AWT Articles of Association (2020 revision)

§ 1 Name, registered office, Business year

The name of the association is Arbeitsgemeinschaft Heat Treatment and Materials Technology e.V. (AWT). It has its registered office in Bremen and is entered in the register of associations there. The business year is the calendar year.

§ 2 Objective, Non-profit status

2.1 The purpose of the Association is the promotion of science and research, the promotion of general education and vocational training including student aid. The purpose is realized in particular through the support of research and knowledge transfer in the fields of materials technology and heat treatment, as well as process and production engineering manufacturing technology, in particular based on the main topics of the AWT's own research institute Leibniz-Institut für Werkstofforientierte Technologien - IWT. Technologies - IWT .

2.2 This objective is mainly served by

• Events (heresy congress "HK", symposia, symposia, lecture series, seminars, training courses);
• Elaboration of recommendations and guidelines for technical procedures and cooperation in standardization;
• Suggestion and support of research projects, in particular the implementation of research projects within the framework of the of the Industrial Cooperative Research (IGF);
• Support of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT in Bremen, as 1st benefactor;
• Publication of publications and documentations.

2.3 The AWT pursues exclusively and directly charitable purposes in the sense of the section "tax-privileged purposes" of the tax code. The AWT is selflessly active. It does not primarily pursue economic purposes.

2.4 No persons may be disadvantaged by expenses that are alien to the purpose of the AWT or by disproportionately high expenses. or by disproportionately high remuneration. Financial funds may only be used for purposes in accordance with the statutes.

2.5 The members of the AWT are not allowed to receive any shares of the receive any other benefits from the funds of the AWT in their capacity as members. of the AWT; they have no claim to the return of paid-up funds in the event that they leave the AWT or the AWT, they have no claim to the return of paid contributions or to the assets of the AWT. AWT.

2.6 In order to fulfill its objectives, the AWT cooperates with with selflessly active domestic and foreign professional associations.

§ 3 Membership

3.1 The AWT has personal and supporting members.

3.2 Personal members can become persons who are active in the in the fields of the AWT. Supporting members can be companies or (companies, associations and societies) that are interested in the work of the AWT and support it. the work of the AWT and support it. Admission must be applied for in writing. apply for membership. The board of directors decides on the admission.

3.3 The members of the AWT are entitled to participate in the thematic work of the AWT. work of the AWT; they have access to the results of the scientific work carried out by the AWT and, within the scope of the possibilities of the AWT, to technical and of the AWT, they are entitled to technical and scientific advice. The members of the AWT are obliged to recognize the statutes of the AWT. From the members of the AWT a contribution is raised. The amount of the membership fee is regulated by the by the general meeting, which is not part of the statutes. which is not part of the statutes. The contributions are collected annually after postal postal notification or by e-mail by the office.

3.4 Membership shall be terminated by the death of the personal member, by the extinction of the society or corporation in the case of by resignation, which is only possible at the end of each fiscal year and must be submitted to the and must be declared in writing to the Executive Board with three months' notice, by resolution of the Board of Directors on exclusion due to actions that are are against the interests or the statutes of the AWT (this includes also non-payment of dues despite two reminders), or in the case of loss of civil the civil rights of honor.

§ 4 Organs of the AWT

The organs of the AWT are the General Assembly, the Executive Board, the Board of Directors, the Scientific Advisory Board, the Auditors, the Management, the Technical Committees, the Heattreater's Circles as well as the Journal of Heat Treatment and Materials (HTM).

§ 5 General Assembly

5.1 In each business year at least one meeting of the members shall be convened, to which the chairman/chairwoman of the of the Executive Board with at least four weeks' notice, stating the agenda. agenda. Further general meetings are to be convened with at least with at least four weeks' notice, stating the agenda,

• if the Executive Board so decides
• if the Board of Directors so decides
• if at least 20% of the members request it in writing request it in writing.

The general meeting is quorate if it has been duly convened and the Board of Directors is is represented by a majority. Each member present has one vote.

General meetings shall be chaired by the chairperson or one of the vice-chairpersons of the board. Chairperson of the Board of Directors. Meetings of the members decided upon by the Board of Directors shall be presided over by the General Membership Meetings shall be chaired by the Chairperson of the Board of Directors.

5.2 Duties of the General Membership Meeting are:

1. Receipt of the annual report of the Board of Directors and the management;

2. Acceptance of the report of the Board of Management on the annual financial statements;

3. Adoption of resolutions on the budget planning;

4. Acceptance of the report of the of the auditors and discharge of the
Board and the management;

5. Acceptance of the Annual Reports of the Technical Committees and the Heattreater's Circles; Acceptance of the annual report of the Leibniz Institute for
Materials Engineering - IWT;

6. Resolution on the Contribution order on proposal of the executive committee;

7. Election of the Board of Directors;

8. Election of the Board of Directors;

9. Election of the Auditors;

10. establishment and dissolution of specialized committees upon the proposal of the Board of Directors;

11. establishment and dissolution of Heat Treaters' Circles at the proposal of the proposal of the Board of Directors;

12. amendment of the Articles of Association and passing of resolutions on the dissolution of the AWT;

13. discussion of other tasks concerning the AWT.

5.3 The General Meeting shall pass resolutions with a simple majority of the members present. Amendments to the statutes require a three-quarters majority of the members present. The resolution on the dissolution of the AWT must be passed by at least three quarters of the members present successive votes at least three quarters of the members present. members present. Motions to amend the Articles of Association and to dissolve the dissolution of the AWT must be included in the agenda submitted with the invitation. submitted with the invitation. Resolutions shall be passed by open ballot, unless a secret ballot is expressly secret ballot is explicitly requested in individual cases. Elections are secret, with the exception that an election by acclamation is decided unanimously. Each member has one vote.

5.4 Minutes shall be kept of the proceedings of general meetings. minutes shall be taken, which shall contain the resolutions passed or rejected and the results of elections. the result of elections. The minutes shall be signed by the chairman/chairwoman of the meeting and a of the meeting and a named minute taker and shall be made available to the members no later and submitted to the members at the latest with the invitation to the next members at the latest with the invitation to the next general meeting.

5.5 The general meeting may, if circumstances require it and by decision of the board, as an online or hybrid event. hybrid event. Access to the chat room shall be granted after registration with the legitimation data, which will be sent out shortly before the members' meeting exclusively to the registered members by e-mail. to the registered members.

§ 6 Board of Directors

6.1 The board of directors shall consist of at least nine, at most twelve members who are active in the fields of AWT. The members of the Board shall be elected by the General Assembly with a simple majority for the duration of four business years. Re-election is permissible. The board remains in office until new election or re-election. Passive members as well as representatives and/or executives of supporting members of the AWT. of supporting members of the AWT. Every two years half of the members of the of the Board shall be elected. If a member of the board resigns during term of office, the board may co-opt a successor until the next general meeting. co-opt a successor until the next General Meeting (in the event that the Board consists of less than nine members, co-optation is required). The general meeting elects a new board member for the remaining term of office of the member a new member of the board. Of the members of the Executive Board at least half belong to industrial and service companies. The work on the board is honorary. The members of the board may be reimbursed for expenses incurred in the course of their work up to an amount of 500.00 EUR (annually). The Director of the Department of Materials Engineering of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT is a member of the Board of Directors as long as the General Assembly decides nothing else.

6.2 The Board of Directors shall manage the AWT in accordance with the the statutes. It advises and decides in all matters, which are presented by the General Assembly or by the Board of Directors. It implements the decisions of the general meeting and supervises the current activities of the AWT. AWT. The Board of Directors prepares the budget. The Board of Directors is accountable and is responsible to the general meeting. The board is obliged to handle the personal personal data of the members confidentially and to use them only for association purposes. purposes of the association.

The board elects from chairperson and three deputy chairpersons from among its members as as the Executive Board for a period of two years in each case.

The Board elects the members of the Scientific Advisory Board.

The Executive Board shall adopt rules of procedure which shall not be part of the Statutes.

6.3 The Executive Board (chairperson and deputy chairpersons) is deputies) is the executive board in the sense of § 26 BGB (German Civil Code). The members of the Executive Executive Board are each individually authorized to represent AWT.

6.4 The Executive Board determines the office, appoints the managing director and defines his/her area of responsibility. defines his/her area of responsibility.

6.5 The board of directors is authorized in consideration of the objectives of the association to reallocate, if necessary, individual positions reallocate positions as needed.

6.6 The board of directors may honor personal members who have rendered the work of the AWT, with the honorary pin, in special cases to the special cases to honorary member or to honorary chairman/chairwoman. honorary chairperson.

6.7 The Board of Directors may award persons who have rendered scientific merits in the field of AWT, the Adolf Martens Medal. The bearer of the Adolf Martens Medal shall become personal members of the AWT. AWT.

6.8 For scientists/scientists under 35 years of age, the following shall be awarded at each Heat Treatment Congress (HK) the Paul-Riebensahm-Award will be offered. The The nomination of the prize-winner shall be decided by a jury, whose The composition of the jury shall be determined by the Executive Board.

6.9 The rights of nomination and formal rules for honors shall be determined by an honor regulation, which is not part of the statute and on which the executive committee decides. on which the Board of Directors decides.

§ 7 Board of Directors

7.1 The Board of Directors shall consist of at least six, at most nine members, who are elected by the general meeting for a period of four fiscal years. fiscal years. The Board of Directors shall include personal members and representatives and/or executives of supporting members. members shall be elected. Furthermore, representatives of of technical-scientific or economic associations may also be members of the Board of Directors. A representative of the Bremen state government is to be elected to the board of directors. state government shall be elected. The chairperson of the board of trustees of the Leibniz Institute for Materials-Oriented Technologies - IWT, is obliged to obliged to report annually to the Administrative Board. As a rule, every half of the members of the Board of Directors are elected every two years. is permissible. If a member of the Board of Directors resigns during his term of office, the Board of Directors may co-opt a successor until the next co-opt a successor until the next General Meeting (in the event that the Board of Directors is consists of less than six members, co-optation is required). The General Meeting shall elect for the remaining term of office of the departing member a new member of the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors elects a chairperson from among its members and a deputy chairperson. deputy. The activity in the board of directors is honorary. The Board of Directors shall draw up its own rules of procedure in consultation with the Executive Board, which shall not form part of the Articles of Association.

7.2 The Board of Directors shall advise the Executive Board and the management in all fundamental questions of AWT. The Chairman of the Board of Directors Chairman of the Board of Directors shall be invited to all meetings of the Board of Directors and the meetings. The Board of Directors shall advocate for the goals of the AWT.

§ 8 Scientific Advisory Board

The Scientific Advisory Board elected by the Board of Directors advises the Board of Directors in the initiation and implementation of research projects in the the fields of the AWT as well as in general scientific questions. It reviews research proposals of the Industrial Cooperative Research and accompanies and supports research projects and supports their implementation. The Scientific Advisory Board consists of up to ten members who are active in the fields of AWT and who are elected for a period of four fiscal years. At least half of the of the members shall come from the business community. As a rule, the director belongs to the Director of the Materials Technology Department of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Oriented Technologies - IWT is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board. The Scientific Advisory Board shall draw up rules of procedure in agreement with the Board, which is not part of the statutes.

§ 9 Auditors

By the two auditors shall be elected by the General Assembly for a period of time period proposed by the Executive Board. The auditors are to conduct a detailed audit of the cash management, books and records after the end of each the annual financial statement, the auditors are obliged to carry out a detailed audit of the cash books and vouchers.

§ 10 Management

The board of directors may appoint a managing director business as well as for the management of the office. and terminate the employment of a managing director. The managing director managing director is a special representative in the sense of § 30 BGB. The Managing Director shall be subject to the supervision and instructions of the of the Board of Directors. The duties of the managing director and his/her power of representation are and his/her power of representation shall be governed by the rules of procedure to be issued by the Executive Board. to be issued by the Board of Directors. The managing director or other administrative employees may not be favored by disproportionately high remuneration. be favored. The management is obliged to handle the personal members' personal data confidentially and to use them only for the purposes of the association.

§ 11 Technical Committees

The technical committees as organs of the AWT are a topic-specific exchange platform for the transfer of knowledge on special fields of materials technology, heat treatment, process and production engineering. They are also responsible for the initiation and supervision of research projects of the AWT. research projects of the AWT. Each technical committee is headed by a who is elected from within the committee. The establishment or dissolution of a technical committee is proposed by the board and decided by the decided by the general meeting. The leadership of a technical committee must be be confirmed by the board of the AWT. The tasks of the expert committees and their and their management are governed by rules of procedure as specified by the which is not part of the statutes.

§ 12 Heat Treaters' Circles

The heat Treaters' Circles function as regional exchange platforms in Germany for the specialist field of materials engineering, heat treatment, process and production engineering . They hold information events with discussion forums. The organization and the contents of these events are determined by the management or by the management committee of the Heat Treaters' Circle. The establishment and tasks of the Heat Treaters' Circle and their management shall be governed by rules of by the Board of Directors, which is not part of the Articles of Association. part of the Articles of Association.

§ 13 HTM

The Journal of Heat Treatment and Materials (HTM) is the technical-scientific organ of the AWT. The HTM publishes technical papers that are reviewed by an independent panel of experts. panel. Papers from the annual Heat Treatment Congress (HK) are published in the HTM. Both research results from the three main departments of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT as well as contributions from other institutes are published.

§ 14 Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT

14.1 The AWT is by foundation contract the first founder of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT, second founder is the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. is the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen.

14.2 The chairman/chairwoman of the AWT is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT. He/she shall report to the Executive Board of the AWT on the contents of the meetings of the IWT Board of Trustees at least once a year. at least once a year.

14.3 The Executive Board of the AWT shall propose to the Board of Trustees together with the the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen and the Federal Government the members of the industrial advisory board of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT.

14.4 The right to vote of the director of the main department Materials Engineering of the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT shall be suspended during elections according to 14.3.

14.5 The AWT shall be obliged to dispose of its surplus income after completion of the the annual financial statement, unless they are needed for other statutory tasks. statutory tasks, to the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT, Bremen.

§ 15 Dissolution of the AWT

The AWT can only be dissolved by a resolution of the general meeting. (cf. § 5.3 of these statutes). In case of dissolution or abolition of the association or in case of discontinuation of its previous purpose, the assets of the the Leibniz Institute for Materials Engineering - IWT, which shall use it directly and which has to use them directly and exclusively for non-profit purposes in the sense of the present statutes. purposes in the sense of the present statutes.

§ 16 Data Protection

16.1 With member agrees that the personal data required in connection with the personal data required in connection with membership administration be collected, processed and used for the association, taking into account the requirements of the be collected, processed and used for the association. Without this consent membership cannot be established.

16.2 Each member may request information from the AWT office at any time information about his stored personal data. data at any time.

16.3 The handling of personal data data in the administration of the association and the work of the committees is carried out within the framework of the DSGVO.

16.4 The further handling of personal data is governed by the data protection declaration of AWT, which is not a which is not part of the statutes.

§ 17 Code of Conduct for Events and Committee Meetings

At all events and committee meetings of the AWT the "AWT Code of Conduct the "AWT Code of Conduct on Compliance with Antitrust Law at Events and Committee Meetings Events and Committee Meetings" must be brought to the attention of the AWT and must be observed.

Wiesbaden, October 7, 1987
Supplemented and amended 1993
Supplemented and amended 2001
New version 2004
New version 2012
Supplemented and amended 2014
New version 2020