1.   The European Research Infrastructure for Heritage Science is set up as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) under Council Regulation (EC) No 723/2009 (1), named and hereinafter referred to as ‘E-RIHS ERIC’.

2.   E-RIHS ERIC is a distributed research infrastructure comprised of E-RIHS National Nodes.

3.   E-RIHS ERIC has its statutory seat in Florence, Italy.

1.   The principal task of E-RIHS ERIC is to establish and operate the research infrastructure and to coordinate its strategic and financial development.

2.   In pursuit of its principal task and in accordance with the provision of these Statutes, E-RIHS ERIC undertakes or coordinates the following activities:

3.   In addition, E-RIHS ERIC may carry out the following activities:

4.   E-RIHS ERIC shall pursue all its activities ethically and transparently and shall avoid potential organisational or personal conflicts of interest.

5.   E-RIHS ERIC shall pursue its tasks on a non-economic basis. Without prejudice to State aid applicable rules, E-RIHS ERIC may carry out limited economic activities, provided they are closely related to its principal tasks, and they do not jeopardise the achievement thereof. Any income generated by these economic activities shall be used by E-RIHS ERIC to enhance and strengthen its activities.

1.   The winding up of E-RIHS ERIC shall be decided upon and initiated by the General Assembly in accordance with Article 18(6) of these Statutes.

2.   Without undue delay and in any event within ten days after adoption of the decision to wind up E-RIHS ERIC, E-RIHS ERIC shall notify the European Commission about the decision.

3.   Without undue delay after the closure of the winding up procedure, and in any event within 10 days after such closure, E-RIHS ERIC shall notify the Commission thereof.

4.   E-RIHS ERIC shall cease to exist on the day on which the European Commission publishes the appropriate notice in the Official Journal of the European Union.

1.   E-RIHS ERIC shall be liable for its debts.

2.   Members are not jointly liable for the debts of E-RIHS ERIC. The financial liability of the members for the debts of E-RIHS ERIC shall be limited to their respective annual contribution, as specified in Annex II.

3.   E-RIHS ERIC shall take appropriate insurance to cover the risks specific to its operation.

1.   E-RIHS ERIC shall provide effective access to the expertise and the competences of a community of Heritage Scientists from partner facilities as well as to an integrated system of platforms that include archival collections of samples and physical data, online digital tools and digital research resources, large-scale and medium-scale fixed facilities and mobile instrumentation for non-invasive measurements and investigation of cultural heritage assets including, but not restricted to, objects and sites.

2.   Access shall be granted to Users conducting research on Heritage Science, based on scientific excellence. In special cases, access may also be provided to Users conducting Proprietary Research on Heritage Science as they are detailed in E-RIHS ERIC access policy regulation.

3.   E-RIHS ERIC access policy shall be the object of a specific regulation document, taking into account the principles of the European Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures and subject to the approval of the General Assembly.

1.   The Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall evaluate annually the scientific, technical, and general activities of E-RIHS ERIC and under the E-RIHS ERIC label. This evaluation shall take the form of a report and shall be transmitted to the General Assembly.

2.   The Committee of National Nodes shall assist the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board in the conduct of the scientific evaluation by providing all the necessary information about the scientific activities of the National Nodes, considering the access needs of E-RIHS ERIC, the service quality standards and the evaluation procedures established by E-RIHS ERIC.

3.   E-RIHS ERIC service quality standards and evaluation procedures shall be the subject of a specific regulation document, to be approved by the General Assembly.

1.   E-RIHS ERIC shall require its Users to ensure open access to the research results and publications and encourage them to make their data available on E-RIHS repository and other repositories provided that they comply with the Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable principles and within a reasonable period.

2.   E-RIHS ERIC shall use most reaching channels for its target audiences, including website, newsletter, social media and other digital professional networks, communications in conferences, exhibitions, articles, reports and documentaries in the print, broadcast, and online media.

3.   E-RIHS ERIC shall require its Users to acknowledge the use of E-RIHS ERIC.

1.   ‘Intellectual property’ shall mean property as defined in Article 2 of the Convention establishing the World Intellectual Property Organisation, done at Stockholm on 14 July 1967.

2.   Data produced or developed under the E-RIHS ERIC label, as well as intellectual property rights attached to it, shall belong to the entity or to the person who has generated it.

3.   The use of data resulting from research conducted under the E-RIHS ERIC label shall be granted to E-RIHS ERIC and the scientific community by the owner of the data, in accordance with the conditions defined by the General Assembly in the E-RIHS Data Management Policy.

1.   E-RIHS ERIC shall be an equal opportunity employer. Conditions for access to employment shall be transparent and non-discriminatory. Appointments shall be made based on a competitive selection process.

2.   E-RIHS ERIC shall ensure that its personnel are not biased because of their financial, contractual, organisational, or other interests that relate to their work, and do not obtain any unfair competitive advantage over other parties by virtue of the performance of their work.

3.   Employment contracts shall be governed by the law of the country in which personnel are employed.

4.   E-RIHS ERIC shall advertise its open positions and vacancies internationally.

5.   The Director General shall establish regulations and rules to govern all aspects of employment at the Central Hub that guarantee personnel welfare, compliance with local law, and the needs of the organisation are met. Those rules and regulations shall be adopted by the General Assembly.

1.   E-RIHS ERIC procurement policy shall respect the principles of transparency, non-discrimination, and competition.

2.   Detailed rules on procurement procedures and criteria shall be set out in the rules of procedure and adopted by the General Assembly.

1.   The following entities may become members or observers of E-RIHS ERIC:

2.   The conditions to become a member or an observer are set out in Article 13.

3.   The membership of E-RIHS ERIC shall include at least a Member State and two other countries that are either Member States or associated countries.

4.   Member States or associated countries shall hold jointly the majority of the voting rights in the General Assembly. The General Assembly shall determine any modification of voting rights that are necessary to ensure that E-RIHS ERIC always complies with that requirement.

5.   Any member or observer referred to in paragraph 1(a) to (c) may be represented by one or several public entities or private entities with a public service mission, of its own choosing and appointed in accordance with its own rules and procedures. Intergovernmental organisations referred to in paragraph 1(d) represent themselves.

6.   Each member or observer shall inform the General Assembly of any change of its representing entities, of the specific rights and obligations which have been delegated to it or of any other relevant change.

7.   The members and observers of E-RIHS ERIC, including permanent observers as specified in Article 13(5), along with their representing entities are listed in Annex I. Annex I shall be kept up to date by the Director General.

1.   Entities referred to in Article 12(1) willing to become members of E-RIHS ERIC shall submit a written application to the Chair of the General Assembly. That application shall describe how the entity will contribute to E-RIHS ERIC objectives and activities described in Article 2, and how it will fulfil obligations referred to in Article 15.

2.   The admission of the entities as new members shall be subject to the approval by the General Assembly, according to the voting rules described in Article 18(6) and with due consideration of the advice of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board.

3.   Entities referred to in Article 12(1) who are willing to participate in E-RIHS ERIC but are not yet in the position to join as members, may apply for observer status. These entities shall submit a written application to the Chair of the General Assembly. That application shall describe how the applicant will contribute to E-RIHS ERIC objectives and activities described in Article 2, and how it will fulfil obligations referred to in Article 16. These entities shall be admitted as observers for three years. Observers may apply once for extension of observer status for the same duration.

4.   The admission or re-admission of observers shall be subject to the approval by the General Assembly, according to the voting rules described in Article 18(6) and following the advice of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board.

5.   An observer that foresees a lasting participation but is not in the position to become a member may, in exceptional cases, be granted the status of permanent observer based on the General Assembly approval, in accordance with the voting rules described in Article 18(6).

6.   New members or observers, including permanent observers, admitted to E-RIHS ERIC within a period of 18 months after the entry into force of the Commission Implementing Decision setting up E-RIHS ERIC, shall be assimilated to Founding Entities.

1.   No member or permanent observer may withdraw from E-RIHS ERIC within the first five years of its establishment. After this point, a member or permanent observer may withdraw at the end of a financial year, having sent a prior request to the General Assembly twelve months in advance of withdrawal.

2.   Observers, excluding permanent observers, may withdraw at the end of a financial year, following a request submitted to the General Assembly six months prior to the withdrawal.

3.   Members and observers shall fulfil financial and other obligations before their withdrawal can become effective.

4.   The General Assembly may terminate membership or observer status if the following conditions are met:

5.   The General Assembly shall define what constitutes a serious breach of an obligation in the rules of procedure.

6.   Notwithstanding Article 14(1), Article 14(2) and Article 14(3), members and observers that are associated countries, third countries other than associated countries, or intergovernmental organisations, may withdraw from E-RIHS ERIC following changes in Council Regulation (EC) No 723/2009 that would materially affect their rights and obligations in relation to E-RIHS ERIC.

Such changes are considered material where they imply increased fees (including annual contributions or decommissioning costs), amend voting shares, impose requirements contrary to the applicable laws according to Article 27 of these Statutes, remove the right to be represented in the General Assembly or other committees, or change their rights related to representation or use of the infrastructure.

The conditions and effects of withdrawal from E-RIHS ERIC, shall be decided in accordance with the present Article. The affected member or observer shall provide notice to the General Assembly within six months of the relevant change to the EU ERIC Regulations, detailing the date such withdrawal shall take effect.

1.   The rights of each member shall include:

2.   Each member shall:

3.   Intergovernmental organisations may request to be exempted from some obligations laid down in Article 15(2). These exemptions shall be listed and justified in the application described in Article 13 and approved as a part of the admission of an intergovernmental organisation as a member by the General Assembly according to the voting rules described in Article 18(6).

1.   The rights of observers shall include:

2.   Each observer shall:

3.   Intergovernmental organisations may request to be exempted from some obligations laid down in Article 16(2). These exemptions shall be listed and justified in the application described in Article 13 and approved as a part of the admission of an intergovernmental organisation as an observer by the General Assembly according to the voting rules described in Article 18(6).

4.   Permanent observers shall have the same rights and obligations as members as provided for in Article 15, except the right to vote in the General Assembly.

1.   The General Assembly shall be the governing body of E-RIHS ERIC and shall be composed of representatives of the members and observers.

2.   Each member shall have one vote and shall nominate up to two representatives. Observers shall carry no vote and shall nominate up to two representatives. The representatives of both members and observers can be assisted by up to two experts.

3.   The General Assembly shall meet at least once a year and shall be responsible for the overall direction and supervision of E-RIHS ERIC.

4.   On all items, the General Assembly shall use their best efforts to achieve consensus. Failing consensus, the General Assembly shall decide the issues in accordance with the voting system as defined in paragraphs 5 to 7.

5.   The following decision shall require unanimity of the votes cast by the members:

6.   The following decisions shall require a two-thirds majority of the votes cast:

7.   Any other matter not defined as requiring two-thirds majority or unanimity shall be decided by a simple majority of the votes cast.

8.   The General Assembly shall elect a Chair and a Vice-Chair among representatives of members by a simple majority of the votes cast. The Chair and the Vice-Chair shall be elected for a two-year term, renewable once. The meetings of the General Assembly shall be convened by the Chair. The Chair and Vice-Chair shall have no extra voting rights.

9.   An extraordinary meeting of the General Assembly may be requested by at least half of the members.

10.   A quorum of two-thirds of members shall be required to have a valid General Assembly meeting. If the quorum is not met, a second meeting shall be convened as soon as possible following a new invitation, with the same agenda. In the second meeting, the quorum shall be considered met if half of the members are present.

11.   The General Assembly shall adopt rules on remote presence and alternate representatives in the rules of procedure.

1.   The General Assembly shall appoint the Director General of E-RIHS ERIC in accordance with Article 18(6) and a recruitment procedure adopted by the General Assembly. The term for the Director General shall be up to five years, renewable once.

2.   The Director General shall be the legal representative of E-RIHS ERIC.

3.   The Director General shall elaborate the strategic plan of E-RIHS ERIC to be approved by the General Assembly, in collaboration with the Committee of National Nodes.

4.   The Director General shall be responsible for the implementation of the decisions assumed by the General Assembly.

5.   The Director General shall be responsible for submitting the annual activity report to the General Assembly. The report shall be drafted considering the activities of the Committee of Nodes and the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board.

6.   The Director General may request the presence of one or more Deputies to the General Assembly.

7.   The Director General shall be responsible for the management of the E-RIHS ERIC Central Hub. The Central Hub shall assist the Director General and the other bodies mentioned in Article 17.

8.   The list of activities of the Central Hub shall be based on Article 2 and Article 27 for the applicable legal requirements for the operation of an ERIC. These activities shall be the basis for an efficient and coordinated operation of the distributed infrastructure.

9.   The Director General and the Central Hub shall remain impartial in the discharge of their duties.

1.   The Committee of National Nodes constitutes the scientific body of E-RIHS ERIC and shall be composed of the Coordinators of each National Node.

2.   Each country shall appoint one National Coordinator according to their own rules, who will represent all entities involved in the National Node.

3.   The Committee of National Nodes shall have the task to:

4.   The Committee of National Nodes shall elaborate its own rules of procedure to be approved by the General Assembly.

5.   Intergovernmental organisations that provide access shall participate in the Committee of National Nodes.

1.   The Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall offer advice on request or on its own initiative to the General Assembly on the overall activities and policies of E-RIHS ERIC.

2.   The Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall offer advice on the Scientific Strategy to be adopted by the General Assembly.

3.   The Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall evaluate annually the scientific, technical, and general activities of E-RIHS ERIC and activities under the E-RIHS ERIC label according to Article 7(1).

4.   The members of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board are appointed by the General Assembly in accordance with Article 18(6) for a term of three years, renewable once. The number of its members shall be decided by the General Assembly.

5.   The Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall consist of distinguished experts and stakeholders from the different disciplines applied to Heritage Science. Members of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall avoid potential organisational or personal conflicts of interest.

6.   The Chair of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall be elected among its members. The rules of procedure and the composition of the Scientific and Ethics Advisory Board shall be adopted by the General Assembly.

1.   The financial year of E-RIHS ERIC shall begin on 1 January and end on 31 December of each year.

2.   The accounts of E-RIHS ERIC shall be accompanied by a report on budgetary and financial management of the financial year.

3.   E-RIHS ERIC shall be subject to the requirements of the law of the country where it has its statutory seat as regards the preparation, filing, auditing, and publication of accounts.

1.   VAT exemptions based on Articles 143(1)(g) and 151(1)(b) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC and in accordance with Articles 50 and 51 of Council Implementing Regulation (EU) No 282/2011, shall be applied to purchases of goods and services by the E-RIHS ERIC which are for the official and exclusive use by the E-RIHS ERIC, provided that such purchase is made solely for the non-economic activities of the E-RIHS ERIC in line with its activities. VAT exemptions shall be limited to purchases exceeding the value of EUR 300.

2.   Excise duty exemptions based on Article 11 of Council Directive (EU) 2020/262, shall be limited to purchases by E-RHIS ERIC which are for the official and exclusive use by E-RIHS ERIC, provided that such purchase is made solely for the non-economic activities of E-RIHS ERIC in line with its activities and that the purchase exceeds the value of EUR 300.

3.   Purchases by staff members shall not be covered by the exemptions.

1.   E-RIHS ERIC shall promote Open Source, Open Access, and FAIR (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) principles.

2.   E-RIHS ERIC shall provide guidance to Users to ensure that research conducted using material made accessible through E-RIHS ERIC shall be undertaken within a framework that recognises the rights of data owners and the privacy of individuals.

3.   E-RIHS ERIC shall ensure that Users agree to the terms and conditions governing access, and that suitable security arrangements are in place regarding the storage and handling of data.

4.   E-RIHS ERIC shall ensure that the data providers, the authors and the E-RIHS logo are acknowledged in an appropriate manner.

1.   E-RIHS ERIC shall produce an annual activity report, containing in particular the scientific, operational, and financial aspects of its activities. The report shall be approved by the General Assembly and transmitted to the European Commission and relevant public authorities within six months from the end of the corresponding financial year. This report shall be made publicly available.

2.   E-RIHS ERIC shall inform the European Commission of any circumstances that threaten to seriously jeopardize the achievement of E-RIHS ERIC tasks or hinder E-RIHS ERIC from fulfilling requirements laid down in Regulation (EC) No 723/2009.

1.   The Court of Justice of the European Union shall have jurisdiction over litigation among the members in relation to E-RIHS ERIC, between members and E-RIHS ERIC and over any litigation to which the Union is a party.

2.   Union legislation on jurisdiction shall apply to disputes between E-RIHS ERIC and third parties. In cases not covered by the Union legislation, the law of the State where E-RIHS ERIC has its statutory seat shall determine the competent jurisdiction for the resolution of such disputes.

1.   The Statutes shall be kept up to date and publicly available on E-RIHS ERIC website and at the statutory seat.

2.   Any amendment to the Statutes shall be clearly indicated with a note specifying whether the amendment concerns an essential or non-essential element of the Statutes in accordance with Article 11 of Regulation (EC) No 723/2009, and the procedure followed for its adoption.