Ratified by the General Assembly of the International Mycological Association at the closing ceremony of the Eleventh International Mycological Congress in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 21 July 2018.
Preamble
- The Association shall be called the International Mycological Association (IMA). The IMA is the section for general mycology of the International Union of Biological Societies (IUBS).
- The mission of the IMA, as a non-profit organization, is to promote international scientific research and education in fungal biology, and the exploitation of fungi for the benefit of humankind and the environment. The IMA supports International Mycological Congresses (IMCs) and provides support for regional mycological meetings. The IMA serves to facilitate access to Member Mycological Organizations (MMOs) and their resources, as well as other mycological resources.
-
The affairs of the IMA are managed by:
- The General Assembly, convened by the President on the occasion of an International Mycological Congress. All full congress registrants may participate and vote at the General Assembly, which has no continuing responsibility.
- The Executive Committee, composed of (a) a maximum of twelve non-office holding members, serving a maximum of two consecutive terms, elected by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Executive Committee from nominations (received not later than the date notified to Congress participants) from the Sustaining Member Mycological Organizations (SMMOs), MMOs, the Executive Committee, or individual members; (b) one representative of each SMMO; (c) one representative of each established Regional MMO; (d) the Officers; (e) the President-Elect; (f) the Past-president; and (g) Honorary Presidents, the latter considered ex-officio members. Other Vice-Presidents with specific duties, such as Mycological Member Relations or IMA Awards, may be elected by the Executive Committee to serve until the next IMC. Officers are elected by the General Assembly from nominations made by the Executive Committee. The President-Elect will usually be a member of the Executive Committee, and will normally be selected by the Executive Committee coincidentally with the process to select the venue for the next IMC, and the nomination shall be presented to that General Assembly for ratification. When necessary in the period between two General Assemblies, the Executive Committee may appoint new members or any Officers to fill vacancies on the Executive Committee.
-
The Officers, comprising a President, two Vice-Presidents (one Vice-President being the Chair of the current International Mycological Congress and the other being the Chair of the next International Mycological Congress), a Secretary-General and a Treasurer. Officers are elected by the General Assembly from nominations made by the Executive Committee. The president normally will be nominated from the current Executive Committee. When necessary in the period between two General Assemblies, the Executive Committee may appoint any of these officers.
The term of office of each Officer terminates at the close of an International Mycological Congress, with the exception of the Secretary-General and Treasurer, who may be re-elected without restriction. The President, upon the expiration of his or her term, becomes the Past President to serve as an ex officio member of the Executive Committee until the close of the following IMC. - The IMA may create and bestow awards, including the deBary and Ainsworth awards, the IMA Young Mycologist Awards, and Fellow of the IMA..
- Committees for special purposes may be appointed by the General Assembly or the Executive Council.
- The Executive Committee shall ensure that the affairs of the IMA are conducted in accordance with the decisions of General Assemblies.
-
- Full, votingmembership in the IMA is grantedto all full congress registrants of the most recent International Mycological Congress until the following congress, to MMOs, that is, national, regional or international organizations, associations or other groups having mycological interests. The individual members of MMOs of the IMA are considered non-voting membersof the IMA. Established Regional MMOs include the European RMMO, the African RMMO, the Asian RMMO, the Australasian RMMO, the Latin American RMMO and a North American RMMO. Proposals for additional Regional MMOs may be submitted to the Executive Committee for nomination by the Executive Committee for ratification by the GA.
- MMOs may become SMMOs by paying dues as defined in paragraph 6.3 and may appoint a single, voting member to the Executive Committee.
- New MMOs are subject to approval by the Executive Committee.
- Regional MMOs may appoint a single, voting member to the Executive Committee.
- Honorary Presidents that have been elected for life will receive all Committee papers and are not required to pay dues; they are non-voting members of the Executive Committee.
-
- The income of the IMA may consist of: (a) subscriptions from SMMOs; (b) a levy included in the registration fees of IMCs; (c) donations; (d) interest on funds held; (e) surpluses from IMCs; and (f) proceeds from publications.
- The expenses of the IMA must be approved by the Executive Committee.
- The cost of a SMMO membership and the cost of the levy included in the registration fees of an International Mycological Congress shall be set by the Executive Committee when pre-proposalsare solicited. The subscription of SMMOs are due annually on January 1st. The levy on registration fees for the International Mycological Congress shall be collected as part of the registration fee for the congress. The Euro is the official currency of the IMA. Eighteen months before the start of the next IMC, the exchange rate between the Euro and the currency of the country hosting the next IMC at that time will be used as the exchange rate for the registration levy.
- The subscription of SMMOs are due annually on January 1st. The levy on registration fees for the International Mycological Congress shall be collected as part of the registration fee for the congress. The Euro is the official currency of the IMA. Eighteen months before the start of the next IMC, the exchange rate between the Euro and the currency of the country hosting the next IMC at that time will be used as the exchange rate for the registration levy.
- A SMMO in arrears shall, on 60 days notice having been given by the Treasurer, be deleted from Sustaining Membership.
- Administration of the funds of the IMA is the responsibility of the Treasurer, who shall present accounts and a forward budget annually to the Executive Committee. A summary of the accounts for the period between IMCs is to be presented to the General Assembly at each International Mycological Congress. The accounts shall be audited by a person nominated by the Executive Committee but who is not a member of that Committee, or of any other Committee established by the IMA or an Officer of the Association.
-
- The IMA will encourage national, sustaining and regional MMOs to offer to host IMCs at intervals to be determined by the Executive Committee; currently, this interval is four years. The Executive Committee shall solicit pre-proposals for the next, future IMC from MMOs not later than 18 months before the date of the current IMC with a deadline for receipt of the pre-proposals of not later than 12 months before the date of the current IMC. The Executive Committee shall review the pre-proposals and vote to solicit full proposals from not fewer than two MMOs submitting pre-proposals, not later than 10 months before the date of the current IMC.
- Full proposals to host the next, future IMC must be received by the Secretary-General for distribution to the Executive Committee not later than six months before the current IMC.
- The venues and dates for the next, future IMC will be proposed by vote of the Executive Committee not later than three months before the current IMC. The President and/or Secretary-General or a designated member of the IMA Executive Committeewill visit the proposed venue selected by the Executive Committee before final ratification by the Executive Committee. The decision will be announced to the General Assembly of the IMA, to be held at the upcoming IMC.
- The IMA Executive Committee will appoint a minimum of one and a maximum of three representatives to the Organizing Committee established for each IMC by the proposing MMOs.
-
The Organizing Committee will:
- invite suggestions for symposia and workshops from all MMOs;
- submit an outline programme to the Secretary-General for circulation and comment not fewer than 15 months prior to the IMC being planned;
- include an IMA levy in the Registration Fee as advised by the Executive Committee;
- be responsible for all aspects of the organization and conduct of the IMC; and
- be eligible for “seed money” to be used to initiate the IMC, which must be refunded to the IMA at the conclusion of the IMC.
- submit to the IMA Treasurer, no later than 90 days following the conclusion of the IMC, a full accounting of the income and expenditures of the meeting and transfer to the IMA Treasurer any funds remaining after expenses have been deducted from income. The IMA depends upon return of the “seed money” described in 7.5 (e) and receipt of the IMC registration levy described in 6.3.
-
- The IMA publishes IMA FUNGUS as its official journal. In addition to news, original papers, reports of IMA meetings, announcements, and other matters, it is the place in which formal proposals to change the rules relating to the nomenclature of fungi appear.
- A Publications Committee appointed by the President oversees the activities of IMA Fungus and/or other publications, including negotiating publication agreements and the appointment of the Editor-in-Chief, both to be ratified by the Executive Committee.
- Regional Committees of the IMA now in existence shall be elevated to Regional MMOs. These consist of: the European RMMO, the African RMMO, the Asian RMMO, the Australasian RMMO, the Latin American RMMO and the North American RMMO.
-
- The Statutes of the IMA can be modified by proposal of the Executive Committee and ratification by a two-thirds majority of those eligible to vote at a General Assembly of the IMA.
- Any proposal to modify the Statutes must be received by the Secretary-General at least five months before the General Assembly and shall be circulated to the Executive Committee and SMMOs, Regional MMOs and MMOs at least three months before the Assembly. In cases of extreme urgency, the Executive Committee shall have the right to suspend or create a particular paragraph of the Statutes until the following General Assembly, which shall have the right to approve or reject the changes.
- Any motion to dissolve the IMA must be approved by a two-thirds majority of those present and eligible to vote at a General Assembly. If the IMA is dissolved, any funds remaining after all outstanding liabilities are discharged shall be used for scientific purposes in the field of mycology as agreed by the dissolving General Assembly.