CONSTITUTION OF THE EDUCATION GROUP

1. Objective of the group The aim of the Education Group is to foster and provide a forum for discussion of all aspects of education related to Biochemistry, defined in its broadest sense. These include general curricula, theoretical and practical work, assessments of teaching and learning, and innovation involving new concepts or the use of new technology.
2. Membership of the group There is no formal procedure or additional fee for joining the Education Group and any member of the Biochemical Society may be a member of it.
3. Administration of the group
   1. A committee shall be formed to administer the affairs of the Education Group according to the terms of reference agreed by the Biochemical Society's Executive Committee. The duties of the group committee shall include the conduct of the group's business and the organisation of its activities.
   2. The committee shall consist of a maximum of eleven elected members, including a chairman and a secretary/treasurer. A quorum for the transaction of the group's business shall be five, including at least one of the committee's officers.
   3. Election of committee members shall take place annually, by ballot where necessary, and any member of the Biochemical Society shall be eligible to vote. Ballot papers will be circulated with The Biochemist.
   4. Committee members shall be elected initially for a period of three years, with their service ending on the 31st of December of the third year. They shall be eligible for re-election for a second term of three years but, after completing six years continuous service, committee members must stand down for three years before becoming eligible to stand for election again.
   5. The committee, not the membership, shall elect its officers.
   6. At least three members of the committee shall retire each year. The order of retirement shall, if necessary, be determined by length of service, members with the longest service retiring first. In the event of equal seniority, or other necessity, the order shall be determined by lot.
4. Group activities
   1. The group shall hold an Annual General Meeting.
   2. The group shall organise a programme of colloquia in keeping with its objective and mostly in conjunction with main meetings of the Biochemical Society.
   3. The group may organise colloquia independent of society main meetings and, subject to the approval of the honorary Meetings Secretary, may charge a registration fee, even to members of the society, to contribute to the costs.
   4. The group may provide support to a conference not organised by itself or the Biochemical Society provided the topic of the meeting is relevant to the aim of the Education Group.
   5. Normally the proceedings of Education Group colloquia shall be reported in The Biochemist but, if appropriate, they may be published in Biochemical Society Transactions or another suitable journal.
   6. If the group wishes to publish a monograph or other volume arising from a meeting funded by or held under the auspices of the Biochemical Society, publication rights will be offered first to Portland Press.
5. Finance
   1. The Executive Committee shall support the Education Group's activities with an annual block grant, the amount of which shall be subject to periodic review.
   2. The income and expenses of the group shall be shown in an annual statement of account.
6. Reporting
   1. The group secretary shall report twice a year to a meeting of Group Secretaries, chaired by the Honorary Meetings Secretary.
   2. The group chairman shall attend twice yearly meetings of the Society' Council, chaired by the Society's President, at which the group chairman may be asked to report on the group's activities.
   3. The group committee shall provide the Society's Executive Committee, via the Honorary Meetings Secretary, with an annual written report containing a list of committee members for the year, a record of the group's activities during the year (with relevant data, such as sizes of audience) and a statement of the group's financial account.
   4. The need for the continued existence of the Education Group shall be reviewed triennially by the Executive Committee of the Biochemical Society.