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Appendix 1: Privileges and responsibilities of persons with affiliate appointments

Privileges

The holder of the title:

  • may be granted membership of the College Library;
  • will have the use of the recreational and social facilities of the College;
  • may be invited by the Executive Dean of Faculty/Head of School to contribute to the academic work of the College and other activities as appropriate;
  • may, where the funder allows, be named as a Principal/Co-Investigator in research grant or contract applications;
  • may obtain an ID card and have access to Birkbeck’s information facilities at a level commensurate to the role;
  • may be provided with a workspace at the discretion of the Head of School and Executive Dean of Faculty;
  • may receive publications from the College and invitations to attend ceremonial occasions/events of the College and its constituent Faculties and Schools.

Responsibilities

  • There must be no deviation from the given affiliate title;
  • Affiliate appointments do not constitute an employment relationship between the appointee and Birkbeck;
  • You do not obtain or accrue any employment rights as a result of the association;
  • There is no obligation on Birkbeck to provide any work to you during the course of the association, and you are under no obligation to accept or carry out any work for Birkbeck as a result of the association;
  • Any activity undertaken by you is on a voluntary basis, and you cannot be compelled to undertake any work or activity by Birkbeck. However, if you wish to have access to IT facilities, you must undertake the relevant training as determined by the College as relevant to the role you hold and IT access will be subject to multifactor authentication using your own device. If any work is undertaken for pay, including in the form of an honorarium or stipend, it would represent a change of status/relationship with the College and would need to be arranged via a separate agreement and appointment process. Paid work may also be subject to the National Pay Framework Agreement and as such the pay level would need to be determined by job evaluation/comparability with paid work undertaken by other employees/workers.

All affiliate appointments will be conferred by the College.

  • Emeritus appointments are only available to colleagues retiring from Readerships and Professorial appointments and are offered as in perpetuity appointments.
  • Honorary Life Membership appointments are available to colleagues retiring from other roles in the College who have never held a Readership or Professorial appointment or to those who have given significant service to the College over an extended period and are offered as in perpetuity appointments.
  • All other affiliate appointments are offered, in the first instance, for up to three years. These appointments may normally be extended before the expiry of the existing appointment.
  • In line with Regulation 3 of the University of London, Birkbeck may establish a procedure for the withdrawal of an Emeritus title for any reason which appears to it to be sufficient. Similarly, an Honorary or Visiting title may be withdrawn for any reason which appears to it to be sufficient.

You may use your affiliate title during the term of your appointment when carrying out any activity which forms part of your contribution to Birkbeck. Outside of this, you may only use your affiliate title during the term of the appointment where:

  • there is no conflict of interest between the activities you are undertaking and your contribution to Birkbeck as an affiliate appointee; and,
  • you have your own appropriate insurance and indemnification arrangements in place.

Affiliate appointees:

  • must have a valid right to work check undertaken if they are based in the UK, and it is the responsibility of the Faculty to check this and to maintain records securely and in compliance with GDPR,
  • must receive an induction and undertake all mandatory training as relevant to their affiliate status as listed in the Induction Checklist within the specified timeframes (unless the appointment is to an Emeritus or Honorary Life Membership position in which case only relevant on-going mandatory training is required),
  • will fully comply with Birkbecks’ regulations and policies, including but not limited to those listed here: Corporate policies and procedures — Birkbeck, University of London (bbk.ac.uk),
  • will not become members of the Academic Board, or be members of the Academic Staff of Birkbeck as defined and covered by College Charter and Statute”
  • will be responsible to the Head of School,
  • will acknowledge Birkbeck in publications and grant applications arising from research involving College collaborations,
  • are currently covered by Birkbeck’s employer liability, professional indemnity and personal accident policies when carrying out any activity which forms part of their contribution to Birkbeck, when acting under the direction of a Birkbeck employee and the activities are agreed in writing in advance. Our insurers would require evidence of this if a claim were to be made. This applies for activities on and off-site and is subject to change. It is the affiliates responsibility to comply with rules imposed by our insurers.
  • are bound by Birkbeck’s Financial Regulations for any financial transactions relating to their role with Birkbeck,
  • will uphold the principles of equality, diversity, and inclusion in their work,
  • will promote the interests and reputation of Birkbeck,
  • will act in good faith towards Birkbeck, and
  • will take all possible care not to damage any of Birkbeck’s property or equipment.

Affiliate appointees must not:

  • commit Birkbeck to any level of income or expenditure, or act as authorised signatory to a Birkbeck budget, unless in relation to a research grant which they hold as Principal Investigator,
  • carry out performance appraisals for Birkbeck staff,
  • represent themselves as an employee of the College,
  • use for their own benefit or gain or disclose to any third party any Confidential Information relating to Birkbeck or any of its staff or students, whether during or after their appointment except in the proper course of their association or as required by English law. “Confidential Information” shall include all information which has been specifically designated as confidential by Birkbeck and any information which relates to Birkbeck’s current and future business activities, or to any staff, student or donor, the unauthorised disclosure of which would embarrass, harm or prejudice Birkbeck. Nothing in this Agreement shall be taken to prevent the appointee from making a protected disclosure as defined by Part V of the Employment Rights Act 1996,
  • bring the College into disrepute.

All affiliate appointments are bound by Birkbeck's Intellectual Property (IP) terms, which are amended from time to time. This means that intellectual property arising directly from an affiliate appointment at Birkbeck will belong to Birkbeck.

Affiliate appointments who are based overseas and do not visit the UK will not require a right to work check. However, if they come to the UK and undertake any type of work for or on behalf of Birkbeck, a right to work check or a visitors’ visa check must be undertaken. The Faculty is responsible for checking whether the individual requires an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate.

If at any stage an affiliate appointment’s right to work status changes or is revoked, Birkbeck must be informed immediately.

The Faculty is responsible for checking whether the individual requires a DBS check, where an individual will be working in a position of trust undertaking ‘regulated’ activity as part of their honorary role at Birkbeck.

End of fixed term appointment

The appointment shall continue until it immediately terminates on the date set out in the letter of appointment and Terms and Conditions, without the need for Birkbeck to issue notice.

Termination of appointment for some other reason

The continuance of conferred status is subject to compliance with Birkbeck standards, policies, and regulations and completion of Birkbeck’s mandatory training within the specified timeframes.

Birbeck reserves the right to bring any affiliate appointment to a close at any time and if you wish to end your affiliate association, you should notify the Head of School. Your appointment may be terminated by either you or the College by giving one calendar months’ written notice.

Advice should be sought from the Deputy Director of Research (Strategy) where matters of Research Misconduct are alleged and from the relevant Head of Operations HR and Equalities for the Faculty or Faculty HR Business Partner where any other misconduct is alleged.