Board of Governors

The Board of Governors is vested with the highest authority to carry out all SCK•CEN related administrative acts and acts of disposal. Each general transfer of power is prohibited. On the other hand, the articles of association control the organisation of the day-to-day administration: the Director-General has the necessary authority to carry out the tasks that he is entrusted with. He represents SCK•CEN in the public and private acts concerning the day-to-day administration and in the implementation of the decisions of the Board of Governors and the Executive Officers.

A good functioning of SCK•CEN presumes a clear definition of the competencies and responsibility of the Board on the one hand and of the competencies and responsibility of the Director-General on the other hand, in other words a clear definition of the day-to-day administration.

Competencies and transfers of competencies of the Board of Governors

The Board of Governors is qualified to supervise and control the management of SCK•CEN.

Competencies that cannot be transferred:

• approval of the activity programme;
• the annual budget;
• appointment of the necessary boards and committees and definition of their assignment;
• staff and pay scales;
• degrees and hierarchy of the functions (organisation chart);
• approval of the invoices and notification to the authorities, together with the drawing up of a report on the activities and the financial situation.

Competencies that the Board of Governors does not transfer within the framework of the day-to-day administration:

• the appointment, dismissal and status of the Director-General and, if required, approval of the corresponding employment contracts;
• the appointment, dismissal and status of staff members as from degree 16;
• approval of scientific and industrial agreements of which the financial obligations in the current financial year exceed 4 MEUR, or of which the average financial obligations will exceed this amount/year in the coming years;
• approval of investments (scientific equipment, buildings) that per file exceed 4 MEUR;
• approval of joint ventures, mergers and takeovers, insofar as the financial implications exceed 4 MEUR.

Competencies that the Board of Governors delegates to the Executive Officers:

• approval of scientific and industrial agreements of which the financial obligations in the current financial year are between 2.5 MEUR and 4 MEUR, or of which the average financial obligations will be situated between these amounts/year in the coming years;
• approval of investments (scientific equipment, buildings) that are between 2.5 MEUR and 4 MEUR per file;
• approval of joint ventures, mergers and takeovers, insofar as the financial implications do not exceed 4 MEUR;
• the sale of fixed assets, both tangible and financial.

Competencies that the Board of Governors delegates to the Chairman or the Managing Director:

• approval of scientific and industrial agreements of which the financial obligations in the current financial year do not exceed 2.5 MEUR, or of which the average financial obligations/year will not exceed this amount in the coming years;
• approve investments (scientific equipment, buildings, etc) and place orders for a total amount that does not exceed 2.5 MEUR;
• approval of the appointment and dismissal of university trained staff or staff treated as such up to and including degree 15, at the suggestion of the Director-General;
• representation of the Board of Governors in trade union consultation.

Competencies that are part of the day-to-day administration and therefore belong to the Director-General:

• financial transactions lower than 1 MEUR.