About · Governance
Governance & ethics
The Institute operates under a three-tier governance structure: a Board of Trustees with ultimate authority, an Academic Council for research decisions, and a Scientific Advisory Council for independent external scrutiny.
Governance principles
As an independent non-profit, Veyra Institute is not answerable to any single government ministry, university, or commercial shareholder. Governance authority is therefore distributed across three bodies: the Board of Trustees, which holds the founding charitable mandate and appoints senior leadership; the Academic Council, composed of division leads and chaired by the Director, which makes research and curriculum decisions; and the Scientific Advisory Council, which provides arms-length external scrutiny of research quality and strategic direction.
The Institute's founding charter (1987) requires that a majority of Board trustees be independent — that is, not employed by the Institute and not recipients of Institute grant funding. This requirement has been maintained without exception. The Board currently comprises six trustees, of whom all six meet the independence criterion. Trustee terms are four years, renewable once. No trustee may serve more than eight consecutive years.
All Board meetings are recorded in formal minutes. Summary minutes (redacted only where third-party confidentiality applies) are published on the governance section of the Institute's website within 28 days of each meeting. Full minutes are available on written request to the Institute Secretary.
Board of Trustees
The Board holds ultimate responsibility for the Institute's governance, its compliance with charitable law, and the appointment of the Director. It approves the annual budget, reviews strategic plans, and monitors institutional risk.
| Name | Role | Background | Appointed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Constance Halder | Chair | Independent trustee; former President, Arenfield Chamber of Commerce | 2021 |
| Prof. Wentian Bao | Trustee | Computational mathematics; Pellerin Institute of Applied Research | 2019 |
| Ms. Rafaela Ostergaard | Trustee | Finance & investment; Managing Partner, Ostergaard Capital Advisors | 2022 |
| Dr. Emeka Thiruvenkatam | Trustee | Materials science industry; CTO, Caldus Advanced Materials (retired) | 2018 |
| Prof. Lenka Dvorakova-Reis | Trustee | Environmental policy; Director, Meridian Climate Institute | 2020 |
| Mr. Halton Bryce | Trustee | Law & intellectual property; Bryce, Serrano & Partners | 2023 |
The Board meets four times per year in plenary session. Between meetings, a Finance & Audit Sub-committee (chaired by Ms. Ostergaard) and a Nominations Sub-committee (chaired by Dr. Halder) conduct oversight on delegated matters. Board trustee positions are advertised publicly when vacancies arise; the Nominations Sub-committee manages the selection process with input from the Director and an independent external assessor.
The current Board Chair, Dr. Constance Halder, can be contacted via the Institute Secretary at secretary@veyra.example. Correspondence relating to specific operational matters should instead be directed to the relevant department — see the Contact page for a full departmental directory.
Scientific Advisory Council
The SAC provides arms-length expert review of the Institute's research portfolio, advises on emerging scientific opportunities, and contributes to the five-year strategic plan. Members serve in a personal capacity and receive no remuneration beyond travel expenses.
| Name | Expertise & affiliation |
|---|---|
| Prof. Yolanda Fenwick | Atmospheric dynamics; Carantis School of Earth Sciences |
| Dr. Sanjay Mirkhani | Computational inference & AI safety; independent researcher |
| Prof. Birgitta Sandvoss | Nanofabrication & semiconductor physics; Verana Technical University |
| Dr. Tomasz Olearski | Cognitive neuroscience; Bellhaven Neuroscience Institute |
| Prof. Adaeze Umezurike | Green chemistry & catalysis; Orenthal University of Applied Sciences |
The SAC meets with the Director and Academic Council twice per year: once in spring for a full research portfolio review, and once in autumn for strategic planning input. Between meetings, SAC members may be consulted individually on specific proposals. The SAC submits a written report to the Board annually; a public summary of each SAC report is published on the Institute website alongside the annual report.
Research integrity & ethics
Research Ethics Committee
All research involving human participants, human tissue, personal data, or certain categories of animal models must receive Research Ethics Committee (REC) approval before commencing. The REC comprises seven members: three internal (one from each of CNS, ECS, and CDS), two external lay members appointed by the Board, and two independent academic members nominated by the SAC. The REC Chair position rotates on a three-year cycle.
Ethics applications are reviewed on a proportionate basis: standard applications receive a decision within 21 days; complex or novel applications are referred to full committee review (meeting monthly). All approved protocols, consent forms, and amendment decisions are recorded in the Institute's ethics management system. Approved studies are listed in the public ethics register, updated quarterly.
Researchers with questions about whether their work requires ethics review should consult the Code of Conduct (Section 4) or contact the REC secretariat at ethics@veyra.example.
Research data management
The Institute's Data Management Policy (aligned with the FAIR Principles — Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) requires all projects to produce a Data Management Plan (DMP) at the proposal stage. The DMP template is available for download below. All primary research datasets generated on Institute infrastructure must be deposited in the Veyra Research Data Repository within 12 months of project close, or on publication (whichever is earlier), unless a specific embargo is approved by the Academic Council.
The Data Management Policy additionally governs retention periods (minimum 10 years for primary data), backup procedures, access controls, and requirements for anonymisation of personal data. Questions on data management should be directed to the Research Data Manager at data@veyra.example.
Conflict of interest
All researchers, trustees, and SAC members must complete an annual Conflict of Interest declaration. Declarations are held by the Institute Secretary and reviewed by the Board Finance & Audit Sub-committee. Any undisclosed conflict that is subsequently identified is treated as a conduct matter under the Code of Conduct.
Key policies & documents
Core governance and compliance documents are available for download. All documents are reviewed and reissued on a two-year cycle or following significant policy changes.
All Institute publications, technical reports, and education documents are available on the Downloads hub.