Work package 2: Establish best practice for identifying, commissioning, and managing fisheries research programmes

Objectives 

The objective of this Workpackage is to seek out best practice for the identification of  research needs, the development of research programmes, and the commissioning and management of research projects and programmes.  This information is a prerequisite for the promotion of an integrated European research agenda on fisheries research.

Description of work

This Workpackage will build on the early identification of national research programmes, undertaken in WP3. It is expected that there are a variety of means adopted by sponsors for the development of research programmes and projects. This WP will analyse these various approaches and develop guidelines on Best Practices. These will be adopted in the call for proposals planned for WP8.

The following key tasks have been identified:                          

Task 2.1

From  significant programmes of fisheries research funded by  participating countries, identify:

• Mechanisms for establishing research needs.
• Specification procedures for programmes and projects.
• Research commissioning procedures (negotiated or competitive basis).
• Involvement of different types of research and stakeholder organisations.
• Procedures for monitoring, evaluation and benchmarking of research outputs.
• Procedures for dissemination of research advances within the user communities.
• Procedures for management of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)

The work in T2.1 will initially involve a Core Group of four persons from the MariFish partnership to prepare the data collection work needed. This will involve preparing forms and questionnaires, and commissioning a subcontractor. The Subcontractor will carry out the data collection and collate the information in a way that facilitates analysis. The Core Group will then meet again and carry out a pre-analysis. This pre-analysis will then be disseminated to the Steering Committee, and the SC will meet and agree a final analysis text.

Task 2.2

Prepare guidelines on best practice for commissioning jointly funded research programmes to be applied under WP8.

The guidelines will be formulated on the basis of the Final analysis text produced under T2.1, and a draft will be formulated during a continuation of the partner representative meeting initiated under T2.1. A final text will be arrived at by correspondence.

Partner Involvement          

WP2 is lead by Partner 2 with Partner 11 as the WP Co-Leader.  Partner 9, Partner 13 and Partner 11 will together with the WP Leader form a Core Group to guide the sub-contractor and carry out the pre-analysis of best practice, before submitting their report to the SC.  All MariFish partners will provide details on how they commission research, and all MariFish Partners will discuss the findings within the SC.