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The Academy is governed by the following bodies:
- The Chairman, who acts as the main representative of the Academy.
- The Board of Directors, the governing body of the Academy. It manages the Academy and is responsible for making provisions for any academic, economic and administrative matters set forth in the Academy's Regulations and Articles of Association.
- Section Directors and Secretaries.
The Academy is governed by the Governing Board, which is comprised of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Secretary General, the Deputy Secretary General, the Treasurer, the Account auditor, the Curator of cultural heritage the Section Directors and the Head of the Fabra Observatory.
The Academy has 75 numerary members distributed in Sections, and an indefinite number of emeritus, supernumerary and correspondent members; the latter are elected from among those persons with no usual residence in Barcelona nor in its surroundings and who have performed studies of recognised scientific merit.
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Units of service
General Meeting
The General Meeting is the meeting of the tenured members of the Academy. General Meetings may be attended by emeritus and supernumeraries. Plenary sessions are held at the opening and closing of the academic year; ordinary sessions are convened to present any relevant work and welcome new members to the Academy; and extraordinary sessions are also held as required. The Chairman and Secretary of the General Meeting are those of the Academy. The responsibilities of the General Meeting are:
- Appointing candidates to Academy positions, except for the roles of Section Director and Secretary, and for the Head of the Fabra Observatory.
- At the proposal of the sections, approving the vacancies to be filled and the appropriate job titles to be used.
- Approving changes of section for the permanent members.
- Appointing and welcoming new members to the Academy.
- Being knowledgeable about the revenues and expenses of the previous year and about the proposed budget for the ongoing year.
- Being aware of the resolutions adopted by the Governing Boards.
- Holding scientific lectures and presentations in ordinary plenary sessions.
- Approving the decisions on proposed new Articles of Association in the course of an extraordinary session.
- Approving the internal regulations in the course of an extraordinary session.
- Approving the award of the title of sponsoring member or honorary member.
Governing Bodies
The Academy is governed by the Governing Board, which is comprised of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Secretary General, the Deputy Secretary General, the Treasurer, the Account auditor, the Curator of cultural heritage the Section Directors and the Head of the Fabra Observatory.Chairman
The Chairman acts as the Academy’s main representative and chairs the Governing Board and the General Meeting. The Chairman's responsibilities include:
- Promoting and driving initiatives to meet the Academy’s aims.
- Acting as the Academy’s legal representative to all intents and purposes
- Ensuring compliance with the Articles of Association and Regulations.
- Chairing the plenary sessions of the Academy and those of the Board of Directors
- Proposing to the Governing Board the creation of the special commissions of the Academy and chairing those of which he/she is a part.
- In coordination with the treasurer, ordering payments as appropriate and, together with the Secretary General, signing all qualifications, diplomas, acts and official correspondence, as well as endorsing any certificates issued by the Secretary and other documents as required.
- Entering into and terminating work contracts with the administrative and service staff employed by the Academy, in accordance with applicable employment legislation and with the decisions of the Governing Board.
- In case of urgency, adopting any necessary resolutions, if possible, in agreement with the Standing Committee of the Governing Board, and report on them to the Board of Directors at the first session held thereafter.
Governing Board
The Chairman and Secretary of the Governing Board are those of the Academy. Their responsibilities are:
- During the first quarter of the year, approving the budget for the following financial year and the general balance sheet for the previous year.
- Appointing the Head of the Fabra Observatory pursuant to the provisions of Article 9 of the Articles of Association.
- Proposing to the Academy the announcement of any prizes and awards to be granted, for which the members of the Academy are not eligible.
- Designating the members of the Academy who must carry out special work or a special report according to applicable regulations.
- Assisting the Chairman in addressing any issues raised in the operation of the Academy, the Observatories and the Library and the Archives.
- Taking the initiative on all matters deemed to be of interest to the Academy.
Members of the Governing Board
Vice Chairman
In absence of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman shall have all the Chairman's powers and must conduct any tasks entrusted to him/her by the Chairman or the Board of Directors.
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Secretary General
The Secretary General of the Governing Board is that of the Academy. The Secretary General has the following duties:
- Ensuring the availability of any necessary work and documents for processing.
- Reporting to the Chairman on any outstanding issues and on the matters to be discussed at the meetings.
- Issuing and signing the minutes of the sessions once they have been approved by the plenary session of the Academy or by the Board of Directors, as appropriate, and filing them accordingly.
- By means of his/her signature, authorise any agreements, reports, qualifications, appointments, certificates and any other documents delivered on behalf of the Academy, in addition to the official correspondence.
- Making the necessary arrangements for the keeping of the ongoing minute books and the medals of members of the Academy.
- Keeping a file that contains the CVs of the Academy members, with the date of their admission, the activities that they have conducted, the number of sessions attended during the year, the date of their removal from office, the record of medals awarded and all the necessary data for the history of the Academy.
- Keeping a file for correspondence and all matters of interest to the Academy.
- Signing the announcements for the sessions convened by the Chairman.
- At the end of each academic year, drafting a report to summarise the activities carried out by the Academy. This report must be presented by the Secretary General at the opening session of the following academic year. At the end of each academic year, preparing the programme of the sessions to be held the following year, indicating the members of the Academy that will participate.
- Preparing and ensuring the publication of a Yearbook every year. An extended version of this Yearbook must be published every five years from the 2009-2010 academic year. This must include updated historical data, some biographical notes of the members and any other information considered to be relevant.
- Keeping a logbook of all communications, procedures and certificates received or issued by the Academy or any of its departments.
- Keeping a minute book of the plenary sessions and another one for the sessions held by the Board of Directors, using the appropriate technology for that purpose.
- Providing the Library with completed minute books, files and other documents of the Secretary to be kept there when twenty-five years have elapsed from the date of the documents.
- Informing the members of the Academy about any events and matters of their interest, such as the death of any members, any vacancies that may be available, calls for awards, etc.
Deputy Secretary General
The Deputy Secretary General has the same powers as the Secretary General in the absence of the latter and must carry out any tasks entrusted to him/her by the Secretary General or the Governing Board
Treasurer
The treasurer shall be responsible for:
- Safeguarding of all the Academy's funds and being accountable to the Academy for these funds
- Making any payments ordered by the Chairman.
- Preparing the draft budget for the following financial year in order to submit it to, and have it approved by, the Governing Board every January as appropriate.
- Preparing a balance sheet together with any supporting documents at the end of each financial year, to be submitted for consideration and approval by the Governing Board.
Account auditor
The Account auditor must audit the cash flow transactions and inform the documented financial statements to be submitted to the Governing Board by the Treasurer.
Curator of cultural heritage
The Curator of cultural heritage has the following responsibilities
- Ensuring the conservation and improvement of the artistic and cultural heritage of the Academy, consisting both of movable and immovable property.
- Preparing and keeping an updated inventory of the Academy's property.
- Submitting any decisions that he/she makes in the performance of his/her duties to the approval of the Governing Board.
Librarian
The Librarian's role is to manage the Academy's Library and Historical Archive. To this end, his/her responsibilities are:
- Coordinating the work of the specialist personnel who carry out Library tasks in accordance with general staff regulations.
- Keeping, preserving and disseminating the existing documentation and any other that is received in any format; and supporting and managing the exchange of publications with other institutions.
- Ensuring the development, maintenance and dissemination of the manual and Library digital catalogue pursuant to the regulations issued by the Biblioteca de Catalunya (Library of Catalonia).
- Keeping, preserving and disseminating all the Academy's historical documentation. Coordinating access to documentary resources by academics and by internal and external users.
- Coordinating and managing Library computer equipment (Internet, Wi-Fi, etc.) in accordance with the Academy's general regulations.
- Facilitating and promoting access to external scientific databases.
- Drafting the Library’s operating rules, which must be approved by the Governing Board.
Section Directors
Section directors have the following responsibilities:
- Convening and heading the respective sections.
- Appointing any special commissions to perform specific tasks in the relevant sections.
- Reporting to the Secretary of the Academy on the section's matters and the outcomes obtained, as and when appropriate.
- Being part of the Board of Directors as ex officio members.
Head of the Fabra Observatory
The Head of the Fabra Observatory is designated by the Board of Directors, which may also appoint a Deputy Head. The Head is responsible for managing the Fabra Observatory and supervising the activities carried out there.
Committees
Standing Committee
The Standing Committee, comprised of the Chairman, the Vice Chairman, the Secretary General and the Treasurer, acts by delegation of powers by the Governing Board on any matters deemed appropriate by the Board and may assist the Chairman.
Publications Committee
The Publications Committee, comprised of the Secretary General, the Librarian and the Treasurer, shall oversee the Academy's publications.