Governance

Project Management Team (PMT).

Composition: It is composed of the Project Coordinator, a Project Manager (PM), and the INRAE Clermont-Ferrand Human Resources team.

Role: The PMT is responsible for the overall coordination of the project. In particular, Project Coordinator is responsible for the financial management, with Human Resources team at INRAE. They will manage funds received from the EU commission, ensuring i) their prompt distribution to the beneficiaries according to the EU rules and as de-scribed in the consortium agreement; ii) the communication with REA for financial issues, iii) the prompt submission of financial statements iv) the organization of project's financial auditing. PMT will also control the submission of reports and achievement of the deliverables. It ensures compliance by the partners with the contractual obligations in all activities of the project. 

Lead: The PMT is led by the Project Coordinator Sandro Bimonte, INRAE.

Project Research and Training Committee (PRTC).

Composition: The PRCT will include the Project Coordinator, WP Leaders, two DC representatives (man and woman), the Career Advisor (CA), the Intersectoral Advisor (IA), the Digital Infrastructure Advisor (DA) and the Gender Advisor. DCs representatives will rotate each year. The IA will oversee the innovation strategy of the project and will ensure the intersectoral convergence of training and research activities.

Role: It will be responsible for overseeing the two key areas of the project: training, career development, and transferable skills (WP6), and scientific and technical aspects of the project (WP1-5). In particular, it will: (1) monitor the progress of these WPs (objectives and deliverables), (2) make sure all researchers use a designated project manage-ment application to maintain their DTPs and CDPs, (3) oversee planned results of each WP, milestones, and timelines (for both research and training activities). This committee will also monitor the risks of the project and propose solving actions. (4) PRCT is also in charge of gender+ issues.

Lead: PRTC is led by Pr. D. Sacharidis (ULB).

Project Dissemination, Exploitation, and Communication Committee (PDECC).

Composition: The PDECC is led by the leader of the WP7. It is composed also of the leader of the Project Research and Training Committee, the Open Science Advisor (OPA), the Intellectual Property Manager (IM), Social and environmental responsibility Advisor (SERA), representatives of the non-academic partners, and 2 deputies (man and woman) of DCs.

Role: It will be in charge of creating a detailed plan for all activities that share project findings and engage the public, and their monitoring. It will also oversee and coordinate the execution of public outreach events (WP7). The PDECC will also monitor the progress of the dissemination and communications planned activities, as well as ensure that Open Science practices are followed and that valuable intellectual property is protected. The PDECC will also analyze exploitation strategies submitted by the DC-Supervisory Team.

Lead: PDECC is lead by Pr. R. Wrembel (PUT).

Doctoral Candidates Committee (DCC).

Composition : The Doctoral Candidates Committee (DCC) will be composed of all 14 DCs who will elect two representatives to sit in the different committees.

Role: The DCC provides a formal way for the 14 DCs to discuss their collective interests, concerns, and provide feedback to the network’s management and Supervisory Board. The DCC will nominate 2 members (ideally 1 male and 1 female) every year to sit on the SB and where relevant other committees and boards. The DCC will play a key role in identifying any issues or conflicts related to their dissemination (including IP), career development, secondment, research and training activities as well as making recommendations for programme improvements where necessary.

DC Supervisory Team (DC-ST).

Composition: It includes the two supervisors of the DC, the mentors of the secondments’ host institutions.

Role: The DC-ST is in charge of providing the DC all necessary technical infrastructure and facilities at a university, monitoring the PhD, helping develop and manage the DC’s intellectual properties and training plan, assuring access to appropriate local training programs, and to ensure smooth secondments for the DC. Each DC will get assigned its own DC-ST.

Lead: The DC-ST is led by the two supervisors of each DC.

DC Evaluation Committee & External Advisory Board

The network includes two groups to provide advice and decisions at the DC and project levels, respectively: DC Evaluation Committee and External Advisory Board.

DC Evaluation Committee (DC-EC). Each DC is associated with a DC-EC.

• Composition: DC-ST, three members of the PRTC, one member of the SB, and external members. They will be defined at the beginning of the project.
• Role: Evaluate the progress of the DC.
• Lead: The DC-EC is led by one PRCT member for each DC.

External Advisory Board (EAB).

• Composition: The EAB is constituted by 5 independent experts selected for their experience and qualifications and covering the international, intersectoral and gender balance dimensions. The SB will nominate members at the beginning of the project
• Role: EAB has no formal decision-making authority. It will provide guidance on relevant issues as well as ensure real world relevance for the training and research programmes. Functioning. EAB will participate in each yearly meeting of the project.
• Lead: The EAB is led by Pr. C. G. Sorensen (AU).