Article 1
The name of this association is the Asia Pacific Accelerator Network (hereinafter referred to as the Association). Its English abbreviation is AAN.

Article 2
The Association is a legally established, non-profit social organization. Its purpose is to establish a comprehensive entrepreneurial ecosystem, bringing together accelerator groups, relevant professionals, and experts from domestic and international communities to jointly promote innovation and entrepreneurship development.

Article 3
The Association’s organizational area covers the entire national administrative region.

Article 4
The Association’s headquarters shall be located within the administrative district of the competent authority. Upon approval by the competent authority, branch offices may be established. Simplified regulations for branch office organizations shall be drafted by the Board of Directors and submitted to the competent authority for approval before implementation. The addresses of the headquarters and branch offices shall be reported to the competent authority for record upon establishment or relocation.

Article 5
The Association’s tasks are as follows:

1. Regularly liaise and exchange with accelerator groups, investors, and experts domestically and internationally to promote bilateral or multilateral innovation and entrepreneurial development.
2. Assist startups in securing funding, establishing corporate connections, and fostering international cooperation.
3. Facilitate mutual visits between domestic and international accelerator teams to promote collaboration among accelerators, venture capitalists, mentors, and innovation teams.
4. Enter into cooperation agreements with relevant international organizations.
5. Organize entrepreneurship-related courses and matchmaking activities.
6. Conduct research on issues related to the development of the Asia Pacific accelerator network as commissioned.
7. Engage in other activities related to promoting the development of the Asia Pacific accelerator network and achieving the aforementioned tasks.

Article 6
The Association’s competent authority is the Ministry of the Interior. Its business purpose shall be subject to the guidance and supervision of the Ministry of Economic Affairs or other relevant business supervisory authorities.

Article 7
The qualifications for membership application in the Association are as follows:

• Individual Members: Any individual who supports the purpose of the Association, is at least 20 years old, and is an industry accelerator, mentor/consultant, lawyer/accountant, or professional engaged in enterprises with investment departments.
• Group Members: Public or private organizations or groups, such as industry accelerators, mentor/consultant firms, law/accounting firms, or enterprises with investment departments that support the purpose of the Association.
• Sponsoring Members: Individuals or organizations that sponsor the activities of the Association.
• Permanent Individual Members: Any individual who supports the purpose of the Association and is at least 20 years old.
• Permanent Group Members: Public or private organizations or groups that support the purpose of the Association.

To apply for membership, an applicant must complete a membership application form, obtain approval from the Board of Directors, and pay the membership fee.
Group members must appoint two representatives to exercise membership rights. Subordinate organizations of the Association must join as group members.

Article 8
Members (or their representatives) have the rights to vote, elect, be elected, and recall. Each member (or representative) has one vote. However, sponsoring members are not entitled to these rights.

Article 9
Members have the obligation to comply with the Association’s charter, abide by its resolutions, and pay membership fees.

Article 10
If a member (or representative) violates laws, the charter, or fails to comply with resolutions of the General Assembly, they may be subject to a warning or suspension by resolution of the Board of Directors. If the violation causes significant harm to the Association, the member may be expelled by resolution of the General Assembly.

Article 11
Members who lose their membership qualification or are expelled by resolution of the General Assembly shall automatically cease to be members.

Article 12
Members may resign by submitting a written statement explaining their reasons to the Association. Membership fees already paid are non-refundable.

Article 13
The General Assembly of members is the highest authority of the Association.
If the number of members (or representatives) exceeds 300, representatives may be elected proportionally by regions to convene a Representative Assembly and exercise the powers of the General Assembly. The term of office for representatives is four years. The number of representatives and election procedures shall be drafted by the Board of Directors and submitted to the competent authority for record.

Article 14
The powers of the General Assembly (or Representative Assembly) are as follows:

1. Formulating and amending the charter.
2. Electing and recalling directors and supervisors.
3. Deciding on the amounts and methods for membership fees, annual fees, operational fees, and member contributions.
4. Approving annual work plans, reports, budgets, and final accounts.
5. Deciding on the expulsion of members (or representatives).
6. Approving the disposal of assets.
7. Deciding on the dissolution of the Association.
8. Approving other significant matters related to members’ rights and obligations.

The scope of “significant matters” in Item 8 is determined by the Board of Directors.

Article 15
The Association shall have 9 directors and 3 supervisors elected by the members (or representatives) to form the Board of Directors and the Board of Supervisors, respectively. During the election of directors and supervisors, 3 alternate directors and 1 alternate supervisor may be elected based on the vote count to fill vacancies as they arise. The current Board of Directors may propose a reference list of candidates for the next term of directors and supervisors. Directors and supervisors may be elected by correspondence, but consecutive correspondence elections are prohibited. The correspondence election method shall be approved by the Board of Directors and submitted to the competent authority for record before implementation.

Article 16
The powers of the Board of Directors are as follows:

1. Reviewing the qualifications of members (or representatives).
2. Electing and recalling executive directors, the chairperson, and vice-chairperson.
3. Deciding on the resignation of directors, executive directors, the chairperson, and vice-chairperson.
4. Appointing and dismissing staff members.
5. Drafting annual work plans, reports, budgets, and final accounts.
6. Proposing election methods for representatives, correspondence election methods for directors and supervisors, simplified regulations for organizational structures, and other important regulations.
7. Executing other necessary matters.

Article 17
The Board of Directors shall include 3 executive directors elected from among the directors, with one elected as the chairperson and another as the vice-chairperson.
The chairperson oversees and supervises internal affairs, represents the Association externally, and serves as the chair of both the General Assembly and the Board of Directors.
If the chairperson is unable to perform their duties, the vice-chairperson shall act on their behalf. If the vice-chairperson is also unable to act, one executive director shall be chosen to act in their place.
Vacancies for the chairperson, vice-chairperson, or executive directors shall be filled through a by-election within one month.

Article 18
The powers of the Board of Supervisors are as follows:

1. Supervising the execution of the Board of Directors’ work.
2. Reviewing annual final accounts.
3. Electing and recalling the executive supervisor.
4. Deciding on the resignation of supervisors and the executive supervisor.
5. Supervising other necessary matters.

Article 19
The Board of Supervisors shall have one executive supervisor elected from among the supervisors. The executive supervisor serves as the convener of the Board of Supervisors.
If the executive supervisor is unable to perform their duties, they shall designate another supervisor to act on their behalf. If no designation is made, the supervisors shall select one among themselves.
Vacancies for the executive supervisor shall be filled through a by-election within one month.

Article 20
Directors and supervisors serve without remuneration and have a term of office of four years, with the possibility of re-election. The chairperson may only serve two consecutive terms. The terms of directors and supervisors commence from the first meeting of the Board of Directors in the new term.

Article 21
Directors and supervisors shall be dismissed immediately under the following circumstances:

1. Loss of membership (or representative) qualification.
2. Resignation approved by resolution of the Board of Directors or Board of Supervisors.
3. Recall or dismissal.
4. Suspension from duties exceeding half the term of office.

Article 22
The Association shall appoint one Secretary-General under the direction of the chairperson to manage the Association’s affairs, along with deputy secretaries-general and other staff members as necessary. The appointment and dismissal of the Secretary-General, deputy secretaries-general, and other staff members shall be proposed by the chairperson and approved by the Board of Directors, then reported to the competent authority for record.

The aforementioned staff members may not serve concurrently as directors or supervisors. Their responsibilities and authority shall be defined by the Board of Directors.

Article 23
The Association may establish various committees, task forces, or other internal working groups. Their organizational rules shall be drafted by the Board of Directors and submitted to the competent authority for approval before implementation. The same procedure applies to any amendments.

Article 24
The Board of Directors may appoint one honorary chairperson and several honorary directors or advisors, with their terms corresponding to those of the directors and supervisors.

Article 25
The General Assembly of members (or representatives) consists of two types of meetings: regular meetings and extraordinary meetings. These are convened by the chairperson, with written notification provided at least 15 days in advance, except in emergencies requiring an extraordinary meeting.

• Regular meetings are held once a year.
• Extraordinary meetings are convened when deemed necessary by the Board of Directors, upon the request of one-fifth or more of the members (or representatives), or upon the request of the Board of Supervisors.
• After the Association completes legal registration, extraordinary meetings may be convened upon the request of one-tenth or more of the members (or representatives).

Article 26
Members (or representatives) who cannot attend the General Assembly in person may delegate another member (or representative) in writing to act on their behalf. Each member (or representative) may only represent one other member.

Article 27
Resolutions of the General Assembly require the attendance of a majority of members (or representatives) and approval by a majority of those present. However, the following matters require the approval of at least two-thirds of those present:

1. Formulation and amendment of the charter.
2. Expulsion of members (or representatives).
3. Recall of directors and supervisors.
4. Disposal of assets.
5. Dissolution of the Association.
6. Other significant matters related to members’ rights and obligations.

After legal registration, amendments to the charter require approval by at least three-quarters of those present or written approval from two-thirds of all members. Dissolution of the Association requires approval by at least two-thirds of all members.

Article 28
The Board of Directors shall convene every six months, as shall the Board of Supervisors. Joint or extraordinary meetings may be held as necessary.

• Notifications for these meetings, except for extraordinary meetings, shall be sent at least seven days in advance.
• Resolutions require the attendance of a majority of directors or supervisors and approval by a majority of those present.

Article 29
Directors must attend Board of Directors meetings, and supervisors must attend Board of Supervisors meetings. Attendance by proxy is not allowed.
Any director or supervisor who is absent without justification from two consecutive meetings shall be deemed to have resigned.

Article 30
The sources of funding for the Association are as follows:

1. Membership Fees:
   • Individual and group members shall pay NT$1,000 (or an equivalent amount in USD) upon joining.
2. Annual Fees:
   • Individual members: NT$3,000 or USD 100.
   • Group members: NT$30,000 or USD 1,000. These are paid annually based on a monthly schedule.
   • Permanent individual members: A one-time fee of NT$30,000.
   • Permanent group members: A one-time fee of NT$300,000.
3. Grants.
4. Member sponsorship contributions.
5. Revenue from commissioned projects.
6. Income from funds and their earnings.
7. Other income.

Article 31
The fiscal year of the Association shall follow the calendar year, beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31.

Article 32
Two months before the start of each fiscal year, the Board of Directors shall draft the annual work plan, budget, and employee compensation schedule and submit them to the General Assembly for approval (or to the joint meeting of directors and supervisors if the General Assembly cannot convene on time). These shall be submitted to the competent authority for record before the start of the fiscal year.

Within two months after the end of the fiscal year, the Board of Directors shall prepare an annual work report, final accounts, cash flow statement, balance sheet, property inventory, and fund income statement. These documents shall be reviewed by the Board of Supervisors, which will issue a written review opinion and return the documents to the Board of Directors. The final version shall be submitted to the General Assembly for approval and sent to the competent authority by the end of March (or directly to the competent authority if the General Assembly cannot convene).

Article 33
Upon dissolution of the Association, any remaining assets shall be transferred to the local self-governing body or an organization designated by the competent authority.

Article 34
Matters not specified in this charter shall be handled in accordance with relevant laws and regulations.

Article 35
This charter shall take effect after being approved by the General Assembly of members (or representatives) and submitted to the competent authority for record. The same procedure applies to any amendments.

Article 36
This charter was approved at the first General Assembly of the first session on January 12, 2018 (107/1/12).
It was approved for record by the Ministry of the Interior via Letter No. Tai-(107)-Nei-Tuan-Zi-0017537 dated April 10, 2018 (107/4/10).