Statutes and regulations

Article 1

(Nature and Design)

The Research Centre for Communication and Culture (CECC) is a Research and Development Unit at the Faculty of Human Sciences (FCH), Universidade Católica Portuguesa (UCP).

From the institutional viewpoint of hosting and achieving its scientific objectives, CECC is integrated within Humanitas – FCH’s Scientific Research Coordination Unit.

CECC is governed by the UCP Statutes, in particular Article 43 thereof, by FCH Regulations, by the Humanitas Regulations and by the present Regulations.

CECC is headquartered at UCP’s Lisbon campus.

Article 2

(Mission and Goals)

CECC’s mission is to promote and develop, from a multidisciplinary perspective, Culture Studies, Literary Studies, Language Sciences and Communication Sciences, and to advance the connections between these fields of knowledge, as well as the connections between of each of these and other scientific areas.

CECC’s specific goals are as follows:

a) to promote, coordinate and support research lines and projects in the areas of Culture Studies, Literary Studies, Language Sciences and Communication Sciences;

b) to promote and support the publication of research output, as well as of any other works of interest to the development of its activity;

c) to foster exchanges with other similar Portuguese institutions and with other foreign scientific and cultural institutions;

d) to support the training and specialization of researchers in their respective scientific fields;

e) to promote activities in enhanced partnership with the different research and teaching units within UCP, and in particular FCH;

f) to organize and collaborate in the hosting of conferences, symposiums, colloquiums, seminars, specialized courses, scientific meetings and conference cycles;

g) to carry out any other such tasks that, within its remit, are entrusted to CECC by UCP’s higher bodies.

Article 3

(Members)

CECC is composed of integrated members, namely duly qualified teaching and research staff affiliated to UCP, as well as other qualified teaching and research staff who, while not professionally affiliated to UCP, develop research activities in line with CECC’s objectives.

Collaborating members: researchers who are part of ongoing research projects coordinated by members of CECC.

Members hold the following rights:

a) to participate in scientific and cultural activities carried out or sponsored by CECC;

b) to participate in research plenary meetings;

c) to access the documentation services provided by CECC and any other work tools, in accordance with internal operating standards;

Members are bound by the following duties:

a) to collaborate in CECC’s scientific and cultural activities;

b) to carry out the roles which they have been assigned;

c) to submit partial and global reports on the research projects they are carrying out;

d) to provide CECC’s administrative services, as well as those of any relevant funding bodies, with updated records, in whichever format or platform required, of their curricular information;

e) to respect, and to comport themselves in accordance with, CECC’s regulatory principles and the general principles of UCP.

Article 4

(Organs of the Centre)

CECC is composed of the following Organs: the Scientific Coordinator, the Board of Directors and the Scientific Council.

Article 5

(Scientific Coordinator)

The Scientific Coordinator is appointed by the Rector, as a rule, from among the researchers who are integrated members of CECC, by proposal from the Dean of FCH, after consultation with the Centre’s existing members.

The Scientific Coordinator shall hold office for three years, with the possibility of renewal.

Responsibilities:

a) to represent CECC before UCP and the funding entities;

b) to ensure the management of CECC and its proper relationship with the Humanitas Coordinator, FCH Management bodies and UCP’s Central Services;

c) to convene and chair CECC’s collegiate meetings;

d) to convene plenary meetings of researchers, annually or as required, in order to assess projects, define lines of research, and to appraise and discuss the Centre’s activities;

e) to define, develop and coordinate CECC’s scientific, budgetary and publishing activities;

f) to periodically request partial and final reports from researchers or teams of researchers;

g) to prepare financial and activity reports resulting from CECC’s day-to-day functioning and from contracts with other institutions;

h) to enter into research contracts and cooperation protocols;

i) to allocate and organise CECC’s expenses, in accordance with its budget;

j) to define standards for the use of CECC equipment;

l) to prepare internal regulations;

m) to propose to the Humanitas Coordinator and to the FCH Board any necessary revisions of CECC’s Regulations.

Article 6

(Board of Directors)

The Board of Directors is appointed by the Rector of UCP, by proposal from the CECC’s Scientific Coordinator to the Dean of FCH, after consultation with the Humanitas Coodinator, for a term of three years.

The Board of Directors is composed of the Scientific Coordinator, who chairs, and between four to six other members.

Responsibilities:

a) to ensure, in collaboration with the Scientific Coordinator, the proper day-to-day management of CECC;

b) to put forward new members for admission;

c) to propose new research projects;

d) to prepare business plans, draft budgets, annual reports and financial accounts;

e) to ensure regular contact with Centres and Institutions with which CECC collaborates.

The Board of Directors shall meet, in principle, monthly, or if necessary, when convened by the Scientific Coordinator.

The Board of Directors’ term of office shall cease at the same time as that of the Scientific Coordinator.

Article 7

(Scientific Council)

The Scientific Council is composed of all the members of CECC who hold a PhD degree.

The Scientific Council is chaired by CECC’s Scientific Coordinator.

Responsibilities:

a) to collaborate with the Scientific Coordinator and the Board of Directors in defining the activities plan and research projects;

b) to deliberate on and approve the admission of new members;

c) to issue an opinion on the yearly activities plan and draft budget;

d) to assess the Activities and Accounts Report;

e) to issue an opinion on all matters proposed by the Scientific Coordinator;

f) to issue a scientific opinion on any matters of interest to CECC, at the request of the Scientific Coordinator or UCP’s higher bodies;

g) to approve the establishment of a Permanent External Scientific Advisory Committee.

The Scientific Council shall ordinarily meet twice a year and extraordinarily, at the invitation of the President or at the request of two-thirds of its members.

Decisions of the Scientific Council shall be taken by a simple majority of the legally cast votes.

Meetings shall be convened in writing with at least fifteen days’ notice, with corresponding minutes being drawn up. The minutes shall include a record of attendance.

Article 8

(Lines of Scientific Research)

In terms of organization, CECC is structured into strategic lines of scientific research, in accordance with the provisions of Article 2 (Mission and Objectives), which encompass research projects endowed with autonomous financial resources management sanctioned by the Scientific Coordinator.

The research lines shall be defined by the Scientific Coordinator, after input from the Scientific Council.

Article 9

(Scientific Research Projects)

Research projects shall be submitted, individually or by teams of researchers, to the Scientific Coordinator.

Research projects may be put forward by CECC’s integrated or collaborating members.

The Board of Directors may propose, of its own accord, the organisation and development of research projects, whether disciplinary or multidisciplinary in nature, provided these are in line with CECC’s development strategies.

Each project shall be scientifically coordinated by a lead researcher, selected among CECC’s integrated members.

After consulting with CECC’s Scientific Coordinator, specialised researchers external to the Centre may be invited as scientific coordinators of specific projects.

Each project coordinator will be responsible for: gathering all the necessary elements for the preparation of the project’s annual activities report as well as a report on the activities of its respective members; reporting to CECC’s Scientific Coordinator on the project; and ensuring that the public image of the project and the sound management of the budget take place according to the principles approved by CECC.

Unless otherwise stated, the results of the activities of the project (publications and other materials), shall be the property of CECC, after the copyrights of the participants involved have been safeguarded.

Article 10

(Permanent External Scientific Advisory Committee)

CECC’s activities shall be monitored by a Permanent External Scientific Advisory Committee, consisting of individuals of recognized merit, both national and foreign, external to the Center and selected by the Scientific Council, pursuant to the provisions of subparagraph g, paragraph 3 of Article 7 of the present Regulations.

The Committee shall consist of a minimum of five and a maximum of nine advisors.

The make up of the Committee shall take into consideration the specificity of the scope and the multidisciplinary character of CECC’s activities.

The Committee shall deliver opinions annually, at the request of CECC’s Scientific Coordinator.

Responsibilities:

a) to advise on the scientific direction of the research conducted at CECC;

b) to analyze the annual plan of activities and comment on CECC’s operations;

c) to issue an opinion on CECC’s annual Activities Report and Accounts Report.

Article 11

(Project Financing)

The day-to-day running costs of research projects shall be covered by renewable contracts with FCT and/or other institutions.

CECC may have additional research lines and projects that are not included in the types of funding referred to above.

The acceptance of a financing project involves, on the part of the proponents, the commitment to make their best efforts to obtain sources of financing that are crucial for the project to be implemented.

The decision on the allocation of funds to research projects shall fall on the Scientific Coordinator.

Article 12

(Budget, Plan and Activities Report)

In order to achieve its objectives, CECC shall prepare an annual Activities plan as well as budgets for the implementation of funding, which shall be submitted, for consultation, to the Scientific Council, the Permanent External Scientific Advisory Committee, the Humanitas Coordinator, as well as to the Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences, for approval.

Activities Reports shall be sent annually to the Humanitas Coordinator, for consultation, and to the Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences, for approval.

The communication of assessments and approval to CECC by the competent bodies shall not exceed 15 days from the date of receipt of the submitted documentation.

Article 13

(Support Staff)

Humanitas shall provide the technical and logistical support necessary for the good operation of CECC’s support staff.

In order to achieve its research objectives, CECC may have a permanent scientific advisor under the supervision and guidance of the Scientific Coordinator, chosen by them and appointed, as a rule, among CECC’s research members.