promote international cooperation within different specific fields of acoustics, provide assistance in organizing EAA events, suggest special issues for Acta Acustica or Acoustics in Practice, initiate studies and prepare documents such as strategies, policy statements, state-of-the-art assessments, reports, etc, within its defined technical field.

EAA Internal Regulations rev2023-07

 
EAA Internal Regulations rev2023-07
(link above is the Internal Regulations as a PDF file)

IR 1. General

The European Acoustics Association (EAA) is a non-profit entity established in 1992 that includes in its membership national societies predominantly from European countries with the aim to promote the development and progress of acoustics in its many different aspects. The EAA membership includes around 33 acoustic societies and serves more than 9000 individual members across Europe. The European Acoustics Association is an Affiliate Member of the International Commission for Acoustics (ICA) and of Initiative of Science in Europe (ISE).

The registered office of the ASSOCIATION is established in Madrid, Calle Serrano 144, postal code E-28006, Spain, which is also the registered office of the Sociedad Española de Acústica (SEA).

The Internal Regulations (I.R.) of the European Acoustics Association, cover issues which, according to Article 26 of the Statutes, need to be defined within the Internal Regulations of the ASSOCIATION. They also include issues not covered by the Statutes, which are considered important for the fulfilment of the objectives of the ASSOCIATION. The Internal Regulations and any modifications are proposed by the acting Board and approved by the General Assembly by a majority of one half plus one of the present and represented members.

The invitations for the General Assembly should be sent to the Presidents and General Secretaries of the National Societies at least 15 days prior to the General Assembly date.

IR 2. Membership-Sponsors

IR 2.1 Associate Members

A society that fulfils the requirements for becoming a member according to article 7 in the statutes, but for various reasons cannot become a full member can be accepted as an associate member, for a transient period. This period is undertaken in the mutual expectation that by the completion of the transition period the associate member will endeavour to qualify as a full member of the EAA.

Examples of reasons for not becoming a full member can be economic matters, legal structure, matters defined by the society’s own bylaws, etc.

An associate member will normally be accepted for a time limited period of a maximum of three years, and there should be a mutual understanding between the associate member and the ASSOCIATION, that matters preventing transition of the associate member to full membership should be clarified within a reasonable time period.

An associate member can take part in regular ASSOCIATION activities on equal terms to that of a full member except in all matters that involve a direct cost for the EAA. Also, they do not have the right to vote on budgetary matters.

Three potential options are given to associate members (AM) to become full members after the transition period, these include:

  • Two-step Membership: AM pays half Membership for one year, then full Membership.
  • Sustaining Member support: AM gets Membership yearly paid by a National Company who will become a Sustaining Member of the EAA.
  • Solidarity Workshop (physical or virtual): Together with the EAA, the AM organizes a small workshop (typically 1–2-day workshop, 50-100 participants) on a specific topic in agreement with the EAA Technical Committees, on the following basis:
    • the associate member gets the registration fees for National participants,
    • the EAA gets the registration fees for non-National participants (money does not cross international borders).
    • The EAA uses this funding to pay the AM’s full membership fees for a maximum of 2 YEARS. In addition, for a physical workshop 25% of the EAA revenues will pay for local services.

If none of the three options is adopted by an AM after the transition period, The Associate Membership will be altered to an Observer Membership status. This transition will happen by proposal from the Board and decided by a vote of the General Assembly. The AM in question has no right of vote in this decision. Observers can participate to the activities of the EAA but have no right to vote on any EAA business at the General Assembly.

IR 2.2 Sustaining Members

Any national legal entity (institution, academia, enterprise, companies, etc.) already financially supporting a National Society, can additionally become a Sustaining Member of the EAA. The following procedure will be applied to these entities:

The approval of the related National society of the EAA is required in advance: ideally, and unless otherwise stated by the National Society, a body supporting the EAA must first support and continue supporting that National Society.

Additional support from that entity will then be split in two parts:

  • The first part (75%) will go to support the EAA.
  • The second part (25%) will be used to reduce the National Societies annual membership fees. If all the annual membership fees of a National Society are covered by National Sustaining Members, any remainder can then be “capitalised” over 2 years but not more.

For non-European entity, application must be accepted by the board and all financial support will go to the EAA.

Sustaining Member support is renewed on an annual basis.

Three categories of sustaining Members are proposed with different contributions and different services provided:

  • Silver: Logo displayed in Fenestra and Acustica with a link to the Company website, job announcements inserted in Fenestra.
  • Gold: same as silver +: Logo displayed in the EAA publications and in the EAA Conferences, 5% discount on advertisement in the EAA journals and exhibition in the EAA conferences.
  • Platinum: same as gold +: Direct link to Company Job website from Fenestra, Acustica, 10% discount (instead of 5%) on advertisement in the EAA journals and exhibition in the EAA conferences, physical presence during specific actions like specific workshops, prizes, travel grants for a conference etc.

The financial contribution of sustaining members is updated yearly by decision of the General Assembly (on the proposal of the board).

I.R 2.3. EAA Sponsorship

Under specific circumstances, European and International enterprises may become SPONSORS of the EAA.

The sponsorship of the EAA shall be dedicated linked to a specific product or action of the EAA, such as Student Grants. The sponsorship can be on a regular or year by year basis. In each specific cases, the details of the sponsoring relationship can be expressed in terms of an MoU between the SPONSOR and the EAA.

The General Assembly approves any establishment of a sponsorship relationships, based on a proposal from the Board.

IR 3. The EAA Board

According to the EAA Statutes (ref. art. 23), the board of the EAA is composed of:

One President;

Two Vice-Presidents;

One General Secretary;

One Treasurer.

The duration of the mandate of the board is 3 years.

All positions are fulfilled under voluntary basis. Under some exceptional conditions, induced expenses (such as travel and subsistence, consumables…) can be reimbursed by the EAA within the limit of the annual budget.

IR 3.1 Election Procedure

The election procedure is the following:

1) General Assembly # +2 (2 years after the GA of the last elections)

At the beginning of the nomination process, the General Assembly designates two persons, who do not belong to the current board, as adjudicators of the election process.

After the General Assembly, all Full Member Societies are invited to send nominations to the General Secretary of the Board and to adjudicators.

Full Member societies can send nominations in two forms:

  • either as constituted slates (5 names), through discussions within Societies. These slates should be endorsed by at least 3 separate national societies, in order to guarantee a minimum of support.
  • or as individual nominations (i.e.,people who do not belong to a constituted slate).

In either case, nominee proposals (by national society) must be accompanied by letters from each nominated person, indicating that he/she is ready to be an active member of the Board and to work for the EAA, in case of being elected.

2) Three months before General Assembly #+3

The deadline for nominations is 3 months before the General Assembly in which the elections are to be held. Member and associate member Societies will be informed of all valid nominations by the General Secretary of the EAA in appropriate time frame after that point.

3) During General Assembly #+3

One vote is made for each board position: members and associated members have to choose one of the candidates, either belonging on a constituted slate or being individually nominated. The election procedure will be performed in accordance with the Art. 22 of the EAA Statutes, and the final nominations for each position will be adopted by absolute majority (more than 50 % of the votes) of the presented or represented votes. If no candidate receives an absolute majority in the first election round, a new election round will be held between the top two candidates from the first round (by simple majority). Election of board members should be by secret ballot and can be conducted by appropriate electronic means.

4) Start of the activity of a new EAA Board #+3

The new Board will formally begin its activity on the first day of the month following the date of the General Assembly in which the Board has been elected.

5) Following 6 months after the General Assembly #+3

It is the duty of the previous board to give assistance to the new EAA Board.

IR 3.2 Functional working of the EAA Board

The EAA Board will meet in person or through teleconferencing at least twice a year to discuss all the issues related to the EAA affairs. Additional meeting using teleconferencing or similar means is possible whenever there is an urgent matter for discussion.

Discussion through any electronic means is possible. Decisions made by this way should be filed and kept by the General Secretary.

For all the EAA Board meetings, minutes should be prepared by the EAA General Secretary and approved by the Board members. Approval of the EAA Board minutes is possible by electronic means.

The EAA Board may invite to their meetings individuals for discussions related to EAA affairs including EAA product managers and technical committee chairs. A special meeting of the EAA Board with the publisher of the Acta Acustica is foreseen once a year. Participating as a member of the Board is done on a voluntary basis.

IR 4. The EAA Executive Council

The Executive Council (EC) consists of the Board Members, the Technical Committee Chairs or Vice-chairs, the Product Managers and, according to IR 6, the EAA Office Director, the former President and any such other persons that shall be appointed from time to time by the Board.

The EC shall give advice, among other things, on EAA products, and on the operation of the Technical Committees (TCs), such as: common policy of the TCs, defining the "area of interest" of a TC..., etc.

The EAA EC meets preferable in person or by electronic means, at least twice a year. Its meeting precedes or follows that of the EAA Board (I.R 3.2).

For all the EC meetings, minutes should be prepared by the General Secretary of the EAA and approved by the EC members. Approval of the EAA EC minutes is possible by electronic means. Participating as a member of the Executive Committee is done on a voluntary basis.

IR 5. Technical Committees

In order to fulfil the objectives of the ASSOCIATION and to promote international cooperation within different fields of acoustics, the EAA may establish Technical Committees (TC). A TC will act as a forum for members who share a common interest in a specific field of acoustics.

Participating to (or chairing/vice-chairing) a TC is done on a voluntary basis.

It is required that every TC is composed of both a Chair and a Vice-chair. This ensures that at least one of them is available when necessary.

Establishment of a TC

The EAA Board decides on the establishment or dissolution of a TC. For the establishment of a TC, a proposal is needed which must be submitted to the EAA Board by a group of at least 10 individual members of the EAA coming from at least three different national member Societies

TC Chair and Vice-chair

A TC Chair and a Vice-chair shall be elected by and within the TC and shall be approved by the Board. The TC Chair and Vice-chair must be members of a national member Society. The Chair and Vice-chair are elected for a period of 3 years at a time. Re-appointment is allowed once and exceptionally twice. The TC Chairs are members of the Executive Council of the EAA and may be substituted by the Vice-chairs in case of necessary absence. The EAA Board may nominate a TC Chair as coordinator of the Technical Committees or ask one of the Vice-Presidents to be the TC Chair.

TC Council

The Chair and Vice-chair of a TC will be assisted by the TC Council, which will be formed by 5 members of the TC. The election of the TC Council members will be done within the TC’s membership with a term of 3 years. Re-election is allowed once, and exceptionally twice. Every 3 years, the new EAA board confirms the lists of the TC Councils, Chairs and Vice-chairs within 3 months of its election.

The TC may also agree on inviting experts with desired qualifications from outside the EAA to join the committee work, if suitable for the purpose of the task on an ad-hoc basis.

Modus operandi

The TC shall serve the interests of the EAA and follow the by-laws and regulations of the ASSOCIATION. In addition, a TC may choose its own way of performing its activities by defining internal regulations, which must be approved by the EAA Board. Meetings, including the annual meeting at the conference, held in conjunction with EAA events, by e-mail or correspondence, by maintaining an interactive website, etc., may effectuate the communication among the TC members as appropriate.

Activity reports

The TC chair or Vice Chair shall prepare annual progress reports on the TC activities to the Board. These reports shall also give information about planned activities for the coming year. The reports will be published on the TC committee website and if there isn’t such, in the EAA official portal. The TC Chairs or Vice Chairs should provide a written report with an outline of their activities prior to the General Assembly (GA) and the Chairs (or members of the TC council) should present the TC activities in the EAA GA.

Liability

The EAA has no liability for the debts, liabilities or other obligations of the TC.

Dissolvement of a TC

If a TC does not meet for 3 years it is considered inactive and the Board may decide to dissolve it or re-initiate its council and chair.

I.R 6. EAA Products

The following regulations are referred to the EAA Products existing at the date of the approval of IRs. Additional products may be added at any time following decision of the EAA Board. The IRs of the new products has to be added in the current list after approval from the GA.

All Product Managers will be assisted by a Young Assistant Product Managers who will have the mission to maintain the link with the Young Acoustician Network, YAN.

All Product Managers (PM) and Young Assistant Product Managers (YAPM), are appointed for a period of 3 years. Re-appointment is allowed once and exceptionally twice.

The PM are members of the Executive Council of the EAA.

All positions are fulfilled under voluntary basis. Under some exceptional conditions, induced expenses (such as travel and subsistence, consumables…) can be reimbursed by the EAA within the limit of the annual budget.

In some exceptional circumstances, Product Managers may need specific technical assistance from an external expert company. On a case-by-case basis, the quotations (minimum of two) will be presented to the board by the PM. The EAA Board will approve the best value for money.

I.R. 6.1 Acta Acustica

Acta Acustica (AA) is the main scientific journal published by the EAA.

The official language of AA is English.

AA is a fully open access Journal. The EAA can also provide a partial support for Author Publication Charge.

The EAA Board appoints the Editor-in-Chief of the AA.

In addition to the Young Assistant Product Managers, the Editor-in-Chief may choose an Editorial Assistant to assist him/her.

The Editorial Board of AA consists of a group of specialists in the various fields of Acoustics. They are considered as “Associate Editors” of the journal.

The Editor-in-Chief chooses the members of the Editorial board for a term of three years, which may be extended for two additional terms.

The Editorial Board should meet at least once a year to discuss any issues related to the journal. The meeting would usually to be associated with FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering but can take place separately if required.

All the papers submitted to the journal are peer-reviewed. The Associate Editors ask at least two reviewers to evaluate the submissions. Only in exceptional cases a single reviewer may perform the evaluation, but in this case detailed input from the Associate Editor is required. A detailed input from the Associate Editor is also required when a manuscript is rejected before review. The AA is distributed electronically to all the members of the National Societies, which are full members of the EAA.

ACTA ACUSTICA is a full open access journal.

All positions (Editorial Board, reviewers) are fulfilled under voluntary basis.

I.R. 6.2 Acoustics in Practice

Acoustics in Practice (AiP) is an electronic journal published by the EAA. The journal is aimed at a general audience, and in particular but not exclusively to people practicing in the fields of acoustics, noise and vibration. Interested readers and contributors are expected to be mainly practitioners such as consultants, manufacturers, policy makers and regulators.

The official language of AiP is English.

The Journal is of Open Access. Link to its electronic version will appear in the EAA Web-page and may be posted to the web-pages of the EAA Member Societies without restrictions.

AiP papers will not undergo independent peer reviewed. A review will be caried by one of the editors.

Permission for reproduction of an article appeared in AiP should be made to the EAA Board or it is granted for free on the requirement of inclusion of an appropriate citation of the original publication and authors).

The EAA Board appoints the Editor-in-Chief of the AiP.

In addition to a Young Assistant Product Manager, the Editor will be assisted by an Editorial Board consisting of acousticians who have made a known contribution in the various fields of acoustics.

The Editor-in-Chief invites the members of the Editorial Board and their term is typically three years. After the end of the three-year period the editors may stay in the Editorial Board if they wish so for a maximum of two additional terms.

The EAA Board will appoint an editorial assistant and an editing coordinator who are responsible for the appearance of the journal and the editorial check.

All positions (Editorial Board, reviewers…) are fulfilled under voluntary basis.

I.R. 6.3 Fenestra

EAA Fenestra (therefore mentioned as Fenestra) is the official web-portal of the EAA.

The items to appear in Fenestra as well as the mailing lists supported by Fenestra are decided by the EAA Board.

The Fenestra Product Manager coordinates the day to day running of Fenestra.

Among the missions of the Product manager is to moderate the incoming information and any request for distribution of information to the Fenestra mailing lists.

The physical location of the server supporting the web-portal is decided by the EAA board on the basis of suggestions from the Fenestra Product Manager.

I.R. 6.4 Nuntius Acusticus

Nuntius Acusticus (thereafter mentioned as Nuntius) is the electronic Newsletter of EAA.

It is typically published every second month except if exceptional circumstances prevent the publication of the Newsletter at its normal time.

The Newsletter contains information on the EAA and the Member Societies activities as well as information on events held around the globe related to acoustics. The National Societies are considered as the main source of information for Nuntius. Individuals may also contribute to the Nuntius newsletters.

The electronic link to Newsletter upon preparation is sent to the EAA Member Societies for internal distribution among their members.

The Product Manager coordinates the publication of the Nuntius newsletters. Among the duties of the Product Manager is the approval of the information submitted for publication in the Newsletter and its editing.

The distribution of the news can be achieved via the Member Societies or through appropriate digital platform (such as LinkedIn, Facebook, other social media …).

I.R. 6.5 Documenta Acustica Electronica

Documenta Acustica (thereafter mentioned as DAEL) is a multi-lingual digital repository of ANY publications in the field of acoustics from across Europe.

Its multi-format publishing acceptance will include journals, conference proceedings, grey literature technical reports, PhDs, Master thesis, technical notes, courses, tutorials, reports, sound illustrations, videos, etc.…

The goal of this product is to have a single online search portal, linked to standard search engines, that will allow open access to all the acoustics archives in Europe and in any European language.

Unless otherwise specified, all documents will be available on an open-access basis. In some cases, access to data may be restricted to individual members of National Societies for a limited period of time.

Authors of papers or electronic materials will be able to submit the materials to the Documenta Product Manager who will check the compatibility of the submitted material to the EAA objectives and in positive cases insert the material in the DAEL database. He/she will also periodically refer to the EAA Board about the material received.

Proceedings of ALL EAA Events will be submitted to the Documenta within a period up to six months after the event and thereafter remain accessible to everybody through DAEL.

I.R. 6.6 Schola

EAA Schola -the European Web-based University Guide- is a service for students interested in acoustics. It offers a collated search functionality of institutions, courses, and other information relevant for students interested in studying acoustics from across Europe.

Representatives from universities, faculties, departments, schools, institutes, may submit information on their courses, specific fields of acoustics research, exchange programs, etc. to the Schola Editor. These data will be collated and hosted in the Schola database linked to the search engine.

The Schola Product Manager coordinates the data collection, collation, handling and presentation of this information.

The physical location of the server supporting the Schola web-portal is decided by the EAA board on the basis of suggestions from the Schola Product Manager.

I.R. 6.7 Young Acousticians Network

The Young Acousticians Network (YAN) is an initiative within the EAA. Its primary goal is to establish a community for early career researchers and professionals in the field of Acoustics; to connect them and to provide support from the industry as a whole.

The YAN will organize events at conferences and provide not-for-profit services that contribute to the community. These services include the establishment of an e-address list, the EAA YAN website, a monthly newsletter as well as communication channels to enable networking.

The YAN is aimed at supporting any young acoustician (under 40 years old) worldwide, including MSc and PhD students, post-docs, and early career researchers, consultants and engineers.

The activities of the YAN are coordinated by the young acoustician's network Board, which consists of seven members suggested by the YAN chair and approved by the EAA Board.

The YAN Board may appoint local representatives, from countries represented in the EAA.

The EAA Board will define an annual budget to support the activities of the YAN. The YAN board should encourage all YAN participants to become members of a EAA National society, however this is not a requirement of involvement in any YAN events.

All positions are fulfilled on a voluntary basis. Under exceptional circumstances, incurred expenses (such as travel and subsistence, consumables…) can be reimbursed by the EAA within the limit of the annual budget.

I.R. 6.8 Mentoring

The goal of this product is to establish long term links between young acousticians and experienced seniors in order to consolidate the coherence of the EAA and establish bridges between the generation: Seniors-Juniors bridges. Experienced mentors will endeavour to support mentees in various activities including but not exclusive to: Discussion with mentees about the profession, giving both life and career advice (no liability), giving technical advice if requested, promotion of EAA products, and participation in Seniors-Juniors meetings organised during EAA conferences (when participating at the conference) …

At all EAA events, there should be a concerted effort to organize a reception/event devoted to direct contact between senior and junior Members.

Mentees should in response endeavour to actively engage with mentors and provide feedback on their experiences, issues, successes and suggestions to facilitate a productive mentee-mentor relationship.

The Product Manager will be in charge of maintaining the data base of Mentors and organising the exchanges.

I.R. 7. EAA Events

An EAA Event (physical, virtual or dual) is a Conference, Symposium or Workshop which is allowed to use the logo of the EAA.

There are 4 categories of EAA events:

  • EAA own conference: FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering
  • Solidarity Workshops organised to support associate Members as described in IR.2.1
  • EAA Symposia
  • EAA endorsed events

For each event, an MoU will be signed between the EAA and the Event organiser defining the duties of the EAA and the organiser, the involvement of the TCs and the financial issues.

The MoU will define, in particular, the amount that the Organiser will contribute to the EAA independently from the Conference financial balance (except for Solidarity Workshops) as well as defining any liabilities.

All EAA events must include, in their organising Committee a representative of the EAA (appointed by the Board) as a liaison person.

They must also involve appropriate TC Members in their Scientific Committee.

All EAA events must offer a reduced registration rate for individual members of EAA National Societies of at least 20%. In addition, students will receive a discount of at least 50% in registration fees. A student is here defined as a person undertaking at the time, or within 12 months, of the conference a recognised academic course in an acoustics related field member society.

All EAA Events will offer the advantages defined in section IR 2.2 to all Sustaining Members.

According to the principle of subsidiarity, all EAA events must be approved in advance by the National Society of the country where the Event takes place.

The proceedings of ALL events will be made available in an open-access format via Documenta Acustica Electronica. The digital proceedings and the associated metadata must be provided by the organiser to the EAA at most 6 months after the end of the event. Event organizers should coordinate this effort with the Documenta Acustica Electronica product manager throughout the event planning.

I.R. 7.1 FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering

FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering (henceforth FORUM ACUSTICUM) is the annual Conference Event for the EAA. It is held every year. The EAA Board suggests, and the General Assembly will decide by simple majority of the present or represented members, if the FORUM ACUSTICUM is to be held outside Europe. In such a case the Board in collaboration with potential co-organizers will decide on the location and the dates of the Conference.

If the Conference is to be held in Europe the following procedure will be applied.

The Board publishes a call for proposals at least 5.0 years before the year of the conference (denoted as t) indicating expected dates of the conference. The call for proposals shall include information on general selection criteria.

One national EAA member Society (NatSoc) typically submits a proposal to host the conference. Groups of NatSoc may join for a proposal, with clear identification of the leading NatSoc as contact partner concerning contract, budget, liability, etc.

The deadline of proposal submission is t – 4.5 years.

Proposals shall be submitted to the General Secretary of the EAA, processed and reviewed by the Board at t – 4.0 years. The ratification of the selection will be achieved at the first General Assembly following the Board meeting or by electronic vote.

The MoU between the EAA and the FORUM ACUSTICUM Organizers will be signed by the President of the EAA and the Chairperson of the FORUM ACUSTICUM at t – 3.5 years at the latest.

If there is a proposal for the Organization of the FORUM ACUSTICUM outside Europe, the issue has to be discussed first on an EAA board level and if there is a positive suggestion, the issue has to be presented in the next EAA GA for the final decision.

The MoU between the EAA and the FORUM ACUSTICUM Organizer will be signed by the President of the EAA and the Chairperson of the FORUM ACUSTICUM at t – 3.5 years the latest.

The organizers are requested to present a summary report at each Board and General Assembly meeting on the current progress and plans of the event that they are organizing. After the event, a report should be prepared and sent to the Board within the following 6 months.

The conference will have a duration of 4-5 days and should be held every year between May and September.

I.R. 7.1.2 Summer School

The conference should preferably include a Summer School on Acoustics for Young Acousticians.

I.R. 7.1.3 Forum Laboris

The conference should preferably include “Forum Laboris”, which is the Job fair of the European Acoustics Association.

The goal of Forum Laboris is to help young acousticians build their careers.

It will include sessions devoted to the presentation of potential employers: Companies, Research Labs, Training Institutions, Academics, etc. Including sessions devoted to open discussions between job seekers and job proposers. Each potential employer/recruiter will be given the opportunity to meet employment seekers either individually or in a group.

Forum Laboris may be organised in a standalone virtual or in-person format or may be included fully or partially into one of the EAA Conferences events either in person or virtually.

Forum Laboris will be co-organised by at least one representative of the EAA Board and at least one representative of the YAN Board. Registration fees for students or non-employed job seekers should be made available at very low (symbolic) financial costs.

I.R. 7.2 EAA Symposia

An EAA SYMPOSIUM is a scientific and technical meeting, which fulfils the following requirements:

  • An ad-hoc meeting organized by one or more EAA National acoustical societies under the auspices of one or more Technical Committees of the EAA or directly by one or more of the Technical Committees of the EAA.
  • The topics are very specific and related to acoustics.
  • There is no competition or overlap with large events organized by the EAA or National societies for example FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering, Regional Congresses, etc. or by other International Associations linked to the EAA.
  • One of the official languages is English.
  • International EAA individual members (+TC members) are invited into be on the scientific committee.

Application for an EAA Symposium

The National Member Societies of the EAA or the TCs that intend to organize an EAA Symposium should send to the EAA Secretary, at least nine (9) months before the scheduled event date, a proposal containing information on topic, venue, expected number of participants, type of proceedings, chairperson, committees, registration fees, and, in case of a proposal from National member Societies, EAA TC’s involved.

The EAA Board will process the proposal and will respond within 30 days from the reception of the proposal to the organizers.

If the Symposium is approved, the EAA Board will indicate the name of the EAA Exec-Council member and/or TC-Chair that will contribute to the Symposium Organizing Committee as representative of the EAA.

The MoU will be signed immediately after the Symposium approval between the EAA and the Symposium Organizers.

The EAA will promote the symposium via Newsletter, website, etc. The Organizer will use the logo of the EAA in all official documentation and online material. The event Organizers are expected to collaborate with EAA representatives and provide updates as required to the EAA Board. The Organizers will provide a report on the symposium for publication in the Nuntius Newsletter of the EAA within 6 months of the event. A final report of the Symposium should be made to the EAA Board and to be presented at the next EAA General Assembly.

I.R. 7.3 Other EAA Activities (endorsement)

The organizers of an EAA endorsed event should send an application to the EAA Board, at most six (6) months before the scheduled date of the event indicating the venue the scope, the expected number of participants and especially, the European added value.

EAA endorsed events may be typically National Conferences, or thematic Conferences related to acoustics, for which no administrative support is requested from the EAA.

If not organised by a National Society, it must be approved by the corresponding Society where the event will be hosted.

The EAA Board will send their decision within 30 days of the submission of the application of the event. The announcement of the EAA endorsed events will appear in the EAA Newsletter and the EAA Web-site in a separate area dedicated to the EAA events and a separate announcement will be sent to all the National Societies for internal distribution. No other obligations are foreseen for the EAA.

I.R. 8. EAA Awards and supports to young acousticians

I.R 8.1 EAA Awards

The EAA presents the following two awards to distinguished individuals or entities:

  • EAA Award for lifetime achievements in Acoustics
  • The EAA Award for contributions to the promotion of Acoustics in Europe

One of these awards will be presented every year, alternating, during the opening ceremony of the FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering, and exceptionally whenever the board decides that there is an important reason, for presenting an additional award.

The EAA board will decide the persons or entities to receive the awards.

The procedure to be followed for the decision on an EAA Award is the following:

  • One year before the FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering, the EAA board can nominate a committee to decide on the recipients of these awards.
  • The committee includes two former Presidents of the EAA Board, two distinguished acousticians, members of two different National Societies who may be former recipients of the EAA awards and the EAA General Secretary.
  • The committee suggests the recipients of the corresponding awards and prepares a report explaining the reasons for their suggestion.

The Committee may indicate up to a maximum of three potential recipients, leaving the final decision to the EAA Board.

I.R. 8.2 Best student papers awards

In order to promote Excellence among young acousticians, the EAA will give awards every year in FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering for presentations/papers made by students.

The number of awards and the financial value of the reward to be given to each recipient will be at the discretion of the EAA Board and will be based on available funds and existing sponsoring contracts on an event-by-event basis.

Eligible for the best student paper award is a young acoustician, who has been enrolled in a University for a Bachelor, Masters or PhD and is no more than 35 years old on the 31st of December of the year of the Conference. He or She has to be the first author of the paper to be presented in the Conference and has to present the paper him/herself. Presentations can be either in person or online in line with the conference format.

The procedure to be followed for the best student papers awards is the following:

  • The EAA will issue an open call for expressions of interest for the best student paper awards at most six months before the event with a deadline of two and half months before the event.
  • The call will clearly mention the number of winners and the type of award to be given to them.
  • The call will specify the documents to be sent to the EAA General Secretary along with the expression of interest by the student. Among the documents to be sent to the General Secretary is the full text of the paper is mandatory
  • After reception of the applications the Board will set-up a jury to decide about the award winners. The decision will be based on both the content of the paper and the quality of the presentation. The jury will present their decision to the Board.
  • The EAA Board will then review and make the final decisions.
  • The winners will be announced at the closing ceremony of the Conference and their names will appear in the EAA Newsletter and other online formats as appropriate.

I.R. 8.3 Travel grants

The EAA will support young acousticians for their participation in International Conferences and will provide travel grants to young acousticians for participation in the EAA Conferences (FORUM ACUSTICUM – The Annual European Conference on Acoustics and Noise Control Engineering). The number of travel grants, the financial value to be given and any additional benefits (for instance free registration in the Conference) will be decided by the EAA Board on an event-by-event basis based on available funds. An effort will be made to attract external support for these travel grants.

People eligible for the travel grants are young researchers and students, who are either citizens of or working in, on a semi-permeant basis, in countries with National Societies of which belong to the EAA. These persons do not have to be but it would be desirable to be a member of the related national society.

To apply for these grants, young researchers must have enrolled to a university course (Bachelor, Master, PhD) or already have a Master or a PhD degree but are no more than 30 years old on the 31st of December of the year of the Conference. They have to be an author in a paper that will be presented in the Conference.

The procedure to be followed for the travel grants is the following:

  • The EAA will issue an open call for applications of travel grants well before the deadline for the early registration of the event for which the travel grant will be given.
  • The call will clearly mention the number of available grants and the type of support to be provided.
  • The call will specify the documents to be sent to the EAA General Secretary along with the application and a deadline for the applications.
  • After reception of the applications the Board will set-up a committee to decide on the recipients of the travel grants.
  • The final decision will be taken by the EAA Board
  • The General Secretary will directly inform the grant winners and their names will appear in the EAA Newsletter and the Web Page.

The names of the winners will be announced at the Opening Ceremony of the corresponding event.

I.R. 9. EAA Office

In order to sustain the continuity of the EAA administrative functions, in coordination and with the supervision of the EAA Board and the EAA General Assembly, it is planned to establish a EAA OFFICE. These specific Internal Regulations describe the designation and functions of the EAA OFFICE.

Any Full Member Society of the EAA can assume the function and responsibility of the EAA OFFICE. Nomination will be proposed by the EAA Board and approved during the next General Assembly, by a majority of one half plus one of the present and represented members. If no Full Member Society is available to assume the function and responsibility of the EAA OFFICE, the General Assembly can decide to appoint a non-EAA European Institutions for the office.

For merely descriptive purposes, some functions and activities of the EAA OFFICE are listed:

  • Updating yearly the data of the EAA member Societies
  • Establishing the administrative contacts with the publisher of the Journal AA, regarding orders, invoices, incidences, etc., mainly in coordination with the Editor in Chief of the Journal AA
  • Establishing the administrative contacts with the EAA Banks, mainly in coordination with the EAA Treasurer. This duty does not include the payment of orders, i.e., EAA Bank transfers, checks or cash. Payments can only be made under the authority of either the EAA Treasurer or the EAA General Secretary.
  • Establishing, with the authorization of the EAA Board and the EAA General Assembly, administrative contacts with authorities, institutions and affiliation institutes, on behalf of the Association. Including preparation and submission of any official and unofficial documents/updates required by authorities and institutions that registered the Association.
  • Supporting in administrative matters the EAA Board and the EAA General Assembly.

The Full Member Society nominated to take over the EAA OFFICE will indicate a director (voluntary position) responsible of the office works and of the coordination with the EAA Board and the EAA member Societies. The Director will be invited in the EAA Board and E.C. meetings and will participate in the General Assemblies.

The EAA OFFICE will be reviewed on a 3-year cycle

The EAA OFFICE can be assisted by permanent staff member(s) hired after approval by the General Assembly, or by consultants.

The EAA OFFICE will receive a yearly financial compensation for the management of the activities. The amount will be proposed by the EAA Board and included in the annual EAA budget, to be approved by the EAA General Assembly.

The role of the EAA OFFICE can be revoked, by the EAA Board, with the approval of the EAA General Assembly, by a majority of one half plus one of its present and represented members.

The assigned Full Member Society acting as the EAA OFFICE can dismiss from the appointment by the EAA Board with the approval of the EAA General Assembly.

In both situations, the Full Member Society, designed to act as EAA OFFICE will update all data and files and will pass the EAA files to the Full Member Society, nominated as new EAA OFFICE, under the supervision of the EAA Board.

I.R. 10. EAA Communications

The EAA shall provide its member Societies with general information on EAA surveys, call for papers of EAA events, news on TCs and Products. Member Societies must provide a communication contact point which must be maintained and inform the General secretary of any changes in reasonable time to maintain good communication. Societies must also provide up to date information on their internal structures particularly contact details of current presidents etc. in good time to the EAA General Secretary.

Member societies shall forward this information in due time to their members. Member societies shall confirm to the EAA when the information has been sent to their members. Member societies can ask the EAA to mail this information directly to their members providing the EAA with contact data.

Information will be circulated either through emails or social media.

The European Acoustics Association (EAA) is a non-profit entity established in 1992 that includes in its membership societies predominantly in European countries interested in to promote development and progress of acoustics in its different aspects, its technologies and applications. EAA gathers 33 societies of acoustics and serves more than 9000 individual members all over Europe. The European Acoustics Association (EAA) is an Affiliate Member of the International Commission for Acoustics (ICA) and of Initiative of Science in Europe (ISE).

Contact us: eaa [at] euracoustics [dot] org

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