§ 1: Name, residence and legal form
1.1 The name of the association is Copenhagen Laboratory Automation Network (abbreviated: CphLAN).
1.2 The Association has its place of residence in the municipality of Copenhagen.
1.3 The Association is an ordinary, non-commercial association (“almindelig, ikke-erhvervsdrivende forening”). The Association is registered in the Danish Central Business Register under CVR no. 40747141.
§ 2: Aims and objectives
2.1 The Association is a non-profit organisation whose overall aim is to bring together super-users and managers with hands-on experience within laboratory automation and (ultra) high throughput screening related topics from across industry and academia, to share experiences and best practices.
2.2 The Association’s main activities are network meetings and other social gatherings and events that can promote the aim described in § 2.1. The Association ordinarily holds two network meetings per year, one in spring and one in autumn.
2.3 The Association is not operated for profit. Any surplus shall be applied solely to the furtherance of the Association’s purpose under § 2.1 and may not be distributed to members, board members or any other party.
§ 3: Membership
3.1 Any person who is sympathetic to the purposes mentioned in § 2, and who does not work with the support, distribution or sales of commercial laboratory and data automation equipment and solutions, can be a member of the Association.
3.2 Dispensation from § 3.1 can be given by the Board by simple majority vote.
3.3 Membership is acquired by registering for one of the Association’s network meetings. Registration may be made either against payment of the participation fee under § 3.5, or on the basis of a free place granted by the Board, including to presenters and board members. No distinction is made between the two forms of registration. Registration presupposes that the person meets the conditions in § 3.1, and the Board may refuse a registration from a person who does not. Attending a meeting does not in itself confer membership on a person who does not meet the conditions in § 3.1, subject to § 3.2.
3.4 Membership runs for twelve (12) months from the date of the meeting the registration relates to. Membership renews automatically upon each new registration for a subsequent meeting. Membership lapses without notice twelve (12) months after the date of the most recent meeting the member was registered for.
3.5 The Association does not charge a separate membership subscription. The Association’s income from members consists of the participation fee for the Association’s meetings. The participation fee is set by the General Meeting under § 4.5, item 6. The General Meeting may authorise the Board to set the participation fee for individual meetings within a framework determined by the General Meeting.
3.6 The Board maintains a register of the Association’s members on the basis of the registrations for the Association’s meetings. The register forms the basis for determining voting rights under § 4.2 and member numbers under § 5.1 and § 11.1.
3.7 The Board may expel a member if the member breaches the statutes or code of conduct of the Association. Expulsion requires a qualified majority of the Board, meaning at least two-thirds (2/3) of the Board members. The decision may be appealed at the next General Meeting.
3.8 Any person who discloses information obtained during Association events to for-profit companies that sell equipment related to the topics mentioned in § 2 without prior written consent will automatically have their membership cancelled with immediate effect.
3.9 The Board may enter into an agreement for sponsorship of an individual network meeting and may, as part of such an agreement, grant a sponsor’s representatives access to specified parts of that meeting, including giving a technical presentation. The Board determines the extent of that access for each sponsorship and ensures it is compatible with the Association’s purpose under § 2.1. Sponsors and their representatives have no access to the parts of a meeting the Board reserves for members, no influence over the technical content of the programme, and no access to the member register under § 3.6.
3.10 A sponsorship confers no membership on the sponsor or its employees, cf. § 3.3, and does not constitute a dispensation under § 3.2. The notice or programme for a meeting must state which sponsors are taking part and in which parts of the meeting. Information exchanged during a part of a meeting in which a sponsor’s representatives take part, where this was stated in advance, is not covered by § 3.8.
§ 4: General Meeting
4.1 The General Meeting is the supreme and sovereign authority of the Association. It is held in succession of the first network meeting of the year. Members must be called to attend the General Meeting at least three (3) weeks in advance. The notice must state the time, place and format of the General Meeting, cf. § 4.6, and is published as set out in § 4.7.
4.2 Each member under § 3 has one (1) vote at the General Meeting. Voting requires that the member’s membership is current at the time of the meeting, cf. § 3.4. No vote may be cast by proxy. Electronic participation and voting under § 4.6 does not constitute voting by proxy or remote voting.
4.3 All members may submit proposals for consideration at the General Meeting. Such proposals are to be received by the President no later than ten (10) working days prior to the meeting. The President is, in turn, obligated to submit the received proposals to all members no later than five (5) working days prior to the meeting.
4.4 The General Meeting decides on proposals by simple majority. Voting is by show of hands or, where members participate electronically, by an equivalent function in the meeting system used. It takes one (1) member to request a written, secret ballot. Where the meeting is held wholly or partly electronically, a secret ballot is conducted using an anonymous voting function in the meeting system, or by another method the Chairperson of the meeting considers adequate.
4.5 The agenda of the General Meeting must include the following points each year, and further points are encouraged:
1. Election of a Chairperson for the General Meeting
2. Election of a minute taker
3. The President’s report
4. The Treasurer submits the audited accounts for approval
5. Proposals (if any)
6. Setting the participation fee for the Association’s meetings
7. Election of three (3) board members each odd year and two (2) board members each even year, for a two-year period
8. Election of at least two (2) alternates for a one-year period
9. Election of one (1) auditor and one (1) deputy auditor for a one-year period
10. Any other business
4.6 The General Meeting may be held physically, entirely electronically, or as a combination of the two (hybrid). The Board decides the format when convening the meeting and states in the notice which electronic meeting system will be used and how members obtain access to it. Where the meeting is held wholly or partly electronically, the system used must allow members to participate in, speak at and vote at the meeting. The Chairperson of the meeting ensures that participants can be identified as members, cf. § 3.6. A member participating electronically is regarded as present and in attendance for the purposes of § 4.4, § 10.1 and § 11.1. If technical problems prevent one or more members from participating or voting, the Chairperson of the meeting decides whether the meeting can continue or must be adjourned and reconvened. The decision is recorded in the minutes.
4.7 Notice of a General Meeting is given by publication on the Association’s website (currently cphlan.org). The publication constitutes the notice, and the deadline in § 4.1 runs from the date of publication. The Board additionally sends the notice to the email address each member has most recently provided, cf. § 3.6. Failure or non-delivery of such an email does not affect the validity of the General Meeting, provided the notice was published on the website in due time. Proposals received under § 4.3 are published in the same manner.
§ 5: Extraordinary General Meeting
5.1 If deemed necessary, an Extraordinary General Meeting is summoned if requested in writing by either the Board, the auditors, or by at least thirty (30) percent of members as recorded under § 3.6. The meeting must take place within six (6) weeks of the initial request.
5.2 The Extraordinary General Meeting is held in accordance with the rules in § 4, but the agenda does not have to include items three, four, six, seven, eight and nine (3, 4, 6, 7, 8 and 9) if the reason for the Extraordinary General Meeting does not require such steps.
§ 6: Board
6.1 The Board is responsible for managing day-to-day business. The Board consists of the board members elected at the General Meeting. The Board members elect officers among themselves, including but not limited to President and Treasurer.
6.2 The Board consists of five (5) people including the President. All are elected by the General Meeting.
6.3 The Board specifies its own rules of procedure.
§ 7: Auditors
7.1 The auditors review, approve and sign the Association’s annual accounts and provide an auditor’s statement.
7.2 Within four (4) weeks after the end of the fiscal year, the auditors must have access to all documentation necessary to form the basis of their statement.
7.3 The auditors have the right to access all of the Board’s and the Association’s documents and to attend all Board meetings and the General Meeting.
§ 8: Finance
8.1 The Association’s fiscal year runs from 1 January to 31 December.
8.2 The Association keeps its books in accordance with the Danish Bookkeeping Act as in force from time to time. The Board is responsible for ensuring that the Association is registered with the Danish Tax Agency for the obligations arising from its activities, including VAT registration.
8.3 The Association is liable only with its own assets. Members bear no personal liability for the Association’s obligations and are not entitled to any share in the Association’s assets. No personal liability for the Association’s obligations rests with the Board.
§ 9: Power to bind the Association
9.1 The Association is officially represented by the President and one (1) board member jointly, or by the Treasurer and one (1) board member jointly, who have the authority to make binding agreements on behalf of the Association.
9.2 The Treasurer alone, the President alone, or two board members jointly may dispose of the Association’s accounts.
9.3 The Board can approve that the Treasurer or the President alone has access to the bank account of the Association (including netbanking).
§ 10: Amendments
10.1 Amendments to these statutes can only be made at a General Meeting with at least a two-thirds (2/3) majority of the participants present agreeing to the changes.
10.2 Amendments to these statutes stand from the General Meeting at which they are adopted.
§ 11: Dissolution
11.1 A decision on the dissolution of the Association requires that at least three-fourths (3/4) of the members are present at the General Meeting and that the resolution is adopted by at least three-fourths (3/4) of the votes cast. Blank and invalid votes are considered not cast and do not count. Should three-fourths (3/4) of the members not be present at the General Meeting, but the proposal be adopted by three-fourths (3/4) of the votes represented, the Board will convene an Extraordinary General Meeting at which the proposal can be adopted by three-fourths (3/4) of the votes cast without regard to turnout.
11.2 In the event of dissolution, the Association’s assets will be used in accordance with § 2 or for other public-benefit or charitable purposes. The assets may not be distributed to the members. The General Meeting decides on the specific use of the assets in connection with the dissolution.
§ 12: Language
12.1 These statutes exist in a Danish and an English version. In the event of any discrepancy between the two, the Danish version prevails.
Adopted at the Extraordinary General Meeting on 20.08.2026.
