BYLAWS
Chapter I – General Provisions
Article 1. The society shall be known as the Taiwan Photonics Society, short for TPS.
Article 2. The society is legally established as a non-profit social organization with the following objectives: The society aims to foster collaborative research in the field of opto-electrical technologies and promote the advancement of opto-electrical engineering applications, contributing to the development of technical excellence within our nation.
Article 3. The territorial jurisdiction of the society encompasses the entirety of the national administrative region and is authorized to establish a hierarchical organizational framework in accordance with the hierarchical structure delineated by applicable legal provisions.
Article 4. The society headquarters shall be established in the jurisdiction of the competent authority, and the chapters may be established upon approval by the competent authority. The organizational regulations of the aforementioned chapters shall be formulated by the Board of Directors and implemented after obtaining approval from the competent authority. The addresses of the headquarters and the chapters shall be submitted to the competent authority for recordation upon establishment or alteration.
Article 5. The objectives of the society are as follows:
5.1. To organize optical academic lectures, conferences, and related technical training.
5.2. To collect and exchange domestic and international optical information for reference.
5.3. To accept commissions from public and private institutions, conduct research, and provide solutions to optical issues.
5.4. To publish journals, reports, and various publications related to optical technology.
5.5. To establish academic connections and exchange technical knowledge with relevant domestic and foreign institutions and academic organizations.
5.6. To engage in other matters related to the development of optics.
Article 6. The aforementioned competent authority is the Ministry of the Interior.
Chapter II–Membership
Article 7.
7.1. Individual Member - Individuals who agree with the objectives of the society and have reached the age of twenty, and who have been reviewed and approved by the Membership Review Committee of the society, may apply to become individual member.
7.2. Group Member - Any institutions, schools, business organizations, or other groups related to optoelectronics, which have been reviewed and approved by Membership Review Committee of the society, may apply to become group members. Group members must appoint one representative member to exercise membership rights.
7.3. Honorary Member - Individual members who have received significant national or international honors or have made substantial contributions may apply to become honorary members of the society. Recipients of electro-optical engineering award or former President of the society shall be bestowed upon an honorary membership. The membership rights of honorary members are equivalent to those of individual members.
7.4. Sponsor Member - Organizations or individuals who provide sponsorship to the society may apply to become regular annual sponsor members after review and approve by Membership Review Committee of the society.
7.5. Permanent Member - Individual members who have paid the annual membership fee for ten consecutive years in a lump sum or in installments shall be designated as permanent members of the society.
7.6. Student Member - To encourage students interested in opto-electrical technologies to join the society, any enrolled student who possesses proof of enrollment at any university and is aged 18 or above may apply to become a student member of the society. Any educational institutions related to opto-electronics may apply to establish student chapters, and members of the student chapters must be student members. The establishment and dissolution of student chapters subject to approval by the Board of Directors of the society.
Article 8.
The legal rights of the society membership are listed as follows:
8.1. Individual Member – Individual member is entitled to exercise his or her right to vote, elect, to be elected and impeach. Each individual member represents themselves.
8.2. Group Member - Group member is entitled to exercise his or her right to vote, elect, to be elected and impeach. The representative of each group member represents three members.
8.3. Note – Sponsor members and student members do not possess the aforementioned rights.
Article 9.
Members are entitled to adhere to the society bylaws, resolutions, and fulfill membership fee obligations.
Article 10. When a member violates laws, regulations, or fails to comply with resolutions of the general assembly, the Board of Directors may issue a warning or suspend his or her membership based on the resolution. When the matter has significant harm or impact to group members, the member may be expelled upon a resolution passed by the general assembly.
Article 11. Members who lose their membership or are expelled by the general assembly are considered to have withdrawn from the society.
Article 12. Members are permitted to request withdrawal from the society by providing written documentation.
Article 13. The society fellow shall be nominated by members of board of Directors or by at least 5 members. The required documents for nomination application are as follows:
The submitted materials from the nominee are subject to initial review by the Academic Committee; the list of fellows is finalized upon approval by the Board of Directors in a board meeting. The number of elected fellows each year shall not exceed 1% of the total number of members for the year. In the absence of suitable candidates, positions may remain vacant. The total number of fellows shall not exceed 5% of the total number of members for the year.
The deadline for fellow recommendation is September 30th. The list of elected fellows will be announced during the annual general meeting, and fellow certification will be presented to acknowledge his or her research performance. The recognition will coincide with 1st TPS quarterly publication.
Chapter III– The organizational structure, rights and duties
Article 14.
The General Assembly of Members is the supreme governing authority of the society. When the General Assembly of Members is adjourned, the Board of Directors is authorized to carry out its duties.
The rights and duties of the General Assembly of Members are listed as follows:
Article 15. The society establishes a Board of Directors consisting of 17 members and a Board of Supervisors consisting of 5 members, who shall be elected by a vote of the General Assembly of Members. The elected members shall respectively form the Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors. During the election, there are five alternate directors and one alternate supervisor may be elected simultaneously based on the election results. In the absence of suitable candidates of the directors or supervisors, the alternates will be required to fill the vacancies. The existing Board of Directors is authorized to put forward a roster of potential candidates for the forthcoming term's directors and supervisors. Directors and supervisors have the option to hold elections through remote means, which can be conducted in an ongoing manner. The protocols for remote elections must gain approval from the Board of Directors and be subjected to validation by the relevant regulatory body before being enacted.
Article 16.
The rights and duties of the Board of Directors are listed as follows:
Article 17.
The Board of Directors comprise five executive directors, elected within the pool of the directors. Among the executive directors, one shall be elected as the President and another as the Vice President. The President shall oversee internal association matters and act as external representative, and serve as the President of the General Assembly and the Board of Directors meetings.
When the President of the Board is unable to perform duties due to unforeseen circumstances, the Vice President shall act as their proxy. In cases where no specific appointment is made or if it cannot be designated, one of the executive directors shall be chosen as a proxy through mutual agreement. In the absence of suitable candidates of the President, Vice President, and executive directors, the substitute election should be executed within one month.
Article 18.
The rights and duties of the Board of Supervisors are listed as follows:
Article 19.
The Board of Supervisors comprises 1 executive supervisor, elected from within the pool of supervisors, overseeing the daily operations of the association and assuming the role of the Chair of the Board of Supervisors. When the executive supervisor is unable to perform duties due to unforeseen circumstances, one of the supervisors shall be designated as their proxy. In cases where no specific appointment is made or if it cannot be designated, supervisors shall be mutually designated to act as a proxy. In the absence of suitable candidates of the Chair (or executive supervisor), the substitute election should be executed within one month.
Article 20.
Directors and supervisors hold unpaid positions for a term of three years which can be reelected consecutively. The reappointment of the Chair can be extended one time only.
Article 21.
Directors and supervisors shall be immediately dismissed if any of the following circumstances apply:
21.4. Their period of suspension exceeds one-half of the position term.
Article 22.
The society appoints 1 Secretary-General under the direction of the President, managing the society affairs. Other staff members shall be nominated by the President, approved by the Board of Directors, and subsequently appointed. A report shall be submitted to the competent authority for record-keeping. However, the dismissal of the Secretary-General requires prior reporting to the competent authority for verification. The aforementioned staff members cannot be assumed by elected officials. The roles, responsibilities, and hierarchical responsibilities of staff members shall be determined separately by the Board of Directors.
Article 23.
The association is authorized to establish various committees, task groups, or other internal operational structures. The basic organizational framework shall be formulated by the Board of Directors and subject to the same process in the case of any alterations.
Article 24.
The President of the society may appoint several honorary directors and advisors. Their term of appointment shall be the same as that of the directors and supervisors.
Any senior member who has made contributions to the society, regardless of their current status as a directors or supervisor, may be appointed as an advisor or honorary director by the President upon approval through discussion by the Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors.
The rights and duties of honorary directors and advisors are listed as follows:
Attend as a nonvoting delegate of the Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors.
Contribute to the operational policies and plans of the society.
Assist in and oversee the implementation of various society activities.
Chapter IV– Meetings
Article 25.
The General Assembly comprises regular meetings and special meetings, convened by the President. Except for urgent matters, written notice should be given at least fifteen days in advance of the meeting. Regular meetings are held annually, and special meetings are convened when deemed necessary by the Board of Directors, requested by more than one-fifth of the members, or requested by the Board of Supervisors.
Article 26.
When members are unable to attend the General Assembly in person, they may request a representative with written authorization. One member is entitled to represent only one person.
Article 27.
The decisions made during the General Assembly shall be implemented upon receiving the approval of the majority of the members present. However, matters concerning the establishment and modification of the constitution, the expulsion of members, the removal of directors and supervisors, the disposition of assets, the dissolution of the society, and other substantial issues linked to the rights and responsibilities of members shall necessitate the consent of at least two-thirds of the members in attendance. Subsequent to the legal registration of the society, amendments to the constitution will require the endorsement of at least three-fourths of the attending members or the written concurrence of at least two-thirds of all members.
Article 28.
The Board of Directors and the Supervisory Board shall each convene meetings at least once every three months, and if necessary, joint meetings or special meetings may be called. For meetings referred to in the preceding paragraph, except for special meetings, written notice shall be provided seven days in advance; resolutions during meetings shall be valid with the attendance of a majority of directors and supervisors. Such resolutions shall be executed upon receiving the agreement of the majority of those present, provided that the majority of the total attendees concur.
Article 29.
Members of the Board of Directors are expected to attend board meetings, and members of the Board of Supervisors should be present at the Board of Supervisors meetings. Proxy representation is allowed. If a member of the Board of Directors or the Board of Supervisors consecutively misses two meetings without valid reason, it will be regarded as resignation.
Chapter V– Funding and Financing
Article 30.
The funding sources of the organization are outlined as follows:
30.1. Entrance Fee: Individual members are required to remit NTD$300 upon enrollment, while group members are exempt from the entrance fee. (For other membership tiers such as "Lifetime Members," fee policies should be supplemented in accordance with the association's regulations.)
30.2. Annual Membership Fee: Individual members are subject to an annual fee of NTD$800, student members are subject to a fee of NTD$300 and group members are subject to a fee of NTD$10,000.
30.3. Business Fees.
30.4. Member Donations.
30.5. Commissioned Earnings.
30.6. Funds and Accrued Interest.
30.7. Other Revenues.
Article 31.
The organization's fiscal year is based on the calendar year, commencing from January 1st and concluding on December 31st of each year.
Article 32.
The society prepares its annual work plan, income and expenditure budget, and employee compensation table two months before the start of the fiscal year. These documents are presented for approval at the General Assembly (if the General Assembly cannot convene as scheduled, they are first presented for approval at a joint meeting of the Board of Directors and Supervisors). Prior to the commencement of the fiscal year, they are submitted to the competent authority for verification. Within two months after the end of the fiscal year, the Board of Directors compiles the annual work report, income and expenditure statement, cash disbursement and receipt statement, balance sheet, property inventory, and fund income and expenditure statement. These documents are submitted to the Board of Supervisors for review, and upon receiving their audit opinion, they are returned to the Board of Directors. They are then presented for approval at the General Assembly and submitted for verification by the competent authority before the end of March (if the General Assembly cannot convene as scheduled, they are first submitted to the competent authority).
Article 33.
After the dissolution of the society, the remaining property and assets shall be transferred to the local autonomous entity or the designated governmental entity of the jurisdiction where the society is situated.
Chapter VI–Supplementary Provisions
Article 34.
Matters not specified in aforementioned bylaws shall be carried out in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.
Article 35.
The bylaws of the society shall take effect upon approval by the General Assembly and subsequent verification by the competent authority. This provision also applies to any amendments thereto.
Article 36.
The bylaws of the society are ratified during the 9th session of the 10th Annual General Assembly on December 11, 2009, and subsequently submitted to the Ministry of the Interior. On September 3rd, 2010, the approval for record-keeping was accorded under the reference number No. 990182761 of the Ministry of the Interior.