The Charter of Language Big Data Alliance

Chapter 1 General Provisions

Article 1 The full name of the Alliance in Chinese is “语言大数据联盟” (hereinafter referred to as “联盟”), and the full name in English is “Language Big Data Alliance” (hereinafter referred to as “LBDA”). Website of LBDA: www.lbdalliance.com.

Article 2 LBDA is a global, multi-field and multi-language alliance of education, scientific research and application, based on an open and shared platform of big data resources.

Article 3 LBDA is aimed at providing support for teaching activities, practices, scientific research and businesses of colleges and universities, scientific research institutions, enterprises and public institutions, and carry out cooperation, by opening corpus, technologies, platform resources, etc.

Article 4 LBDA sets up a Board of Directors for rules formulation, project planning, activity organization, fund raising, external liaison and other work. The Board has a Secretariat, which is responsible for daily work. It sits in Global Tone Communication Technology Co., Ltd. (12F, China Railway Construction Building, No. 20 Shijingshan Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing).

Chapter 2 Main Work

Article 5 Conducting business cooperation Member units may actively carry out multi-field business cooperation between colleges/universities and enterprises/public institutions through promotion of cooperative projects, co-construction of talent training base, scientific research project laboratory, and collaborative innovation center, as well as organization of various competitions.

Article 6 Promoting resource sharing Member units may realize resource exchange and sharing under favorable conditions, by opening education, training, production, R&D, equipment, facility, human resources, employment (entrepreneurial) opportunities, corpus data and other resources to each other.

Article 7 Organizing research projects Member units may voluntarily participate in scientific research projects and subject studies declared by any member unit under LBDA, so as to enhance scientific research and teaching strength, exchange and share research results.

Article 8 Building cooperation brands Comprehensive advantages of cooperation between governments, education establishments, scientific research institutions and industry shall be integrated through the platform to create a brand project for cooperation between government- university- enterprise and research institutions and integration of schools and enterprises as its feature, and promote typical cases.

Article 9 Establishing exchange mechanisms The general meeting of LBDA shall be held once a year while the regular meeting of the Board of Directors twice a year. The Secretariat shall propose the topics for discussion, organize other member units to actively participate in the meetings, and carry out unified coordination timely. According to proposals of members, special exchanges and discussion shall be organized from time to time for major topics of common concern; member units may realize information and experience exchange for joint development and resource sharing through website, forums, meetings, and other methods.

Chapter 3 Admission

Article 10 Colleges, universities, organs, enterprises, public institutions, scientific research institutions, and others may voluntarily join LBDA as member units, regardless of affiliation and nature of ownership. No individual members shall be accepted.

Article 11 Units or institutions applying for joining LBDA shall meet the following requirements: 1. The applicant shall uphold the Charter of LBDA; 2. The applicant shall have the intention to join LBDA; 3. The applicant shall have relevant scientific research projects and practical application within the business scope of LBDA.

Article 12 The procedure for joining LBDA: 1. The applicant shall submit the membership application to the Secretariat; 2. The application shall be approved by the resolution of the Board of Directors; 3. The Board of Directors shall authorize the Secretariat to grant the membership certificate.

Article 13 The member shall enjoy the following rights: 1. Apply for joining the Board of Directors, and then enjoy the rights to vote and be elected; 2. Participate in activities, scientific research projects and business cooperation of LBDA; 3. Obtain service of LBDA, and share the platform, corpus resources and R&D achievements. 1) shall have the priority to obtain and use the language big data resources made available by LBDA and relevant open platforms, so as to carry out teaching and practical activities; 2) shall have the priority to obtain and use the language big data resources made available by LBDA and relevant open platforms, so as to declare and implement scientific research projects; 3) shall cooperate with each other in establishing a vertical-field or interdisciplinary laboratory, so as to jointly use the resources of LBDA, and carry out vertical field research or train interdisciplinary talents. 4. Offer suggestions and supervise the work of LBDA. 

Article 14 The member shall perform the following obligations: 1. Implement resolutions of LBDA; 2. Maintain legitimate rights and interests of LBDA; 3. Participate in activities as required by LBDA; 4. Handle the matters assigned by LBDA. 

Article 15 If the member fails to perform obligations under Article 14 for up to one year without justified reasons, the member shall be deemed to automatically withdraw from LBDA.

Chapter 4 Organizations

Article 16 The general meeting of members is the highest body of LBDA, with the following duties and responsibilities: 1. Elect and remove member units of the Board of Directors; 2. Review work reports and work plans of the Board of Directors; 3. Organize project experience exchange and sharing activities of LBDA; 4. Discuss other major resolutions. 

Article 17 The general meeting of members shall not be held unless a majority of members are present. The resolution of the general meeting of members shall be passed by a majority of votes cast by member units. 

Article 18 The meeting of the Board of Directors shall not be held unless a majority of directors are present. The resolution of the meeting of the Board of Directors shall be passed by at least two thirds of votes cast by member units. 

Article 19 The meeting of the Board of Directors shall be held semiannually. The two meetings in a year shall be held prior to and after the general meeting of members respectively. Under special circumstances, the meeting may be held by video, telephone and other conferencing.  Topics of the meeting of the Board of Directors include: 1. Adoption and amendment of the Charter of LBDA; 2. Election and removal of co-chairs and the rotating chairman of LBDA; 3. Election and removal of the general secretary and the deputy general secretaries; 4. Preparation for general meetings of member units; 5. Review of work reports and work plans of the Board of Directors submitted in the meeting of member units; 6. Determination to admit and remove member units; 7. Determination to establish and dissolve committees, elect and remove heads of committees; 8. Formulation and review of internal management systems; 9. Discussion, review and approval for implementation schemes of the resolution of the meeting of member units; 10. Decision on other major matters.

Article 20 The Board of Directors is the executing body of the meeting of members. It shall lead LBDA to carry out daily work for the period between the meetings of the Board of Directors and be responsible for the general meeting of members. The term of the Board of Directors is three years. Where it is necessary to terminate early or extend the term of the Board of Directors, such early termination or extension shall be subject to approval by two thirds of votes cast by members of the Board of Directors.

Article 21 Responsibilities of the Board of Directors: 1. Implement resolutions of the general meeting of members; 2. Elect and remove co-chairs and the rotating chairman of LBDA; 3. Elect and remove the general secretary; 4. Prepare for the general meeting of member units; 5. Deliver work report to the general meeting of member units; 6. Determine to admit and remove a member; 7. Determine to establish and dissolve a sub-committee, elect and remove heads of sub-committees; 8. Formulate internal management systems; 9. Make decision on other major matters.

Article 22 LBDA shall have three co-chairs and one rotating chairman, which shall be elected at the meeting of the Board of Directors. The term of the co-chairs is three years. The term of the rotating chairman is one year.

Article 23 Responsibilities of the co-chairs:  1. Convene and preside over the meeting of the Board of Directors; 2. Inspect implementation of the resolutions of general meetings of member units and meetings of the Board of Directors.

Article 24 Responsibilities of the rotating chairman: 1. Convene and preside over general meetings of member units of LBDA and prepare work reports; 2. Inspect implementation of the resolutions of general meetings of member units and meetings of the Board of Directors.

Article 25 The Secretariat shall be responsible for daily work of LBDA during the general meeting of the members of LBDA and the period between meetings of the Board of Directors.

Article 26 The Secretariat shall have one general secretary and several deputy general secretaries, which shall be elected by the Board of Directors with a term of three years.

Article 27 Responsibilities of the general secretary and the deputy general secretaries: 1. Take charge of daily work of the Secretariat, organize and implement annual work plans; 2. Convene and preside over office meetings of the Secretariat, discuss and determine relevant daily work; 3. Organize and coordinate internal work of LBDA; 4. Handle other internal daily work of LBDA.

Chapter 5 Sub-committees

Article 28 LBDA may, as required, establish several sub-committees, assist allocation of relevant resources and provide support for them.

Article 29 Establishment of a sub-committee may be initiated by 1-2 member unit(s), and other member units may voluntarily join the sub-committee. A sub-committee may have one chairman. The head of the initiative unit shall hold the position of the chairman and be responsible for work of the sub-committee.

Article 30 Establishment of a sub-committee shall be subject to application to the Board of Directors and approval by two thirds of directors present at the meeting of the Board of Directors.

Article 31 A sub-committee shall be established under the following three modes: 1. Discipline innovation cluster and multi-field cooperation with relevant domestic and foreign units, based on combination of multi disciplines; 2. Substantial cooperation with domestic and foreign scientific research institutions in corresponding fields, based on vertical disciplines, a certain language or the mainstream research; 3. Emphasis on service functions of regional social economy, which is oriented towards requirements of local colleges and universities and regions.

Article 32 The sub-committee shall select research topics with focus on main tasks and the leading edge of international science, organize and assume domestic and foreign major scientific research tasks, and continuously deepen and promote collaborative innovation.

Chapter 6 Supplementary Provisions

Article 33 Matters not covered herein shall be discussed and determined by the Board of Directors.

Article 34 The Charter shall come into force, subject to approval by two thirds of member units present at the meeting of the Board of Directors.

Article 35 The Board of Directors reserves the right of interpretation of LBDA.