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.