EOSC CZ knows the leaders of the working groups: How did it turn out?
EOSC CZ has completed its first election of working group leaders. Read more about how the polls went and see the election charts.
EOSC CZ working group election: Nominating candidates and establishing election committees
Members of the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC) working groups in the Czech Republic will determine their representatives in March. An integral aspect of the election process is the establishment of election committees, which play a crucial role in ensuring a fair voting procedure. The upcoming elections will introduce new faces to the EOSC community or reconfirm the positions of experienced leaders. Find out more about how the election committees are formed, who is eligible to run as a candidate, and the significance of the election process for the future of the Czech EOSC initiative
The democratic election process for leaders of the European EOSC working groups in the Czech Republic marks a significant milestone. These leaders serve as main representatives, coordinating group activities and supporting the open science principles in the country. Before the beginning of the election process, each of 12 working groups establishes its election committee, comprising a secretary and two group members. Its primary responsibility is to oversee the entire election process, from initiation to result announcement, ensuring an objective and credible selection process for the working group's leader.
"The election committee is the guardian of the entire electoral process, from the start to the end. It establishes the election timeline, outlines rules for leader proposals, and announces the commencement of candidate submissions. While each election committee member has the right to vote, the Secretary abstains from voting. This neutrality ensures the Secretary's role remains unbiased, and, naturally, the Secretary cannot be a candidate for election," explains Michaela Ručková, Secretary of the working groups Core Services and National Data Infrastructure Architecture, who also plays the role of the organizer for the EOSC CZ Election.
The central figures in the election process are the candidates interested in the role of working group leaders. Eligible candidates must be members of the relevant working group. If they decide to run for the position of group representative, they are not allowed to become a member of the election committee. Before the voting, candidates get an opportunity to present their vision and plans to fellow members on their intention to contribute to the objectives of the EOSC.
According to Jiří Marek, Head of the EOSC CZ Secretariat: "Any member can express interest in the position of working group leader. A potential candidate, and therefore a future leader, can be an experienced professor with many years in academia or a young researcher at the beginning of a scientific career committed to and actively involved in Open Science."
The election of a working group leader necessitates a minimum of 25% of valid votes for at least one candidate, with a minimum participation of 30%. It ensures that the election reflects broad support within the group. The voting process takes place anonymously through the standardized voting software, offering a transparent and secure platform for the democratic execution of the election. Once the voting period ends and the results are completed, the winner - the candidate with the highest support, will be formally announced in the EOSC CZ working groups. And the EOSC CZ Secretariat will also release the names of the successful candidates on the official EOSC CZ website.
The announcement of the new leader is a crucial step for the future of working groups and will contribute to the EOSC initiative's growth in the Czech Republic. Stay tuned during the ongoing elections. We will keep you updated on the latest updates.
