EFI Policy for Involving Associate and Affiliate Members in Research and Development Projects
Noting that EFI is a network of member organisations and has a mandate to facilitate the coordination of forest research and the dissemination of scientific data and information in Europe;
Acknowledging that EFI’s niche is twofold: in building networks on one hand, and as research and development actor at the European (and sometimes global) level on the other;
Emphasising that EFI should be competitive and undertake high-quality research and capacity building on relevant topics;
Realising that as a coordinator and/or initiator of projects, EFI has the possibility to actively influence the selection of partners for projects or activities;
Recognising that a partnership policy is needed;
Aiming to strike a balance between programme areas, geographical areas, and member organisations with different profiles and activities; while
Noting that the implementation of a partnership policy, and its subsequent ex-post evaluation, should consider the entirety of EFI’s activities over the years and the realities of forest research funding at the national and European levels, as well as in the specific case of EFI;
The Board proposes the following partner policy as a set of guiding principles, and its application to any specific project or activity therefore to be flexible:
Consider first, when forming consortia, the expertise available among associate and affiliate member organisations and involve these organisations in projects and activities whenever possible;
Recognise, however, that in order to present high quality proposals to financiers and thus maximise the possibilities for obtaining funding, decisions on forming consortia take into account:
- the proven track record of organisations relevant to the project;
- the experience of organisations as a partner in similar project settings; and
- the geographical and thematic coverage provided by the organisations.
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