Legal framework
The EuroMarine network uses a mixed legal model:
- The EuroMarine Consortium gathers European academic or research organisations that are active in marine sciences. It was launched in 2014, when sixty-six organisations signed the EuroMarine consortium agreement dated 1 June 2014. From 2015 onwards, new member organisations can join by signing a Consortium Accession Document. Full Members contribute to the budget and have voting rights. Organisations outside Europe can join as Invited Members.
- The EuroMarine Association, created in 2018 and made operational in 2019, provides the network with both an efficient and flexible management structure and a legal personality, as a not-for-profit organisation under French law. Since 2019, it is in charge of the budget and daily management of the activities of the consortium (a role formerly filled in by IRD as the EuroMarine Coordinator). Through its legal personality, it can gather new resources (beyond contributions of the consortium's member) to develop new activities that are in line with the purpose and strategy of the network.
Coordination and hosting
EuroMarine is jointly coordinated and hosted in France by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) and Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD). IRD is the EuroMarine Coordinator (in the specific meaning of this term defined in the Consortium Agreement: IRD is in charge of establishing and hosting the legal entity, and of managing the budget in the absence of the latter).
The above results from:
- calls for expression of interest and for bids to launch, host and coordinate EuroMarine, which the EuroMarine preparatory European FP7 project launched (from Jul. to Oct. 2013);
- the recommendation of the preparatory project Advisory Board (made on 27 Oct. 2013, based on existing bids);
- the consultation (open from 12 to 22 Nov. 2013) of all signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding for the launch of the EuroMarine Network;
- the selection of CNRS-IRD joint bid (on 28 Nov. 2013);
- the ratification of this decision made during the first General Assembly meeting of the EuroMarine Consortium (hosted by SZN, Naples, 24-25 Feb. 2015).
According to the terms of the joint CNRS-IRD bid:
- The Scientific Coordination is jointly entrusted to Catherine Boyen (CNRS) and Philippe Cury (IRD), who are thus Co-Chairs of the Consortium.
- The Headquarters of the EuroMarine Legal Entity are to be hosted by IRD at Centre de Recherche Halieutique, Sète France.
- The EuroMarine Secretariat is hosted primarily by IRD at Centre de Recherche Halieutique, and secondarily by CNRS at Station Biologique de Roscoff, France.
- The Executive Direction of EuroMarine is entrusted to Pierre-François Baisnée (IRD).
Governance and organisational structure
The below organigramme summarises EuroMarine organisation and governance (as of Dec. 2019).
EuroMarine Organisational Chart (as of Dec. 2019).
Resources
EuroMarine was initially entirely self-sustained by the membership fees of the member organisations of the EuroMarine Consortium.
From 2020 onwards and as EuroMarine develops, external public or private resources will be sought and used to develop new activities through the EuroMarine Association.