STATUTE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MALTA ARGOTTI BOTANIC GARDENS AND RESOURCE CENTRE

GARDENS AND RESOURCE CENTRE

SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION 327.634

STATUTE FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF MALTA

ARGOTTI BOTANIC GARDENS AND RESOURCE

CENTRE

4th October, 2019

LEGAL NOTICE 259 of 2019, as amended by Legal Notice 146 of

2020.

This Statute may be cited as the Statute for the University

of Malta Argotti Botanic Gardens and Resource Centre.

This statute shall be applicable from 1 April 2020

onwards.

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.

A University of Malta Argotti Botanic Gardens and

Resource Centre (UMAC) is hereby established.

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

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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.

The Centre shall be governed by the Board which shall consist

of the following

(i)

the Chair who shall be the Rector ex officio or his

delegate;

(ii)

the Vice-Chair who shall be the Curator-Manager of

the University of Malta Argotti Botanic Gardens &

Resource Centre ex officio;

(iii)

a person appointed by the Council of the University;

(iv)

a person appointed by the Senate of the University;

(v)

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

(vi)

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,

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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.

The Centre shall have a Curator-Manager, who shall be

Appointment of

Curator-Manager.

appointed by the University of Malta on a full-time basis, following a

Call for applications.

The duties of the Curator-Manager shall be

Duties of Curator-

Manager.

(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

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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.

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.

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The Director of Finance of the University of Malta ex

The Treasurer.

officio shall be the Treasurer of the Centre.