Project Management

In the scheme of activities and projects within the Network the management is secured along the lines needed at the different levels: top-down where needed for guarding the structure and progress of the Network, and bottom-up to guarantee and intensify an efficient flow of (activity) contributions and communications between the participants.

The first levels of management activities are related to the governance, steering, and general co-ordination of the Network.The General co-ordinator (GC) will be the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIE), which has a standing record on co-ordinating major European projects including several international projects on marine biodiversity such as BIOMARE, MARBLE, MARBENA and BIOCOMBE.

The General Co-ordinator leads the Management Activities, and is responsible for the functioning of the total Network, in particular financial and administrative affairs (Activity 1). It is the authority that signs off the completion of each stage, and authorises the start of the next stage. The General Co-ordinator chairs the Steering Committee.

The Board of Governance, constituted by about 10 members from governmental and non-governmental organizations and funding agencies, represents a section of the societal organisations, and advises the General Co-ordinator and NoE Steering Committee on major developments and key issues and developments in politics and society of relevance to the NoE.The Board of Governance will meet once per year in a meeting organised by the General Co-ordinator.

The NoE Steering Committee represents the different sectors that compose the Network. It steers the network and advises the General Co-ordinator and the Executive Committee in their tasks. We have uncoupled the SSC from the execution of the network's activities because the long-term sustainability of the network requires an important imbedding in and contact with the traditional scientific sectors. Attention will be given to an equilibrated participation with regard to gender, geographic representation of Europe, and disciplinary affiliation.

The NoE Steering Committee will have two meetings annually organised by the General Co-ordinator. The NoE Steering Committee approves all major plans and authorises any major deviation from plans agreed at the initiation of the Network and its Activities and Projects. It ensures that the required resources are committed and arbitrates in any conflicts within the project, or negotiates a solution to any problems between the Network and external bodies. In addition, it can make recommendations for the appointment and responsibilities of Activity Leaders.

The NoE Steering Committee is responsible for the NoE remaining on course, to deliver products of the required quality and to meet the goals defined at the initiation of the project. According to the size, risk and complexity of the Network the board may decide to introduce specific additional resources to address some of its Network assurance activities. For the managerial role the General Co-ordinator will be assisted by:

1. Management Office for the daily management, the financial affairs and the reporting within the Network, and
2. Executive Committee for managing and guiding the activities on integration, spreading excellence and research.

The Management Office will be at the same site as the General Co-ordinator, which is at the Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIE).

The office is responsible for: 

1. Daily management. The tasks consist of the regular administrative affairs within the NoE required for a proper co-ordination of the network. A Scientific Executive Secretary is the Activity Leader of the Management Activities, and will be assisted by a Management Assistant for the (administrative and scientific) communications, and a Secretary for general affairs. The Scientific Executive Secretary assists, and if required will represent, the General Co-ordinator. Some of these functions may be part-time depending on the ultimate size of the network.
2. Finances Within the management office an administrator will control the financial structure and functioning within all Activities and research Themes.
3. Reporting The Management Office will control and report the delivery of all deliverables within the NoE at the times agreed within the described workpackages.

For a proper control and guidance of the Activities a functional working connection will be established between the Management Office and all Activities through the General Co-ordinator and Executive Committee.

In total 12 members will hold a seat in the Executive Committee (in the first stage). The members have been chosen on basis of their expertise and commitment to the NoE. During the first 18 months of the project a more equilibrated representation according to gender, geographic distribution and discipline will be pursued. In the second stage of the Network, after the initial 18 months, the Executive Committee will be enlarged with the Leaders of the Flagship Projects and/or Integrated Projects within the NoE.

To ensure a full integration of the NoE activities and its outreach to the end-users and public at large, the General Co-ordinator and Executive Committee, assisted by the Management Office, do manage and support also the Integration Activities as well as the Research Activities

Two types of activities are managed within the Research Themes (Activity 4). Firstly, following a top-down approach the major subjects recognised within the themes will be combined within one Strategic Core Programme. The co-ordinators of these programmes (described each in a Workpackage) are the Strategic Core Programme Leaders (PL), and their task is to reach the full integration of the constituting subjects within their theme.

Secondly, following a bottom-up approach, in the first stage (first 18 months) of the NoE, promising research proposals coming from the MarBEF membership in key areas of research will be combined and supported. These activities will be led by the Theme Leader (TL), whose task it is to promote and combine the key issues generated by the participating members in their theme.

Both the Strategic Core Programmes as well as the proposal on Key areas in the Responsive mode may lead to Integrated (Flagship) Projects in the second phase of MarBEF (after 18 months).

The financial and administrative affairs within a Research Theme and within the Core Strategic Programmes fall under the responsibility of the Theme Leader and Core Strategic Programme leaders, respectively.

The progress and consistency of the Themes and Core Strategic programmes are reported to the General Co-ordinator and Executive Committee (assisted by the Management Office) through the (semi)annual reports, the cost statements and by attendance to the steercom-meetings.