Project management and supervision
Project Description
Up to now EUROMET/EURAMET projects have been run under rather informal conditions. Under the new scheme of the EMRP sponsored by the EU a comprehensive project management has been introduced. There has been a large consensus among the INTMET contact persons that projects operated under standard project management procedures and supervised by a competent third party are likely to run more efficient and more successful than projects without third party control.
Only a fraction of the desirable metrological research and development (R&D) of National Metrology Institutes (NMI) will be sponsored in future under Art. 169 of the EU treaty. Sponsoring is restricted mainly to projects of highest scientific excellence. However, there are many projects that claim not for highest scientific excellence, but rather for pragmatic conversion of latest research results into operational measurement standards needed by customers and stakeholders.
Therefore, NMIs have a vital interest to conduct those projects efficient as well.
In the proposed project, tools and rules are to be developed applicable in future to projects running outside the EU-sponsored joint research projects (JRP) and to comparison projects as well.
Particular attention has to be paid that these new procedures are lean and similar to the tools and principles already applied for JRPs whilst taking into account that such projects do not receive additional funding nor need to meet FP7 rules.
There is no intention that INTMET shall intervene in projects running in other TC's. INTMET would assume a pure monitoring and supporting role to parties involved in and responsible for running projects. Steering actions had to be undertaken always by the project leaders or the management of the involved NMIs.
Milestones:
- First draft 080731;
- Consolidated version ready for submission to all INTMET contact persons and Board of Directors, 081215;
- Finalized version ready for submission to General Assembly 090423 (12th INTMET meeting);
- Adoption of rules and procedures for project management and supervision: GA 2009.
Progress Report 03.02.2010
The participating partners have developed the following documents for use in project management and supervision:
- "EURAMET guide on project management and supervision"
- "EURAMET project protocol", a simplified version of the iMERA-Plus Joint Research Project Protocol.
- "EURAMETprogress report",
- "EURAMET final report",
- "EURAMET project confirmation", committing the participating NMIs to allocate the planned resources to the project.
The documents have been discussed and finalized at the 12th TC-IM meeting in Belgrade, 23-24 April 2009. The project has been presented in June 2009 at the EURAMET General Assembly and has been treated of the EURAMET Board of Directors in October 2009. The BoD suggested trying out the concept on a pilot basis.
Currently, NMIs are strongly involved in EMRP project calls and projects, and there is little space for project co-operation aside the EMRP. Thus, no further activity has happened.
At the same meeting the BoD has made some thoughts on the future role of TC-IM. Both questions - future role of TC-IM and project management - are closely linked together.
((The further steps in the project have to be discussed at the next TC-IM meeting on 9/10 March 2010 in Paris and with the BoD)).