubation at the University of

Malta, and to oversee the running of a business

incubator at the University of Malta in close liaison

with the Office of Corporate Research and Knowledge

Transfer and the Malta University Holding Company;

(e) to engage in generating and coordinating funding

efforts related to Entrepreneurship and Business

Incubation;

(f) to stimulate and engage in world-class, cutting-edge

Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation best

practices;

(g) to stimulate and engage in world-class, cutting edge

research in Entrepreneurship and Business Incubation

disseminated in leading conferences, journals and

books in the field;

STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

(h) to participate in local and international collaborations

and research, funded and otherwise, with leading

institutions in the field;

(i) to contribute to the development of the local and

international

Entrepreneurship

and

Business

Incubation community through participation in

networking events, conference organization, chairing

and reviewing committees of such conferences,

journals and books.

The Centre shall be governed by a Board that will consist

of the following

(i) Chairman: Rector or his delegate;

(ii) Vice-Chairman: Director of the Centre;

(iii) a representative of the Office of Corporate

Research and Knowledge Transfer;

(iv) a representative of the Malta University Holding

Company;

(v) a person appointed by the Council of the

University;

(vi) a person appointed by the Senate of the

University;

(vii) up to two representatives of the academic staff

affiliated with the Centre;

(viii) up to two students representatives registered

with the Centre;

(ix) up to four persons possessing expertise and

experience in the field of Entrepreneurship,

Innovation and Business Incubation, to be

recommended by the Board and approved by

Senate.

The Registrar or his/her delegate shall act as Secretary to

All members of the Board, other than those appointed ex

officio, the two representatives of the academic staff and the two

student representatives 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 function of the Board shall be

(a) to govern the affairs of the Centre, subject to the

provisions of these statutes and of such regulations,

policies or directions as may from time to time be

approved by the Council and the Senate;

(b) to decide the policy of the Centre, 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;

STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

(ii) with the written concurrence of the Rector enter

into agreements with third parties for funding of

the Centre or of particular activities;

(iii) publish an annual report;

(iv) enrol the Centre in associations or institutions

sharing similar aims and interests;

(v) propose Regulations and Bye-Laws to the

Senate;

(vi) require from staff members of the Centre the

production of reports on academic matters,

including the curricula of courses of study,

qualifications for admission to courses,

examinations, and certificates of attendance or

qualification;

(vii) recommend to the Council the creation or

removal of academic and non-academic posts in

the Centre;

(viii) propose for approval to the Senate, Boards of

Studies and Examiners for postgraduate degree

programmes;

(c) to oversee the strategy and policy of the business

incubator,

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 business

incubator, setting targets to be achieved by this

resource;

(ii) analyse periodic management accounts;

(iii) approve the enrolment of persons and companies

into the business incubator, and the conditions of

such enrolment;

(iv) with the written consent of the Rector, approve

agreements with third parties for the financing

of businesses and entrepreneurial endeavours

within the incubator, including inter alia, with

Business Angels, Business Angel Networks,

Venture Capital companies, Banks and other

Finance entities, including governmental

ministries, institutions and agencies;

(v) enrol the business incubator in associations and

institutions sharing similar aims and interests.

The Centre shall have a Director and Staff

(a) the Director of the Centre shall be appointed according

to the procedure for the appointment of Directors of

Institutes and Centres as approved by the Council of

the University, for a duration of one year, with the

possibility of renewal annually subject to established

performance criteria, the needs of the Centre and the

needs of the University, for a total period not

STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

exceeding four (4) years; and

(b) the staff of the Centre shall be appointed by the

University according to the usual practice.

The duties of the Vice-Chairman/Director shall include

(a) general responsibility for the running of the Centre in

terms of the aims listed in paragraph 4(a) to (i);

(b) compiling and submitting to the Registrar of the

University by not later than January of each academic

year, an updated comprehensive prospectus of the

content descriptions of all current and projected study-

units offered by members of the Centre as per

guidelines established by the Programme Validation

Committee;

(c) promoting the development and implementation of the

Centre’s curricula, entrepreneurial activities, business

incubation activities and research programmes;

(d) ensuring that the study-units offered by the staff

members of the Centre are delivered in accordance

with the advertised programme of studies; the Director

must ensure that lecturing staff under his remit deliver

all lectures, seminars and tutorials assigned to them

respectively, at the time and venue advertised in the

official timetable, and that any deviations thereof are

formally registered, and the students duly notified in

good time;

(e) delivering and implementing the strategic plan of the

Centre and the Business Incubator under the guidance

of the Board;

(f) promoting students’ academic and personal welfare

and providing first-line support to students with any

difficulties they may encounter during their studies in

academic programmes offered by the Centre;

(g) monitoring the running of examinations in the Centre

and ensuring that all assessment and examination

results are submitted to the Registrar’s Office within

following deadlines

•

January session - by the end of March;

•

May/June session - final year results by not later

than two working days prior the final year

degree classification board but in any case not

later than end of July, other results as early as

possible but not later than the end of July;

•

September session - by the end of September;

(h) liaising with the Director of Corporate Research and

Knowledge Transfer as required, to ensure the smooth

day-to-day operations of the Business Incubator;

(i) administering the Centre in full consultation with the

members; monitoring and approving requests for leave

of absence of members of the Centre; maintaining

STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

records of all leave taken by members and passing on

these records to the Director of Human Resources

Management and Development upon request;

(j) encouraging and facilitating co-operation with other

universities, institutions, entrepreneurial organizations

and business incubators both local and international;

(k) chairing meetings of the Board in the absence and with

the permission of the Chairman;

(l) ensuring and facilitating the further development and

training of academic and non-academic staff;

(m) participating at any meeting of the University

congruent with the post;

(n) representing the Centre during official functions of the

University;

(o) compiling and submitting to the Secretary of the

University by the end of September of each academic

year, an annual report approved by the Board,

outlining the activities of the Centre and the Business

Incubator for the outgoing year, which should include,

amongst others, information that may be requested by

the Secretary: a comprehensive list of recent

publications of all members of the Centre; a synopsis

of all projects involving members of the Centre which

are wholly or partially externally funded; a list of all

conferences/seminars/meetings attended abroad by

members of the Centre during term time; and an

outline of the Centre’s collaboration with third parties

including local industry, Government or civil society

at large; a management report focusing on the

activities of the Business Incubator;

(p) compiling and submitting to the Director of Finance of

the University, by not later than end of May of each

academic year budgetary estimates approved by the

Board for the following year including a manpower

plan for the Centre and the Business Incubator, to

cover the projected teaching, research and

administration workload of the Centre and the

Incubator, and based on the projected workload for

each Resident Academic member of the Centre and

Visiting Teaching Staff, and the Administrative staff of

the Business Incubator;

(q) monitoring the performance of the non-academic staff

attached to the Centre;

(r) authorising the Centre’s procurement of equipment;

ensuring that the resources assigned to the Centre -

whether human or other - are utilized fully and

efficiently;

(s) performing other duties which may be assigned by the

University from time to time.

STATUTE FOR THE CENTRE FOR

ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND BUSINESS INCUBATION

The Director moreover

(a) is to report directly to the Chairman of the Board

governing the Centre and shall collaborate with all

senior administrative officers of the University;

(b) shall be a Resident Academic engaged with the

University on a full-time basis for the duration of his

tenure as Director;

(c) should not be engaged in any other activity outside the

University which may be in conflict with, or distract

him/her from, his duties at the University;

(d) is expected to be present on campus or any designated

University of Malta site at least during normal office

hours from Monday to Friday throughout the year

subject to the exigencies of an academic in accordance

with the University’s practices and needs and subject

to normal leave entitlement and public holidays as

provided for at law; should his absence be necessary

and justified he must ensure that he is immediately

contactable through the secretarial staff of the Centre;

(e) 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;

(f) is to abide with the statutes, regulations and policies of

the University of Malta, which are in force now or will

become effective in the duration of his tenure.

The Director of Finance of the University shall be the

Treasurer of the Centre.