Procedural Guidelines for Regulations on Awarding the Scientific Degree of Research Professor

The Committee for Research Professor Degree issued the current Procedural Guidelines to implement measures in accordance with Directive No. 5/2014 of the Academy Council of the CAS relating to the Regulations on Awarding the Scientific Degree of Research Professor, by the Czech Academy of Sciences (hereinafter "Regulations"), seeking to ensure a high professional level and proper coordination of the procedure for awarding the scientific degree. These Guidelines are an integral part of the Regulations (Appendix 1).  
 
The awarding procedure for the scientific degree of Research Professor (hereinafter "degree") is administered by the Council for Sciences of the CAS, the Committee for the Research Professor Degree of the Council for Sciences of the CAS (hereinafter "Committee"), and by Commissions for Defending Research Professor Theses (hereinafter "Commission").

I. Commissions for Defending Research Professor Theses

1. Pursuant to Article II, paragraph 1 of the Regulations, the Council for Sciences of the CAS approved the structure of the Commissions and appointed their Chairpersons (Appendix 2).
2. The Committee considers and approves the composition of the Commissions on the basis of proposals of their Chairpersons, in accordance with principles specified in Article II, paragraph 2 of the Regulations. The Committee will duly publish the composition of the Commissions.
3. Changes in the composition of the Commissions, the co-optation of other members-specialists for individual doctoral theses defence, or appointing further alternative members to the Commission is approved by the Committee upon a written proposal from the Chairperson of the Commission. The proposal has to contain C.V. of the member and a list of 10 selected publications.
4. Individual members of the Committee are empowered to cooperate with Chairpersons of the respective Commissions and report to the Committee to ensure the high quality and proper effectiveness of the work of the Commissions. Chairpersons of the Commissions are obliged to inform the designated members about the matters relating to the defence of a doctoral thesis, especially about reviews pertaining to a doctoral thesis. The division of the spheres of competences of individual members of the Committee is shown in.
5. When considering a candidate's application, the Commissions will observe the principles (scientometric data or other criteria) approved by the Committee (per Article III, paragraph 8 of the Regulations). These principles and criteria are part of the procedural process (Appendix 3). Designated members of the Committee will submit these proposals of principles and criteria to the Committee as previously agreed upon with Chairpersons of the Commissions.
6. The Chairperson or Deputy Chairperson of the Commission convenes and chairs meetings of the Commission. The Commission functions in accordance with the Regulations, observes the Procedural Guidelines for the Regulations, and in making its decisions it is guided by Article 64 of the Statutes of the CAS, unless otherwise stipulated.

II. Commencement of the Procedure

1. The procedure is formally initiated by the candidate's applying for admission to the scientific degree award process (per Article III, paragraph 4 of the Regulations). An application and the required documents (per Article III, paragraph 5 of the Regulations) shall be submitted to the Secretariat of the Council for Sciences of the CAS. A responsible administrator of the Secretariat of the Council for Sciences of the CAS will register the application, verify the accompanying documents in compliance with Article III, paragraph 5 of the Regulations and will make note of this on the respective form (Appendix 4).
2. After registering the application, the administrator of the Secretariat of the Council:
   
   1. will return a copy of the completed form to the applicant;
   2. will submit the originals of the completed form and of both written reviews to the Secretary of the Committee;
   3. will present a copy of the form together with copies of the written reviews and an abstract of the doctoral thesis to a designated member of the Committee;
   4. will file the verified copies of the documents together with the original of the form and the written reviews in the Secretariat of the Council.
3. The applicant will submit five copies of the thesis (per Article III, paragraph 5f of the Regulations) one of which will with the Secretariat of the Council. Exceptionally, upon approval from the Committee, the applicant can submit only one original print and four copies in electronic form, when thesis is a monograph whose edition is already out of print. In this case, the applicant has to submit a statutory declaration of the identity of the text and the copies. The author has to provide opponents with the print version of electronic copy, if required. If the thesis is in foreign language, the applicant should state also the Czech title of the thesis.
4. The applicant will also submit the prescribed number of copies of abstracts of the thesis (Art. III, paragraph 5e of the Regulations) one of which will be filed in the Secretariat of the Council. The Secretariat of the Council will send seven copies of the abstracts to the determined recipients after the conferral of the degree to the candidate by the Council. The remaining copies of the abstracts will be returned to the candidate who will submit them to the Chairperson of the Commission to be sent out pursuant to Art. III, paragraph 12 of the Regulations.
5. The Chairman of the Committee will advise in writing the Chairperson of the Commission of the formal commencement of the doctoral procedure.

III. Course of the Procedure

1. After reviewing the candidate's application (Article II, paragraph 8 of the Regulations), the Commission shall implement the principles and criteria approved by the Committee. The Chairperson of the Commission will notify the Committee in writing of the Commission's decision whether or not it recommends the thesis for the next stage in the procedural process and will provide the following information:
   
   1. the title of the thesis, the name and surname of the applicant and his/her affiliation,
   2. results of assessing scientometric parameters relating to the respective field of science, or of other criteria of the applicant in compliance with the principles approved by the Committee (Article I, paragraph 5 of the Regulations),
   3. brief professional characteristics of the applicant,
   4. whether the thesis can be accepted or defended in a foreign language (usually in English),
   5. his/her comments on the acceptability of the abstract of the thesis pursuant to Article III, paragraph 3 of the Regulations,
   6. a proposal of at least three opponents (a possible foreign opponent should be as the fourth one),
   7. a proposal of a venue of the thesis defence.
   If the thesis is not recommended, the Chairperson of the Commission will notify information a) to e) and reasons for the proposal to stop the proceeding.
2. A designated member of the Committee will evaluate the submitted materials, primarily the data concerning the applicant and the opponents of the thesis, in particular, considering the stipulation of Article III, paragraph 10 of the Regulations and paying due attention also to the fact that recommenders should not be in a superiority/subordination relationship to the applicant.
3. A designated member of the Committee will present a summary of his/her findings to the plenum of the Committee, will or will not recommend continuing the procedure and will or will not recommend approving the proposed opponents. The Chairperson of the Committee will advise the Chairperson of the Commission of the result of the vote.
4. If the proposal for continuing the procedure and for the opponents is accepted, the Chairperson of the Committee will notify of it the Chairperson of the Commission who will fix the date of the thesis defence and so inform the Chairperson of the Committee.
5. Should the proposed opponents not be approved, the Committee Chairperson shall decide with the Chairperson of the Commission on a term for new opponents to be proposed. The disapproval of opponents can be repeated.
6. A designated member of the Committee will participate in the defence. The designated member of the Committee has the right to be present also in a non-public discussion but without having the right to vote.
7. Information about the date of thesis defence is published on the website of the CAS and also in Academic Bulletin.

IV. Concluding the Procedure

1. A report is made concerning the course of the thesis defence, signed by the Chairperson of the Commission.
2. After the defence is concluded, the Chairperson of the Commission shall prepare a report according to the prescribed templet in which he/she shall evaluate the defence and shall propose the scientific degree either be awarded or not awarded. A negative decision concerning the awarding of the scientific degree must be justified substantially. This account and the record relating to the defence shall be forwarded to the Chairperson of the Committee. An attendance list shall be attached. The presence of all opponents taking part in the procedure shall be mentioned explicitly or the meeting of the condition as specified in Article III, paragraph 13 of the Regulations. Documents (per Article III, paragraphs 5a through 5d, 5g through 5j of the Regulations) submitted by the applicant shall be returned to the Secretariat of the Council for Sciences of the CAS.
3. The Committee at its meeting shall integrate its position statement into the report drawn up by the Commission's Chairperson, being very careful to observe the Guidelines during the procedure, especially regarding a possible appeal by the applicant, and shall then give its final recommendation to the Council for Sciences of the CAS as to the award of the scientific degree.
4. The presence of a designated member of the Committee is necessary at a meeting of the Committee at which the recommendation whether to award the degree is voted on; the Chairperson of the Commission may be invited.
5. A written decision of the Committee on the award of the scientific degree is given to the President of the Council for Sciences of the CAS by the Committee's Chairperson or, in his/her absence by the Committee's Deputy Chairperson.
6. The Committee's Chairperson delivers the report on the course of the defence, the report on the defence and an attendance list to the Secretariat of the Council for Sciences of the CAS, which files them together with the thesis and the thesis abstract.
7. Should all regulations governing the course of defence not have been properly adhered to, the Committee's Chairperson shall notify the Commission's Chairperson that the defence is invalid. In the stipulated time period, he/she shall require that a new term and venue of repeating the defence be established. Opponents' reviews remain valid. A designated member of the Committee always participates in the repeated defence.
8. The procedure on the award of the scientific degree is ended by a decision of the Council for Sciences of the CAS.