Competitive calls for proposals
For the development and implementation of its scientific strategy (as for the development and provision of services and its action plan in general) EuroMarine primarily relies on yearly competitive calls for proposals of scientific activities. Such calls generally are widely open in terms of topics. They encompass a number of categories of activities (which may vary from year to year). The definition and implementation of the calls are placed under the control of the EuroMarine Steering Committee. Funded scientific activities are generally expected to leverage larger projects under European, national or joint research funding programmes. EuroMarine also opens competitive calls for applications to individual fellowship programmes.
Main categories of activities funded under competitive calls
For each yearly call, EuroMarine draws from list of activity categories (specified in the Business Plan produced by the preparatory project), in adequation with EuroMarine yearly resources and with priorities set by the General Assembly. This list is open ended. Maximum funding brought to each category of activity may vary from year to year, and can represent co-funding or cover the entire budget of an activity; indicatively, the funding level range used for the first two yearly calls (or those proposed in the Business Plan) are shown in the non-exhaustive list below.
Foresight Workshops
Foresight Workshops (FWS) are 'horizon scanning' exercise. FWS focus on emerging and important topics which fall within scientific themes or priorities identified by EuroMarine and which require European-wide coordination. They generally aim at establishing a scientific vision or a roadmap at the scale of a decade and may notably (but not exclusively) be used for future EuroMarine larger projects and/or proposals. FWS can also focus on review exercises of particular relevance to EuroMarine (e.g., science-governance interface and scenario construction). Funding level range (as practiced): 7.5 - 20 k€.
Working Groups or (regular) Workshops
Working Groups or punctual Workshops can be funded provided they contribute to building EuroMarine services or for otherwise consolidating the EuroMarine Network. Funding level range (as practiced): 7.5 - 10 k€.
Capacity Building and Training - Advanced courses
Under this category, EuroMarine notably (but not exclusively) intends to co-fund already established advanced courses or fund new (EuroMarine) ones. Funding level (in Business Plan): 15 k€. Funding level range (as practiced): 5 - 10 k€.
Capacity Building and Training - Young Scientist Fellowship Programme
As an alternative to funding the organisation of courses, EuroMarine has launched in 2017 a Young Scientist Fellowship Programme focused on financially supporting individual early career scientists from EuroMarine Member Organisations to participate in advanced training courses.
Capacity Building and Training - Joint EuroMarine-EMBRC Facilities Access Programme
As a pan-European network sponsoring collaborative activities, EuroMarine understands that shared resources can also play a key part in facilitating innovative research. With this in mind, EuroMarine teamed up with EMBRC in 2020 to sponsor a joint EuroMarine-EMBRC programme providing successful applicants from EuroMarine Member Organisations with access to EMBRC facilities in order to implement a scientific project (on the basis of which applicants are selected).
Conferences or Conference Sessions
EuroMarine can notably fund Conferences which address emerging topics, leave ample room for discussion and aim to support the participation of young scientists with the objective to commonly address new scientific challenges and to design new types of collaborative programs. Funding level (in Business Plan): 30 k€. Funding level (as practiced to co-fund conferences): 5 - 10 k€.
Flagship Programmes
These are small research programmes on emerging marine issues of high relevance. They will try to demonstrate the potential usefulness of new jointly developed research approaches, which are not yet on any funding agendas, but are considered of strategic importance. Funding level (in Business Plan): 55 k€ / year for one or two years.
Endorsement and sponsoring of miscellaneous existing activities
Marginally, EuroMarine can endorse and / or co-fund existing activities that are considered as strategic. Funding level range (as practiced): 2.5 - 5 k€.
Commissioned activities
By way of exception, EuroMarine can, outside calls, entrust some activities to some of its member organisations or to third parties (e.g., to carry out tasks beyond EuroMarine Secretariat workforce availability or competences), or provide recurrent funding to EuroMarine groups carrying out general interest activities (such as the OYSTER group).
EuroMarine General Assembly meetings
The General Assembly (GA) of the EuroMarine Consortium and that of the EuroMarine Association each meet on a yearly basis, at the beginning of each civil year. GA meetings typically last 1.5 to 2 days. In the case of the consortium, they include reporting and discussion sessions and a scientific session, may include agenda-setting workshops, and conclude with a formal business and decision-making session. During these meetings, the GAs notably approve new members and set the general terms of the yearly calls and action plans.
Steering Committee meetings of the Consortium - Bureau meetings of the Association
The EuroMarine Steering Committee of the EuroMarine Consortium meets thrice a year:
- just before and after the yearly GA meeting (resp. to work on final meeting details and to develop and implement GA decisions); and
- just after proposals submitted to the yearly call have been reviewed (notably to moderate the outcome of the review process and to make final funding decisions).
The Bureau of the Association meets as often as necessary to deal with daily management, external funding and the development of corresponding activities.