FP7 Collaborative Project OrganicDataNetwork Experiences gained as a Cordinator

Transcription

1 European Data Network for Improved Transparency of Organic Markets FP7 Collaborative Project OrganicDataNetwork Experiences gained as a Cordinator Prof. Raffaele Zanoli Universita Politecnica delle Marche UNIVPM Ancona, Italy

2 Hint 1 a European project is a very attractive activity only if: it is framed in the usual activities of the organization, it is in line with its skills and capacities, including HR & Finances and it responds to the organization s needs 2

3 Proposal writing: Basic steps Step 1. Identify relevant calls for proposals identify a call that is relevant to your organisation or to an idea you may have for a research project Step 2. Obtain call-specific documentation and forms The Commission publishes a separate information package which includes a comprehensive Guide for Proposers that offers practical advice for preparing and submitting proposals under each call. Step 3. Establish consortium of researchers, developers and end-users The proposer must recruit partners to form a consortium capable of undertaking all aspects of the intended project Step 4. Write the research proposal Step 5. Submit proposal to Commission by call deadline 3

4 What makes a good proposal? Good project concept Scientific excellence Must be consistent with the thematic requirements work programme and call : read, underline and then rememeber to mention the keywords used in the call and in the impact section Clearly-written and balanced proposal Excellent, well-balanced consortium, chosen among the relevant (organic) stakeholders Consistent with the formal requirements (e.g. length of sections) of the Commission Must capture the evaluators attention

5 Example: OrganicDataNetwork Objectives The OrganicDataNetwork project aimed to increase the transparency of the European market for organic food through: better availability of market intelligence about the European organic sector in order to meet the needs of policy makers and market actors involved in organic markets; acting as coordinating centre between public and private bodies and stakeholders, aimed at establishing a long-term, permanent network collaborating on statistical issues regarding organic farming markets.

6 Be ambitious but realistic: Never promise something that you can t really achieve Hint 2 Lack of ambition is not as a frequent reason of rejection in the evaluation phases than being too ambitious and overshooting Besides, even if the project would be approved, not achieving objectives and not producing the promised outcomes would be judged very badly by the Commission, hindering your current and future projects 6

7 Main issues tackled during the project Most data is incomplete or totally lacking Lack of common definitions/classifications/aggregation rules across countries Poor quality of data

8 WP9 Project coordination and overall management WP1 Stakeholder integration and coordination centre Structure of the Project WP2 Inventory of organic market data collectors WP3 Evaluation of existing methods of organic market data collection WP4 Collection, handling and publication of organic market data WP5 Development and test of methodologies for data quality improvement WP6 Case studies on improving data quality in selected countries/regions WP7 Synthesis and Recommendations WP8 Dissemination

9 WP5: probably too ambitious Development and test of methodologies for data quality improvement Task 5.1: Development of equation models for consistency checks of organic market data (Month 13 Month15), Task 5.2: Consistency checks of data collected in WP4 (Month 15 Month 27), Task 5.3: Development and test of methodologies for data quality improvement along the whole supply chain in the case study countries (Month 16 Month 30)

10 OrganicDataNetwork Partnership Università Politecnica delle Marche (UPM) Ancona Italy Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) Frick Switzerland Organic Research Centre (ORC) - Hamstead Marshall, Berkshire UK University of Kassel (UKS) - Kassel Germany Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CULS) Prague Czech Republic Istituto Agronomico Mediterraneo di Bari (IAMB) Bari Italy Agence Française pour le développement et la promotion de l agriculture biologique (ABIO) - Montreuil sous Bois France Agricultural Market Information Company (AMI) Bonn Germany Organic-Market.Info (BMI) - Lauterbach - Germany Biocop Productos Biológicos, S.A. (BIOCOP) Lliçà de Vall Spain Ecozept GBR (ECO) - Freising Germany Centre for Ecological Engineering (CEET) Tartu Estonia IFOAM EU Brussels Belgium IMO-Control Sertifikasyon Tic. Ltd. Sti. (IMO TR) Izmir Turkey Soil Association (SA) Bristol UK 6 SME Partners from 10 countries market research companies (3) research institutes (3) universities (3) organic farmers organizations (1) governmental organisations (1) NGOs (2) traders (1) certification bodies (2)

11 Choosing the right partners is an art! Hint 3 Not only scientific excellence but people you already worked with or of whom you have good referrals of commitment and collaborative behaviour Project committed people more important than organisations Organisations should be relevant for the call and the project aims

12 After the approval 12

13 What the coordinator does? Preparation of Consortium Agreement Organization of project meetings Project coordination, management, administration, supervision and quality control Management of conflicts Communication with the RIA and project officer Quality control: Timely reaching of milestones and delivery of technical and contractual deliverables Regular monitoring of the budget and finances Preparation of scientific and financial reports 13

14 Coordinator s challenges People are the most important resources for a project. Ensure that the project manager and other staff know what needs to be done, when and how and motivate them to take ownership in the project. Good idea to run training workshops within the WPs A good management software tool helps to monitor both technical and financial aspects within the same program 14

15 OrganicDatanetwork challenges Difficulties differ by the type of organisation: - SME: - especially the newbies needed mentoring and regular contact during both the proposal phase and the project management phase. - Often not familiar with EU financial rules and methods of administration. They needed often a daily contact with the Coordinator s team, especially during reporting - Universities: - more experienced but often less flexible due to internal regulations and bylaws 15

16 Outcomes DATA: Reccommendations: Videos: