Deliverable D7.1 Project Management Guide

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. MARCO-BOLO MARine COastal BiOdiversity Long-term Observations Grant Agreement: 101082021 Deliverable D7.1 Project Management Guide May 2023 Lead parties for Deliverable: EMBRC_ERIC Due date of deliverable: 31st March 2023 – revised to 31st May 2023 Actual submission date: 31st May 2023 All rights reserved This document may not be copied, reproduced or modified in whole or in part for any purpose without the written permission from the MARCO-BOLO Consortium. In addition to such written permission to copy, reproduce or modify this document in whole or part, an acknowledgement of the authors of the document and all applicable portions of the copyright must be clearly referenced. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 2 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. GENERAL DATA Acronym: MARCO-BOLO Contract N°: 101082021 Start Date: 1st December 2022 Duration: 48 months Deliverable number D7.1 Deliverable title Project Management Guide Submission due date 31st March 2023 – extended to 31st May 2023 Actual submission date 31st May 2023 WP number & title WP7 - Project management, linkages and communication WP Lead Beneficiary EMBRC-ERIC Participants (names & institutions) Nicolas Pade, EMBRC-ERIC Davide Di Cioccio, EMBRC-ERIC Alexandra Vasic, EMBRC-ERIC Guillaume Duspara, EMBRC-ERIC Avril Hanbidge, ERINN Claire Laguionie, EMBRC-ERIC Dissemination Type Report Websites, patent filling, etc. Ethics Open Research Data Pilot (ORDP) Demonstrator Other Dissemination Level Public Confidential, only for members of the Consortium (including the Commission Services) Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 3 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Document properties Author(s) Claire Laguionie, Davide di Cioccio, Alexandra Vasic, Guillaume Duspara Editor(s) Nicolas Pade Version 1 Abstract This deliverable outlines how major aspects of the project, such as reporting, deliverables, finance, risks, communication… , are managed, monitored and controlled. This document serves as a reference for all the project members by: − Summarises the goals and objectives of the project; − Details the project management and governance (organisational structure), roles and responsibilities of the participants; − Describes the main communication channels; − Highlights the procedures and management tools implemented to ensure the successful completion of the project (schedule, reporting, financial guide, quality control, risk management). The guide is based on the terms and conditions agreed under the Grant and Consortium Agreements to help all partners comply with the agreements. It should be used in conjunction with these two documents. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 4 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Table of Contents Abbreviations and Acronyms ..................................................................................................... 7 1. Purpose of the document ................................................................................................... 9 2. MARCO-BOLO project overview ....................................................................................... 10 2.1. MARCO-BOLO key facts ............................................................................................. 10 2.2. MARCO-BOLO goals and objectives .......................................................................... 10 3. MARCO-BOLO management structure and governance .................................................. 13 3.1. The General Assembly (GA) ....................................................................................... 15 3.2. The Project Implementation Committee (PIC) .......................................................... 17 3.3. The Coordinator ......................................................................................................... 19 3.4. The Project Management Team (PMT) ..................................................................... 20 3.5. Work Package co-Leaders .......................................................................................... 21 3.6. Operational and Advisory bodies .............................................................................. 22 3.6.1. International Advisory Board (IAB) .................................................................... 22 3.6.2. The Community of Practice (CoP) ...................................................................... 23 4. Project communication ..................................................................................................... 26 4.1. Communication with the European Commission ...................................................... 26 4.2. Internal Communications .......................................................................................... 27 4.1.1. Email distribution groups ................................................................................... 27 4.2.2. Internal meetings ............................................................................................... 28 4.2.3. Internal communication about issues ................................................................ 30 4.3. External Communications .......................................................................................... 31 4.4. MBO data and document repository ......................................................................... 32 5. Work plan and quality control .......................................................................................... 35 5.1. Work Packages ........................................................................................................... 35 5.2. Work schedule ........................................................................................................... 36 5.3. Decision making during the project .......................................................................... 37 5.4. EC reporting ............................................................................................................... 38 5.4.1. Continuous reporting ......................................................................................... 38 5.4.2. Periodic reporting ............................................................................................... 38 Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 5 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 5.5. Deliverables ............................................................................................................... 40 5.6. Milestones ................................................................................................................. 43 5.7. Risks ........................................................................................................................... 45 6. Financial guide .................................................................................................................. 46 6.1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 46 6.1.1. General principles .............................................................................................. 46 6.1.2. Definitions .......................................................................................................... 46 6.2. Grant .......................................................................................................................... 48 6.3. Grant amendments .................................................................................................... 49 6.3.1. Changes requiring amendments ........................................................................ 49 6.3.2. Changes not requiring amendments .................................................................. 50 6.3.3. Amendment procedure ...................................................................................... 50 6.4. Eligible and ineligible costs and contributions .......................................................... 50 6.4.1. General eligibility conditions .............................................................................. 50 6.4.2. Budget categories and form of costs ................................................................. 52 6.4.3. Eligibility condition for direct personal costs ..................................................... 53 6.4.4. Eligibility condition for direct subcontracting costs ........................................... 54 6.4.5. Eligibility condition for direct purchase costs .................................................... 55 6.4.6. Eligibility condition for other direct cost categories .......................................... 56 6.4.7. Eligibility condition for indirect costs ................................................................. 57 6.4.8. Ineligible costs .................................................................................................... 57 6.5. EC financial reporting ................................................................................................ 58 6.6. Payment and recovery ............................................................................................... 60 6.6.1. Pre-financing amount due .................................................................................. 60 6.6.2. Interim payment ................................................................................................. 61 6.6.3. Balance of payment ............................................................................................ 62 6.6.4. Final payment ..................................................................................................... 63 6.6.5. Suspension of payments .................................................................................... 63 6.6.6. Suspension of payment deadline ....................................................................... 64 6.6.7. Rejection of ineligible costs ................................................................................ 64 6.6.8. Recoveries .......................................................................................................... 65 Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 6 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.6.9. Enforced recovery .............................................................................................. 65 6.6.10. Consequences of non-compliance ................................................................. 66 6.7. Checks, audit, reviews and investigations ................................................................. 67 6.7.1. Checks, review and investigations ..................................................................... 67 6.7.2. Audit ................................................................................................................... 67 7. Concluding remarks .......................................................................................................... 69 8. Appendices ........................................................................................................................ 70 8.1. Appendix 1: MBO tasks and Task Leaders ................................................................. 70 8.2. List of MBO deliverables ............................................................................................ 73 8.3. Appendix 3: MBO Risks .............................................................................................. 78 Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 7 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Abbreviations and Acronyms Acronym Definition APS Autoridad Portuaria De Sevilla AWI Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum Fur PolarUnd Meeresforschung CIIMAR Centro Interdisciplinar De Investigacao Marinha E Ambiental CNR Consiglio Nazionale Delle Ricerche CNRS Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique Cnrs CoP Cpmmunity of Practove DEC Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication DITTO DIgital Twins of The Ocean DMP Data Management Plan DTU Danmarks Tekniske Universitet EBVs Essential Biodiversity Variables EC European Commission ECB European Central Bank EEA European Environment Agency LTER Long-Term Ecosystem Research EMBRC European Marine Biological Resource Center EMODnet European Marine Observation and Data Network EOVs Operational Essential Ocean Variables ERIC European Research Infrastructure Consortium ERINN Erinn Innovation Limited EU European Union EUR Euro EuroGOOS European component of the Global Ocean Observing System of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO EuropaBON Europa Biodiversity Observation Network EV Essential Variable GA General Assembly GBIF Global Biodiversity Information Facility GEOECOM Ar Institutul National De Cercetare-Dezvoltare Pentru Geologie Si Geoecologie Marina Geoecomar GOOS Long-Term Ecosystem Research GPDR General Data Protection Regulation HEREON Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon Gmbh IAB International Advisory Board IODE International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange INSDC International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration LifeWatchERIC E-Science European Infrastructure For Biodiversity And Ecosystem Research - European Research Infrastructure Consortium MBA Marine Biological Association Of The United Kingdom MBO MARCO-BOLO MBON Marine Biodiversity Observation Network Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 8 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Acronym Definition ML2030 Marine Life 2030 MS Marine Scotland MSFD Marine Strategy Framework Directive NOC National Oceanography Centre NORCE Norce Norwegian Research Centre As OBIS Ocean Biodiversity Information System OBON Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network ODIS Ocean Data and Information System PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction PDEC Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication Plan PIC Project Implementation Committee PMG Project Management Guide PMT Project Management Team REA Research Executive Agency SGN Senckenberg Gesellschaft Fur Naturforschung SSBE Seascape Belgium SU Sorbonne Universite SZN Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn TBC To Be Confirmed TFEU Treaty on the Functioning of the EU UB Universitatea Din Bucuresti UFZ Helmholtz-Zentrum Fur Umweltforschung Gmbh - Ufz UGOT Goeteborgs Universitet UiT Universitetet I Tromsoe - Norges Arktiske Universitet UkrSCES Ukrainian Scientific Centre Of Ecology Of The Sea UN United Nations UNESCO United Nations Educational Scientific And Cultural Organization UNIVIE Universitat Wien USE Universidad De Sevilla VAT Value Added Tax VRE Virtual Research Environment VLIZ Vlaams Instituut Voor De Zee WFD Water Framework Directive WP Work Package Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 9 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 1. Purpose of the document The Project Management Guide (PMG) of the Horizon Europe MARCO-BOLO (MBO) project provides a guide to be used by all MBO members to ensure an understanding of their roles and responsibilities in delivering the MBO project through efficient and well managed processes. This document should be used by partners to complement the Grant Agreement and the Consortium Agreement. Further guidelines may also be found on the EC portal. The PMG: − Summarises the goals and objectives of the project; − Details the project management and governance (organisational structure), roles and responsibilities of the participants; − Describes the main communication channels; − Highlights the procedures and management tools implemented to ensure the successful completion of the project (schedule, reporting, financial guide, quality control, risk management). Some aspects of the PMG will be developed in more details in other documents such as: − The Data Management Plan (DMP); − The Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication plan (PDEC). The PMD is an evolving document. The EMBRC-ERIC Project Management Team is in charge of: − Producing the first PMG; − Answering any questions/comments about the PMG; − Updating the PMG during the project. All MARCO-BOLO members and affiliated partners have access to this document and are invited to give suggestions any time by contacting the MARCO-BOLO Project Manager ([email protected] with the email subject: request to update the PDG) explaining what changes/additions/deletions are required and why. If you want to share this document outside of the MARCO-BOLO Consortium, please first contact the Coordinator: [email protected]. Note that this deliverable summarises the terms and conditions stated in different contractual documents, to ensure compliance to what has been agreed upon. Whenever relevant, the source reference document is mentioned throughout the text. The reference documents of the project are: − The Grant Agreement and its annexes; − The Consortium Agreement; − The Annotated Model Grant Agreement: aimed at assisting EU grant beneficiaries; − The Horizon Program Guide. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 16 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. − The agenda is shared by the PMT at least 21 days before each meeting (10 for an extraordinary meeting); − Other Consortium members can propose additional agenda items at least 14 days before the meeting (7 for an extraordinary meeting). Minutes of the meeting: The PMT is in charge of creating and sharing the minutes and has no longer than 20 working days to share the minutes with the Consortium. If no objection is received within 15 days, the minutes are considered as accepted. Quorum: 2/3rd of the GA must be present or represented to deliberate and decide validity in meeting. If the quorum is not reached the Coordinator convenes another ordinary meeting within 15 days. If the quorum is not reached once more, the Coordinator convenes an extraordinary meeting with decision-making power even if less than 2/3rd the quorum is present. What is the decision-making process? − Most decisions are reached if voted by the majority (2/3); − There is a list of specific decisions requiring a unanimous vote: • Entry of a new Party; • Approval of the settlement in the conditions of a withdrawal; • Proposal to the Granting Authority for termination of the project and the Consortium agreement; • Proposal for amendments to the Consortium or Grant agreement; • Changes to the Consortium budgets; − A Party can exercise its veto right if its work, time, costs, liabilities, intellectual property right or other legitimate interest are severely affected by a decision (please refers to the Consortium agreement for more details on this procedure). See more about the GA roles and provisions (convening times, notice of a meeting, voting procedures) at Section 6.2 and 6.3.1 of the Consortium Agreement. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 17 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 3.2. The Project Implementation Committee (PIC) Members: The PIC is composed of the WP co-Leaders and any other representative of MBO appointed by the GA. The PIC is represented in the General Assembly by the Coordinator (see Table 3.2). Who chairs the GA? The Coordinator. Responsibilities: The PIC is the supervisory body for the execution of the project, and implements the decisions of the GA. The PIC reports to and is accountable to the GA. The PIC is supported in the decision-making process and execution of the project by: − The International Advisory Board (IAB); − The Community of practice (CoP); − The Project Management Team (PMT). The PIC tasks include: − Preparing the General Assembly meeting (e.g. agenda,… ); − Seeking consensus among the Parties; − Being responsible for the execution and implementation of the decisions of the General Assembly; − Monitoring the effective and efficient implementation of the project (operational management); − Collecting at least every 6 months information on the progress of the project, assessing its compliance with the Consortium Plan and if necessary proposing modification of the later to the General Assembly; − Supporting the Coordinator in preparing meeting with the Granting Authority and in preparing related data and deliverables; − Preparing content and timing of press releases and joint communications; − Preparing and supervising the proper scientific and technical execution of the project, in particular integrating the recommendations from the CoP. Meeting frequency: every two months and/or at the request of the Coordinator. Who makes the call and defines the agenda/topics to be discussed? The PMT of the project. − The notice of a meeting is written and no later than 14 calendar days for ordinary meetings (7 days for an extraordinary meeting); Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 18 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. − The agenda is shared by the PMT at least 7 days before each meeting and approved by the PIC members; − Other Consortium members can propose additional topics for the agenda, at least 2 days before the meetings. Minutes of the meeting: The PMT is in charge of creating and sharing the minutes. It has no longer than 2 working days to share the minutes with the Consortium. If no objection is received within 15 days, the minutes are considered as accepted. For more info about roles and responsibilities of the PIC, see Section 6.3.2 of the Consortium Agreement. Table 3.2.: List of MBO PIC members. Name Institute Email Role WP Pier Luigi Buttigieg AWI [email protected] WP co-Leader WP1 Dan Lear MBA [email protected] WP co-Leader WP1 Kim Præbel UiT [email protected] WP co-Leader WP2 Daniel Morais UiT [email protected] WP co-Leader WP2 Lucie Zinger CNRS [email protected] WP co-Leader WP2 Chris Bowler CNRS [email protected] WP co-Leader WP2 Peter Haase SGN [email protected] WP co-Leader WP3 Tina Sanders HEREON [email protected] WP co-Leader WP3 Julie Robidart NOC [email protected] WP co-Leader WP4 Sari Giering NOC [email protected] WP co-Leader WP4 Patrizio Mariani DTU [email protected] WP co-Leader WP4 Klaas Deneudt VLIZ [email protected] WP co-Leader WP5 Christos Arvanitidis LifeWatchERIC [email protected] WP co-Leader WP5 Cristina Huertas Olivares LifeWatchERIC [email protected] WP co-Leader WP5 Ward Appeltans UNESCO [email protected] WP co-Leader WP6 Kate Larkin SSBE [email protected] WP co-Leader WP6 Nicolas Pade EMBRC-ERIC [email protected] WP co-Leader WP7 Isabel Sousa Pinto CIIMAR [email protected].pt WP co-Leader WP7 Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 19 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 3.3. The Coordinator Member: The Coordinator of MARCO-BOLO is Nicolas Pade from EMBRC-ERIC ([email protected]). Responsibilities: The Coordinator acts as the intermediary between MBO partners and the EC. He is responsible for the overall coordination of the project and its execution. It entails: − Monitoring that MBO members comply with their obligations under the Grant and Consortium Agreements (ensuring all partners are aware of their roles and responsibilities and working towards common objectives); − Facilitating effective communication and collaboration among partners, EC, IAB…; − Keeping the address list of members and other contact persons updated and available; − Collecting, reviewing and submitting reports and deliverables (including financial statement and related certification) on time and ensuring they meet the required quality standards; − Transmitting documents/information of the project to any other Parties concerned and supervising the development and implementation of the dissemination and exploitation strategy to maximise the project impact; − Managing the finances (monitoring expenses, ensuring compliance with Horizon Europe funding rules, and managing any financial risks); − Providing, upon request, official copies or originals of in its sole possession to the requiring Parties; − Providing copies of the Grant Agreement and its Annex; − Being responsible for the intellectual property management (proper protection and exploitation), project ethics and data protection; − Assessing the progress of the project implementation via the PIC meetings and deliverable follow-up; − Identifying potential risks and setting up mitigation plan to address them. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 20 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 3.4. The Project Management Team (PMT) Members: The Project Management Team is composed by the Coordinator, the Project Manager, and the Communication Officer. The PMT is supported by the secretariat office of EMBRC-ERIC (see Table 3.3). How are PMT appointed? The PMT is proposed by the Coordinator and appointed by the PIC. Responsibilities: The PMT assists and facilitates the work of the PIC and the Coordinator, ensures the execution of the GA decisions, and runs the day-to-day management of the Project. The main tasks of the PMT are: − Project management: overall management to ensure that MARCO-BOLO is delivered on time and within budget at the required quality standards; − Planning: setting a detailed project plan with clear timelines, milestones and deliverables; − Coordination of the Consortium: ensuring coordination and smooth communication with all the project partners, in particular making sure that they are aware of their roles and responsibilities; − Consortium management: facilitating communication and collaboration with project partners, EC, IAB and other audience; − Reporting: Ensuring that all project reports are submitted on time and comply with Horizon Europe reporting requirements; − Risk management: Identifying potential risks and developing plans to mitigate or address them; − Quality control: Ensuring that all project outputs and deliverables meet the required quality standards. Meeting frequency: the PMT meets online no less than every two months. Who makes the call and defines the agenda/topics to be discussed?: The Coordinator and Project Manager send an agenda a week before the meeting. Other PMT members can add items to the agenda up to 2 days before the meeting. Minutes: The Project Manager takes minutes that are shared no later than 2 working days after the meeting with the PMT. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 21 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Table 3.3.: MBO Project Management Team. Note that the finance team does not participate in meetings. Name Role E-mail Responsabilities Nicolas Pade Coordinator [email protected] [email protected] ● General scope of project objectives ● Quality control ● Intellectual property management ● Risk management ● Ensuring compliance of the project ● Maximise project impact Claire Laguionie Project Manager [email protected] [email protected] ● Internal Communication ● Project planning ● Budget management ● Consortium management ● Reporting Avril Hanbidge Communication Officer [email protected] ● Coordination support ● Communication support Alexandra Vasic Guillaume Duspara Finance alexandra.v[email protected] guillaume.dusp[email protected] ● Financial support 3.5. Work Package co-Leaders Members: each Work Package has two co-Leaders (see Table 3.2). How are PMT appointed? The WP co-Leaders were chosen by the Consortium during the grant writing phase. Responsibilities: Each WP co-Leader pair is responsible for the planning, progress monitoring, quality management and successful completion of their WP and of interacting with other WP according to the work plan. They must: − Keep their WP on track and report its status to the PMT; − Relay actions transmitted by the Coordinator, and plan and monitor their execution; − Support the Coordinator through day-to-day management; − Supervise the work of their WP team, organise Work Package meeting, identify issues, risks and if necessary, propose revision of the WP plan; − Ensure that tasks and deliverables meet the quality criteria and are done in time. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 22 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Meeting frequency: the WP co-Leader meetings are the PIC meetings (please see above for details on their frequency, agenda and minutes) WP co-Leaders are also in charge of organising internal WP meetings whenever they see fit but no less than every 2 months. Who makes the call and defines the agenda/topics of the WP meeting?: The WP co-Leaders send the agenda to their WP team and the PMT a week before each meeting. New items can be added to the agenda at least 2 days before the meetings. Minutes of the meeting: The WP co-Leaders are in charge of creating and sharing the minutes of internal WP meeting with their WP members and the PMT no more than 2 working days after the meeting. 3.6. Operational and Advisory bodies 3.6.1. International Advisory Board (IAB) Members: 6 renowned experts, from the fields of data, policy and internationalisation, marine, freshwater and Essential Ocean Variables/Essential Biodiversity Variables (see Table 3.4). How are IAB members appointed? IAB members are proposed by the GA and appointed by the PIC during the first general assembly. The Coordinator ensures that a non-disclosure agreement is executed between all Parties and each IAB member. Table 3.4.: MBO IAB members. Name Email address Confirmed Institute Alf Norkko [email protected] Yes University of Helsinki, FI Gabrielle Canonico gabrielle.canon[email protected] Yes National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, US Florian Leese [email protected] Yes University of Duisburg-Essen, D Xavier Pochon [email protected] Yes University of Auckland, NZ Antonella Lugliè [email protected] TBC Università degli Studi di Sassari, I Guy Cochran [email protected]c.uk Yes Global Biodata Coalition & European Bioinformatics Institute, UK Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 23 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Responsibilities: The IAB is in charge of: − Providing advice and external points of view to the PIC for the correct implementation of the project to maximise beneficial outcomes to society; − Advising the Consortium on industrial, political and societal changes or concerns that may influence the project objectives, priorities, methodologies, and expected impacts; − Proposing changes to the direction of the project in line with stakeholder/user priorities for maximising the exploitation and benefits of the project for the biodiversity sector; − Assisting and facilitating the decision made by the GA; − Advising the Consortium on how best to exploit the most promising results (where and how to transfer them) and support and amplify the dissemination of the project results. Meeting frequency: The IAB meets every year (typically during the General Assembly, but without voting rights). Agenda and Minutes of the meeting: same as for the GA (see above). 3.6.2. The Community of Practice (CoP) Note that more detailed information about the setting up and functioning of the CoP is given in the PDEC (D7.4). Members: The CoP is composed by: − Core members: representatives of organisations who have a coordinating role in the development of the biodiversity observing system (in particular biological ocean observations such as EuropaBON, MBON, EuroGOOS, EEA, EMODnet); − Wider members: representatives of implementing organisations. The CoP also includes the WP co-Leaders in an observer role as well as international stakeholders to enable integration of internationally used (meta)data standards and to ensure interoperability and comparability of European data with the rest of the world. Note that the PMG will be updated with a table of CoP members as soon as they are chosen. Who chairs the CoP? The CoP will be chaired by UNESCO until a chair is elected by the core CoP. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 24 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. How are CoP members appointed? WP6 members will prepare a substantial list of potential participants (individuals and organisations) in order to identify actors from key sectors keen to participate (if necessary, projects identified in the clustering activities will be invited in to provide sector insight). WP6 will also perform stakeholder profiling to ensure a diverse and appropriate representation of key actors and wider stakeholders. Stakeholder consultation will be enabled through co-design and co-creation workshops with activities performed to identify stakeholder needs for biodiversity observation at different levels and in different regions across Europe and in particular to: − Engage the users of biodiversity data; − Perform an analytical assessment of the interactions between data producers and users; − Identify the policy windows at different levels of policymaking and implementation that could facilitate the uptake of data in decision-making processes. MBO will make the difference by taking monitoring and data use practices (patterns of behaviour) of the stakeholders into account. Responsibilities: The CoP role is to ensure that the biological observation data will be used. They will initiate a dialogue between policy makers and data generators, working together to tailor data and wider research and observation outputs for direct use by policy and decision makers, industry and society at local, regional and international levels. The main goal of the CoP is to foster transformative change and overcome traditional barriers that have limited the generation, transfer and uptake of marine biodiversity knowledge. The core CoP roles are to: − Monitor the project progress and impact; − Ensure that the work meets the requirements of the targeted stakeholder groups; − Provide advice; − Be the planning committee of two major CoP events: • the first one aiming to get buy-in from the wider CoP to ensure an effective co-design/co-creation/consultation phase; • the second one aiming towards a successful uptake of the MBO resources with measurement of the impact of MBO on improving the effectiveness of the current marine biological observing system. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 25 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The wider CoP supports trust and capacity building. Its roles are to: − Provide advice; − Amplify the knowledge exchange as end-users. The CoP will ensure that MBO gives politicians and companies the ability to actively manage the environment and the biodiversity society depends upon. Meeting frequency: to engage the CoP community there will be 5 in-person meetings (CoP co-design workshops; CoP events) and six-monthly core-CoP meetings (online where possible). Agenda and Minutes of the meeting: The PMT suggest that WP6: − Assigns a person to generate and share agendas and minutes at each CoP meetings and workshop (sending it to the PMT); − Follows the GA and PIC meeting agenda and minutes guidelines described in the above sections. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 32 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. media. All material that should be added to the MBO website should be passed on to MBO Communication Officer. In case of important press/media release, the EC should be warned beforehand to be able to advertise the release. MBO members should give advance warning to the PMT so they have time to communicate with the EC Project Officer about it. A deadline of 1 month is recommended. Regarding scientific publication, providing Open Access is mandatory for all Horizon Europe funded projects. Non-compliance can lead to a grant reduction and potential sanctions. Finally, note that the funding and EU logos must be present for all MBO external communication. And for UK participants (note that the grant number of Marine Scotland will be updated as soon as it gets this number): 4.4. MBO data and document repository The Data Management Plan will detail all the aspects about data and document repository. Only a brief overview is given here. The DMP will cover: − Data summary; − FAIR data; − Other research input; − Allocation for resources; − Data security (including repositories); − Ethics. Funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe Programme, Grant Agreement No. 101082021 (MARCO-BOLO). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency (REA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. UK participants in MARCO-BOLO are supported by the UKRI’s Horizon Europe Guarantee under the Grant No. XXXXXXXX (MS); No. 10063994 (MBA) and No. 10048178 (NOC). Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 33 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. A web-based shared MBO drive has been set up which serves as a project tracking system accessible to all MBO members, in order that all information/documentation is easily accessible and kept up to date with little effort https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/16xiuApZ0FzkEme71c3uKoBOD301C2j36 The MBO shared drive is a Google Drive file storage and synchronisation service which allows users to store files in the cloud, share files, and edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations with collaborators. MBO drive is shared among the persons recorded in the MBO general mailing list. Requests for access to or change in access to the shared MBO folder should be addressed to the Project Manager ([email protected] with the email subject: request to access/change MBO shared drive). The current structure of the MBO shared drive is: − An Admin and management folder (containing general information about MBO, mailing list, kick-off meeting materials and presentations, other meeting materials and presentations, deliverables, milestones, EC documentation…). The PMT is in charge of keeping the folder up to date; − An AIB folder (for all things related to the IAB activities in MBO). The PMT is in charge of keeping the folder up to date; − A Communication folder (containing the PDEC, the logos suite, templates, fact sheets and any communication piece produced by the Communication Officer for MBO). The Communication Officer is in charge of keeping the folder up to date; − A PIC folder (for all things related to the PIC activities in MBO such as PIC meeting agendas and minutes). The PMT is in charge of keeping the folder up to date; − A WP folder for each WP (WP co-Leaders are free to set up their folders as they see fit). The WP co-Leaders are in charge of keeping the folder up to date. We recommend that each Work Package consider setting up at least the following folders: • Deliverable; • Task work and data (working space); • Scientific publication; • Dissemination; • Meeting. The MBO shared drive has three main purposes: − Being a repository for all documents and data generated during the project lifetime (documents must be uploaded under their correspondent folder and must be named in a clear way so that everybody can have an idea of what the file is about); Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 34 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. − Providing a common environment for the day-to-day work enabling several users to edit and upload files without overwriting them (working documents, drafts, templates); − Ensuring that MBO documents and data are backed up. The MBO shared drive will be copied to the PMT cloud system (Dropbox) system on the first of each month and on an external hard drive every 3 months to prevent the loss of data. It is the responsibility of all MBO members to store all MBO data/documents on the MBO shared drive. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 35 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 5. Work plan and quality control 5.1. Work Packages MARCO-BOLO has 7 Work Packages (see Table 5.1). Each one has two WP co-Leaders coordinating the activities involved. Table 5.1.: List of MBO Work Packages and associated WP co-Leaders. WP WP Title Lead 1 Delivering Essential Biodiversity Variables: local-to global biodiversity (meta)data for coastal and marine systems Peter Luigi Buttigieg (AWI) Dan Lear (MBA) 2 Validating the use of eDNA Kim Praebel (UiT) Lucie Zinger (CNRS) 3 Linking land and sea biodiversity observations Peter Haase (SGN) Tina Sanders (Hereon) 4 Mapping biodiversity with autonomous systems Patrizio Mariani (DTU) Julie Robidart (NOC) 5 Modelling and mapping coastal and marine biodiversity Christos Arvanitidis (Lifewatch-ERIC) Klaas Deneudt (VLIZ) 6 Stakeholder engagement and community integration Ward Appeltans (UNESCO) Kate Larkin (SSBE) 7 Project management, communication, & dissemination Nicolas Pade (EMBRC-ERIC) Isabel Sousa Pinto (CIIMAR) Each WP is composed of tasks with a designated Task Leader in charge of its completion, monitoring its progress, taking decision about the work distribution in his/her team, informing the WP co-Leaders about the status of the task. The list of MBO 30 tasks and associated Task Leaders is in Appendix 1 of this PMG. The Work Package tasks are tied to milestones and deliverables and the WP co-Leaders are responsible for organising the practical work and ensuring the timely completion of these milestones and deliverables with the help of the PMT and Task Leaders. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 36 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 5.2. Work schedule MARCO-BOLO has started on the 1st December 2022 and will terminate on the 30th November 2026. The kick-off meeting was held in Paris (at Sorbonne University, EMBRC-ERIC headquarter, Paris, France) in 14-16th March 2023. A Gantt chart for all the tasks of the project was defined in the Grant Agreement (see Figure 5.1). Figure 5.1.: MBO Gantt chart. MBO schedule is managed by different people at different levels: − The PIC monitors the schedule status; − The Coordinator supervises the overall project schedule management; − The WP co-Leaders are in charge of their WP schedule management; − The Task Leaders manage the detailed schedule of their task. The schedule management of the project is a dynamic process throughout the project lifecycle. The schedule can be revised as more information becomes available. If schedule slippages are spotted, the PIC members should identify ways to get back on schedule. In situations where a deliverable/milestone is expected to experience a delay that is not the Consortium's fault, it is imperative to inform the Project Manager regarding the delay, its Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 37 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. justification and the estimated time required to complete it (claire.laguion[email protected] with the email subject: Anticipated delay in milestones/deliverables). This will allow the Coordinator to provide ample time to notify the EC Project Officer, who will then be able to implement the requisite adjustments within the EC portal to ensure the proper submission of the deliverable/milestone. Note that delays should not exceed a month time. 5.3. Decision making during the project Different types of decisions are dealt with at different levels. Task level: Day-to-day scientific and management decisions of MBO tasks are taken by the Task Leaders and if needed the WP co-Leaders. WP level: Day-to-day scientific and management decisions of MBO WPs are taken by the WP co-Leaders. Important decisions can be discussed at the PIC meeting if they may affect other parts of the MBO project. Project level: Day-to-day scientific and management decisions of the overall MBO project are taken by the Coordinator. The later can consult the PIC members and/or EC Project Officer if needed for advice or approval. Consortium level: Major technical, operational, financial decisions as well as strategic decision and planning are taken by the General Assembly. The GA monitors MBO using the work plan, anticipated risks and budgets. As detailed in section 3, decisions are mainly taken by a majority of 2/3rd of the votes. The GA decisions will be communicated in the minutes of their meeting Minutes will be shared by email and placed into the shared Google Drive space of the project. When conflicts arise within the Consortium regarding the carrying out of the project or other matters related to the project itself, they should be resolved by consent and as near the source as possible. If not possible, the conflict should be brought to the attention of the Coordinator who is in charge of proposing a solution (optimising outcomes and maximising benefits of all involved parties). If the Coordinator’s attempt fails (or in case the conflict occurs at the Consortium level), the question will be brought to the first scheduled meeting of the PIC, or in case of urgency, an ad Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 38 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. hoc meeting of the PIC or GA called by the Coordinator. The PIC and GA should propose procedure/measures to solve the conflict. If the conflict remains unsolved, the Coordinator will notify the EC Project Officer. The participant may be declared not in line with the project execution and a contract termination can be asked. 5.4. EC reporting There are two types of EC reporting: a continuous one and a periodic one. English is the language for MBO EC reporting. More details on the EC reports are available online at: https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/docs/2021-2027/common/tempform/report/periodic-report_horizon-euratom_en.pdf 5.4.1. Continuous reporting The continuous reporting is collaborative: all beneficiaries edit it. It starts from the beginning of the project. The steps to follow are: − Reception of a notification from the EC; − Logging in to the Funding and Tenders Portal; − Completion of that tabs available in the continuous reporting. The beneficiaries must continuously report on their progress (e.g. deliverables, milestones, outputs/outcomes, critical risks, indicators, … ). The EC Portal publishes templates to be used for submission. 5.4.2. Periodic reporting There will be three reporting periods for technical and financial aspects of MBO: − Reporting period 1 (M1-M18): date to report April-May 2024; − Reporting period 2 (M19-M36): November-December 2025; − Reporting period 3 (M37-M48): October-November 2026. The technical report has 2 parts: − Part A is a table to fill in with the following sections: • Project summary; • List of participants; Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 39 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. • List of deliverables; • List of milestones (outputs/outcomes); • List of critical risks; • Dissemination and communication activities; • Financial support to third parties. − Part B is more descriptive and contains the following sections: • Explanation of the work carried out and overview of the progress (objectives, explanation of the work carried out by WP, impact, update of PDEC if applicable); • Follow-up of recommendations and comments from previous review(s) (if applicable); • Exploitation primarily in non-associated third countries (if applicable); • Open science; • Deviations from annex 1 and annex 2 (if applicable); • A summary for publication by the EC. The financial report is made of 2 parts (see section 6.5 for more details): − The individual financial statement (filled out directly on the Portal Financial Statements screen). It must detail the eligible costs (actual costs, unit costs and flatrate costs) for each budget category; − The consolidated financial statement (automatically generated by the system). The last periodic report is a final activity report also in 2 parts: − A final technical report with a summary for publication containing: • An overview of the results and their exploitation and dissemination; • The conclusions on the action; • The socio-economic impact of the action. − And a final financial report containing: • A final summary financial statement, created automatically by the electronic exchange system, consolidating the individual financial statements for all reporting periods and including the request for payment of the balance; • A certificate on the financial statements for each beneficiary. All beneficiaries must contribute to the periodic reporting which will be coordinated, put together, reviewed and submitted by MBO PMT. The WP co-Leaders are in charge of filling out their sections and the PMT will compile it. The same steps as for deliverable submission Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 40 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. (described in the following section 5.5) will apply for completing the periodic reports. The WP co-Leaders should in particular give information to the PMT about: − Technical progress of each task; − Results obtained, deliverables completed, resources invested, compliance with the Gantt Chart; − An overview of the budgetary situation based on the cost statements received from partners and payments made. 5.5. Deliverables MARCO-BOLO comprises 36 deliverables listed in Appendix 2 (sorted by due date). In case of delay, it is imperative to inform the PMT as soon as possible, explaining the reason for the delay, the remedial action plan and the new estimated time of completion (see section 5.2). The submission of a deliverable has to follow several steps to ensure the quality management (see Figure 5.2). The steps are detailed thereafter: − Creation; − Internal check; − Approval by the Coordinator; − Submission; − Update; − External check; − Approval by the EC Project Officer; − Publication. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 41 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Figure 5.2.: MBO Deliverable, EC periodic report and milestone (if applicable) submission steps. Creation: − Authors must use the deliverable template given by MBO Communication Officer (see Communication folder in the MBO shared folder) https://docs.google.com/document/d/19Gbg0JGqHAXwi7cMvD_LIi6Bao7a866J/edi t#; − Authors must agree with the Deliverable Leader on the authorship order. Internal check (Steps: Alerts-> Review -> Feedback -> Modify) − The Deliverable Leader and WP co-Leaders will receive 3 pre-alerts from the PMT (3, 2 and 1 month before the due date) to remind them of the deliverable deadline; − The deliverable must be shared 4 weeks in advance of the deadline to the WP coLeaders; − The Deliverable Leader will receive feedback 2 weeks before the deadline; − The deliverable must be sent to the PMT 1 week prior to the deadline. Approval by the PMT − The PMT must send at least 2 days before the deadline their approval of the deliverable. Submission − The PMT will submit the document to the EU platform and send the confirmation message of submission to the Deliverable Leader and WP co-Leaders; Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 48 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Third parties: Third parties are other entities outside beneficiaries, affiliated entities and associate organisations are considered as third parties. 6.2. Grant The grant is an action grant which takes the form of a budget-based mixed actual cost grant (i.e. a grant based on actual costs incurred, but which may also include other forms of funding, such as unit costs or contributions, flat-rate costs or contributions, lump sum costs or contributions or financing not linked to costs). The maximum grant amount is set out in the Data Sheet and in the estimated budget (Annex 2, Grant Agreement). The funding rate for costs is 100% of the action’s eligible costs. The estimated budget for the action is set out in Annex 2. It contains the estimated eligible costs and contributions for the action, broken down by participant and budget category. The Grant Agreement Annex 2 also shows the types of costs and contributions (forms of funding) to be used for each budget category. If unit costs or contributions are used, the details on the calculation will be explained in Annex 2a. Budget flexibility: The budget breakdown may be adjusted — without an amendment (see Article 39, Grant Agreement) — by transfers (between participants and budget categories), as long as this does not imply any substantive or important change to the description of the action in Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement. However: − Changes to the budget category for volunteers (if used) always require an amendment; − Changes to budget categories with lump sums costs or contributions (if used; including financing not linked to costs) always require an amendment; − Changes to budget categories with higher funding rates or budget ceilings (if used) always require an amendment; − Addition of amounts for subcontracts not provided for in Annex 1 either require an amendment or simplified approval in accordance with Article 6.2 of the Grant Agreement; − Other changes require an amendment or simplified approval, if specifically provided for in Article 6.2 of the Grant Agreement. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 49 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.3. Grant amendments Concept of Grant amendments: The Grant Agreement specific data and options can be added, removed or changed via an amendment. If there are any changes to: − Its terms & conditions (e.g. data or options specific to that agreement); − Its annexes. Amended provisions become an integral part of the agreement. 6.3.1. Changes requiring amendments In terms of finance, amendments are necessary in three cases. Changes involving beneficiaries & linked third parties: − Addition of a new beneficiary; − Deletion of a beneficiary whose participation has been terminated because: • It has not signed the grant agreement; • It has not provided a declaration on joint & several liability as requested; • For some other reason; − Change of beneficiary; − Deletion or addition of linked third party; − Specific case: if a beneficiary's participation is terminated at the initiative of other beneficiaries. Change involving the Coordinator/principal beneficiary: − Change of Coordinator; − Change in the bank account the Coordinator uses for payments; − Change in the ‘authorisation to administer’ option. Changes involving the financial aspects of the grant: − Change to Annex 2 or 2a; − Change in the maximum grant amount, reimbursement rate(s), the estimated eligible costs of the project (if applicable, for example it is not applicable to lump sum pilot projects), the amount of pre-financing or the contribution to the Guarantee Fund; − Change concerning specific cost categories (‘specific unit costs’). Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 50 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.3.2. Changes not requiring amendments Amendments are NOT necessary : − For certain budget transfers; − If the name or address of a beneficiary, linked third party or Coordinator changes; − If a universal takeover results in a change of beneficiary; − If there is a change in the name of the bank or the address of the branch where the Coordinator has an account, or in the name of the account holder. 6.3.3. Amendment procedure Amendments may be requested by any of the parties. The Coordinator submits requests for amendment on behalf of the beneficiaries. The amendment request must include: − The reasons for the amendment; − The appropriate supporting documents. After the amendment is made, all amended provisions become an integral part of the Grant Agreement and all other provisions remain unchanged and continue to have full effect. 6.4. Eligible and ineligible costs and contributions 6.4.1. General eligibility conditions The general eligibility conditions are the described below Actual costs eligibility: − They must be actually incurred by the beneficiary; − They must be incurred in the period set out in Article 4 of the Grant Agreement (with the exception of costs relating to the submission of the final periodic report, which may be incurred afterwards; see Article 21, Grant Agreement); − They must be declared under one of the budget categories set out in Article 6.2 and Annex 2 of the Grant Agreement; − They must be incurred in connection with the action as described in Annex 1 and necessary for its implementation; − They must be identifiable and verifiable, in particular recorded in the beneficiary’s accounts in accordance with the accounting standards applicable in the country Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 51 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. where the beneficiary is established and with the beneficiary’s usual cost accounting practices; − They must comply with the applicable national law on taxes, labor and social security; − They must be reasonable, justified and must comply with the principle of sound financial management, in particular regarding economy and efficiency. Unit costs or contributions (if any) eligibility: − They must be declared under one of the budget categories set out in Article 6.2 and Annex 2 of the Grant Agreement; − The units must: • Be actually used or produced by the beneficiary in the period set out in Article 4 (with the exception of units relating to the submission of the final periodic report, which may be used or produced afterwards; see Article 21, Grant Agreement); • Be necessary for the implementation of the action; − The number of units must be identifiable and verifiable, in particular supported by records and documentation (see Article 20, Grant Agreement). Flat-rate costs or contributions (if any) eligibility: − They must be declared under one of the budget categories set out in Article 6.2 and Annex 2 of the Grant Agreement; − The costs or contributions to which the flat-rate is applied must: • Be eligible; • Relate to the period set out in Article 4 (with the exception of costs or contributions relating to the submission of the final periodic report, which may be incurred afterwards; see Article 21, Grant Agreement). Lump sum costs or contributions (if any) eligibility: − They must be declared under one of the budget categories set out in Article 6.2 and Annex 2 of the Grant Agreement; − The work must be properly implemented by the beneficiary in accordance with Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement; − The deliverables/outputs must be achieved in the period set out in Article 4 (with the exception of deliverables/outputs relating to the submission of the final periodic report, which may be achieved afterwards; see Article 21). Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 52 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Unit, flat-rate or lump sum costs or contributions according to usual cost accounting practices (if any) eligibility: − They must fulfil the general eligibility conditions for the type of cost concerned; − The cost accounting practices must be applied in a consistent manner, based on objective criteria, regardless of the source of funding. Financing not linked to costs (if any) eligibility: the results must be achieved or the conditions must be fulfilled as described in Annex 1 of the Grant Agreement. In addition, for direct cost categories (e.g. personnel, travel & subsistence, subcontracting and other direct costs) only costs that are directly linked to the action implementation and can therefore be attributed to it directly are eligible. They must not include any indirect costs (i.e. costs that are only indirectly linked to the action, e.g. via cost drivers). In-kind contributions provided by third parties free of charge may be declared as eligible direct costs by the beneficiaries which use them (under the same conditions as if they were their own, provided that they concern only direct costs and that the third parties and their inkind contributions are set out in Annex 1 (or approved ex post in the periodic report, if their use does not entail changes to the Agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or breach the principle of equal treatment of applicants; ‘simplified approval procedure’). 6.4.2. Budget categories and form of costs The budget categories and form of coast are given in table 6.1. Table 6.1.: MBO budget categories and forms of costs. Budget category Forms of costs Direct personnel costs Actual costs / Unit costs Subcontracting Actual costs Travel Actual costs Equipment Actual costs Other goods and services Actual costs Research infrastructure Actual costs Financial support to third parties Actual costs Indirect costs Flat-rate costs Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 53 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.4.3. Eligibility condition for direct personal costs Costs for employees (or equivalent) are eligible as personnel costs if they fulfil the general eligibility conditions and are related to personnel working for the beneficiary under an employment contract (or equivalent appointing act) and assigned to the action. They must be limited to salaries (including net payments during parental leave), social security contributions, taxes and other costs linked to the remuneration, if they arise from national law or the employment contract (or equivalent appointing act) and be calculated on the basis of the costs actually incurred, in accordance with the following method: − {Daily rate for the person multiplied by number of day-equivalents worked on the action (rounded up or down to the nearest half-day)}. The daily rate must be calculated as: − {Annual personnel costs for the person divided by 215}. The number of day-equivalents declared for a person must be identifiable and verifiable (see Article 20, Grant Agreement). The actual time spent on parental leave by a person assigned to the action may be deducted from the 215 days indicated in the above formula. The total number of day-equivalents declared in EU grants, for a person for a year, cannot be higher than 215, minus time spent on parental leave (if any). For personnel which receives supplementary payments for work in projects (project-based remuneration), the personnel costs must be calculated at a rate which: − Corresponds to the actual remuneration costs paid by the beneficiary for the time worked by the person in the action over the reporting period; − Does not exceed the remuneration costs paid by the beneficiary for work in similar projects funded by national schemes (‘national projects reference’); − Is defined based on objective criteria allowing to determine the amount to which the person is entitled; − Reflects the usual practice of the beneficiary to pay consistently bonuses or supplementary payments for work in projects funded by national schemes. The national projects reference is the remuneration defined in national law, collective labour agreement or written internal rules of the beneficiary applicable to work in projects funded by national schemes. If there is no such national law, collective labour agreement or written internal rules or if the project based remuneration is not based on objective criteria, the national project reference will be the average remuneration of the person in the last full Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 54 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. calendar year covered by the reporting period, excluding remuneration paid for work in EU actions. If the beneficiary uses average personnel costs (unit cost according to usual cost accounting practices), the personnel costs must fulfil the general eligibility conditions for such unit costs and the daily rate must be calculated: − Using the actual personnel costs recorded in the beneficiary’s accounts and excluding any costs which are ineligible or already included in other budget categories; the actual personnel costs may be adjusted on the basis of budgeted or estimated elements, if they are relevant for calculating the personnel costs, reasonable and correspond to objective and verifiable information; − According to usual cost accounting practices which are applied in a consistent manner, based on objective criteria, regardless of the source of funding. Costs for natural persons working under a direct contract/Costs of personnel seconded by a third party against payment are also eligible as personnel costs, if they are assigned to the action, fulfil the general eligibility conditions and: − Work under conditions similar to those of an employee (in particular regarding the way the work is organised, the tasks that are performed and the premises where they are performed); − The result of the work belongs to the beneficiary (unless agreed otherwise). They must be calculated on the basis of a rate which corresponds to the costs actually incurred for the direct contract or secondment and must not be significantly different from those for personnel performing similar tasks under an employment contract with the beneficiary. Costs for SEM owners and natural persons beneficiaries: The work of SME owners for the action (i.e. owners of beneficiaries that are small and medium sized enterprises not receiving a salary) or natural person beneficiaries (i.e. beneficiaries that are natural persons not receiving a salary) may be declared as personnel costs, if they fulfil the general eligibility conditions and are calculated as unit costs in accordance with the method set out in Annex 2a of the Grant Agreement. 6.4.4. Eligibility condition for direct subcontracting costs Subcontracting costs for the action (including related duties, taxes and charges, such as nondeductible or non-refundable value added tax (VAT)) are eligible, if they are calculated on the basis of the costs actually incurred, fulfil the general eligibility conditions and are awarded Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 55 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. using the beneficiary’s usual purchasing practices — provided these ensure subcontracts with best value for money (or if appropriate the lowest price) and that there is no conflict of interests (see Article 12, Grant Agreement). Beneficiaries that are ‘contracting authorities/entities’ within the meaning of the EU Directives on public procurement must also comply with the applicable national law on public procurement. Subcontracting may cover only a limited part of the action. The tasks to be subcontracted and the estimated cost for each subcontract must be set out in Annex 1 and the total estimated costs of subcontracting per beneficiary must be set out in Annex 2 (or may be approved ex post in the periodic report, if the use of subcontracting does not entail changes to the Agreement which would call into question the decision awarding the grant or breach the principle of equal treatment of applicants; ‘simplified approval procedure’). 6.4.5. Eligibility condition for direct purchase costs Purchase costs for the action (including related duties, taxes and charges, such as nondeductible or non-refundable value added tax (VAT)) are eligible if they fulfil the general eligibility conditions and are bought using the beneficiary’s usual purchasing practices — provided these ensure purchases with best value for money (or if appropriate the lowest price) and that there is no conflict of interests (see Article 12). Beneficiaries that are ‘contracting authorities/entities’ within the meaning of the EU Directives on public procurement must also comply with the applicable national law on public procurement. Travel and subsidence costs: Purchases for travel, accommodation and subsistence must be calculated as follows: − Travel: on the basis of the costs actually incurred and in line with the beneficiary’s usual practices on travel; − Accommodation: on the basis of the costs actually incurred and in line with the beneficiary’s usual practices on travel; − Subsistence: on the basis of the costs actually incurred and in line with the beneficiary’s usual practices on travel. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 56 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Equipment costs: Purchases of equipment, infrastructure or other assets used for the action must be declared as depreciation costs, calculated on the basis of the costs actually incurred and written off in accordance with international accounting standards and the beneficiary’s usual accounting practices. Only the portion of the costs that corresponds to the rate of actual use for the action during the action duration can be taken into account. Costs for renting or leasing equipment, infrastructure or other assets are also eligible, if they do not exceed the depreciation costs of similar equipment, infrastructure or assets and do not include any financing fees. Costs of other goods, works and services: Purchases of other goods, works and services must be calculated on the basis of the costs actually incurred. Such goods, works and services include, for instance, consumables and supplies, promotion, dissemination, protection of results, translations, publications, certificates and financial guarantees, if required under the Agreement. 6.4.6. Eligibility condition for other direct cost categories Costs for internally invoiced goods and services directly used for the action may be declared as unit cost according to usual cost accounting practices, if and as declared eligible in the call conditions, if they fulfil the general eligibility conditions for such unit costs and the amount per unit is calculated: − Using the actual costs for the good or service recorded in the beneficiary’s accounts, attributed either by direct measurement or on the basis of cost drivers, and excluding any cost which are ineligible or already included in other budget categories; the actual costs may be adjusted on the basis of budgeted or estimated elements, if they are relevant for calculating the costs, reasonable and correspond to objective and verifiable information; − According to usual cost accounting practices which are applied in a consistent manner, based on objective criteria, regardless of the source of funding. Note that ‘Internally invoiced goods and services’ means goods or services which are provided within the beneficiary’s organisation directly for the action and which the beneficiary values on the basis of its usual cost accounting practices. This cost will not be taken into account for the indirect cost flat-rate. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 57 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.4.7. Eligibility condition for indirect costs Indirect costs will be reimbursed at the flat-rate of 25% of the eligible direct costs (categories A-D, except volunteers’ costs, subcontracting costs, financial support to third parties and exempted specific cost categories, if any). 6.4.8. Ineligible costs The cost or contribution detailed below are ineligible. Costs or contributions that do not comply with the conditions set out above (Article 6.1 and 6.2, Grant Agreement), in particular: − Costs related to return on capital and dividends paid by a beneficiary; − Debt and debt service charges; − Provisions for future losses or debts; − Interest owed; − Currency exchange losses; − Bank costs charged by the beneficiary’s bank for transfers from the granting authority; − Excessive or reckless expenditure; − Deductible or refundable VAT (including VAT paid by public bodies acting as public authority); − Costs incurred or contributions for activities implemented during grant agreement; − Suspension (see Article 31, Grant Agreement). Costs or contributions declared under other EU grants (or grants awarded by an EU Member State, non-EU country or other body implementing the EU budget), except for the following case: − If the action grant is combined with an operating grant11 running during the same period and the beneficiary can demonstrate that the operating grant does not cover any (direct or indirect) costs of the action grant. Costs or contributions for staff of a national (or regional/local) administration, for activities that are part of the administration’s normal activities (i.e. not undertaken only because of the grant). Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 64 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.6.6. Suspension of payment deadline EMBRC-ERIC may at any moment suspend the payment deadline if a request for payment cannot be approved because: − It does not comply with the provisions of the Grant Agreement; − The technical reports or financial reports have not been submitted or are not complete or additional information is needed; − There is doubt about the eligibility of the costs declared in the financial statements and additional checks, reviews, audits or investigations are necessary. If EMBRC-ERIC decides to suspend the payment deadline for a beneficiary, a letter and a mail will be issued to the beneficiary concerned, specifying the reasons for suspension and informing the beneficiary concerned of a revised payment deadline. 6.6.7. Rejection of ineligible costs EMBRC-ERIC will reject ineligible costs at the time of payment (interim or final payment) or even afterwards, in particular as a result of checks, reviews, audits or investigations. Ineligible costs will be rejected in their entirety, with the exception of flat-rate costs, which will be rejected in proportion to the tasks or parts of the action not implemented: − If costs are rejected at the time of an interim or final payment, EMBRC-ERIC will calculate the interim or final payment after deducting these costs from the total eligible costs reported in the periodic or final summary financial statement; − If costs are rejected after an interim payment but before the balance payment, and ineligible costs were reported in a periodic summary financial statement, EMBRCERIC will deduct those rejected costs from the total eligible costs reported in the next periodic summary financial statement; − If any costs are rejected after the balance has been paid, EMBRC-ERIC will request a refund from the recipient by notifying them by email and mail. The beneficiary will be notified by EMBRC-ERIC of all ineligible costs and will have the opportunity to respond to the notification within 30 days. If the beneficiary concerned does not respond to the notification or if its response is not valid as justification. EMBRC-ERIC in agreement with the Project Adviser, will deduct the sum of the ineligible costs from the total eligible costs. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 65 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.6.8. Recoveries Recoveries will be made, if — at beneficiary termination, final payment or afterwards — it turns out that the granting authority has paid too much and needs to recover the amounts undue. Each beneficiary’s financial responsibility in case of recovery is in principle limited to their own debt and undue amounts of their affiliated entities. In case of enforced recoveries (see Article 22.4), affiliated entities will be held liable for repaying debts of their beneficiaries, if required by the granting authority (see Data Sheet, Point 4.4). 6.6.9. Enforced recovery If payment is not made by the date specified in the debit note, the amount due will be recovered by: − Offsetting the amount — without the Coordinator or beneficiary’s consent — against any amounts owed to the Coordinator or beneficiary by the granting authority/ In exceptional circumstances, to safeguard the EU financial interests, the amount may be offset before the payment date specified in the debit note. For grants where the granting authority is the European Commission or an EU executive agency, debts may also be offset against amounts owed by other Commission services or executive agencies; − Holding affiliated entities jointly and severally liable (if any, see Data Sheet, Point 4.4); − Taking legal action (see Article 43, Grant Agreement) or, provided that the granting authority is the European Commission or an EU executive agency, by adopting an enforceable decision under Article 299 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and Article 100(2) of EU Financial Regulation 2018/1046. Note that financial guarantee and joint and several liability of beneficiaries are not applicable. If the Mutual Insurance Mechanism was called on by the granting authority to intervene, recovery will be continued in the name of the Mutual Insurance Mechanism. If two debit notes were sent, the second one (in the name of the Mutual Insurance Mechanism) will be considered to replace the first one (in the name of the granting authority). Where the MIM intervened, offsetting, enforceable decisions or any other of the above-mentioned forms of enforced recovery may be used mutatis mutandis. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 66 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The amount to be recovered will be increased by late-payment interest at the rate set out in Article 22.5, Grant Agreement, from the day following the payment date in the debit note, up to and including the date the full payment is received. Partial payments will be first credited against expenses, charges and late-payment interest and then against the principal. Bank charges incurred in the recovery process will be borne by the beneficiary, unless Directive 2015/236617 applies. For grants where the granting authority is an EU executive agency, enforced recovery by offsetting or enforceable decision will be done by the services of the European Commission (see also Article 43, Grant Agreement). 6.6.10. Consequences of non-compliance The consequences are: − If the granting authority does not pay within the payment deadlines (see above), the beneficiaries are entitled to late-payment interest at the rate applied by the European Central Bank (ECB) for its main refinancing operations in euros (‘reference rate’), plus the rate specified in the Data Sheet (Point 4.2). The reference rate is the rate in force on the first day of the month in which the payment deadline expires, as published in the C series of the Official Journal of the European Union; − If the late-payment interest is lower than or equal to EUR 200, it will be paid to the Coordinator only on request submitted within two months of receiving the late payment. Late-payment interest is not due if all beneficiaries are EU Member States (including regional and local government authorities or other public bodies acting on behalf of a Member State for the purpose of this Agreement); − If payments or the payment deadline are suspended (see Articles 29 and 30), payment will not be considered as late. Late-payment interest covers the period running from the day following the due date for payment (see above), up to and including the date of payment. Late-payment interest is not considered for the purposes of calculating the final grant amount; − If the Coordinator breaches any of its obligations under this Article, the grant may be reduced (see Article 29) and the grant or the Coordinator may be terminated (see Article 32). Such breaches may also lead to other measures described in Chapter 5. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 67 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 6.7. Checks, audit, reviews and investigations 6.7.1. Checks, review and investigations The Commission - during the implementation of the project or afterwards - checks, reviews, investigates, and audits the proper implementation of the project and its compliance with the grant agreement. Where the granting authority is not the European Commission, the latter has the same rights of checks, reviews and audits as the granting authority. The beneficiaries must — up to five years after the payment of the balance — keep records and other supporting documentation in order to prove the proper implementation of the action and the costs they declare as eligible. They must make them available upon request or in the context of checks, reviews, audits or investigations. If there are on-going checks, reviews, audits, investigations, litigation or other pursuits of claims under the Grant Agreement, beneficiaries must keep the records and other supporting documentation until the end of these procedures. The beneficiaries must keep the original documents. Digital and digitalised documents are considered originals if they are authorised by the applicable national law. 6.7.2. Audit The European Commission may — at any moment and up until 2 years after the payment of the balance — carry out an audit. Audits normally concern mainly the financial implementation of the action by a beneficiary (i.e. financial and budgetary implementation), but may also cover technical aspects or compliance with other obligations under the sub-granting agreement. They consist in an indepth examination (by professional (external or European Commission) auditors and according to the generally accepted audit standards) of the implementation of the action by the beneficiary. They may also extend to third parties involved in the action and third parties receiving financial support or a prize. On the basis of the audit findings, a draft audit report will be drawn up. The auditors will formally notify the draft audit report to the beneficiary concerned, which has 30 days from receiving notification to make observations (contradictory audit procedure). Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 68 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. The final audit report will take into account observations by the beneficiary concerned and will be formally notified to them. Audits (including audit reports) will be in the language of the Agreement (English). If the audit shows, ineligible costs, substantial errors, irregularities or fraud or serious breach of obligations, it may lead to suspension, termination, cost rejection, grant reduction and recovery and, in very serious cases, to exclusion and/or financial penalties. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 69 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 7. Concluding remarks As stated in Introduction, the Project Management Guide provides a guide to be used by all MBO members to ensure an understanding of their roles and responsibilities in delivering the MBO project through efficient and well managed processes. This document should be used by partners to complement the Grant Agreement and the Consortium Agreement. Further guidelines may also be found on the EC portal. If any item in this document is ambiguous, or if further assistance or advise is required, please contact the Project Manager: [email protected] Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 70 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 8. Appendices 8.1. Appendix 1: MBO tasks and Task Leaders WP Task Title Lead (co-Lead) Contributors Task Leader 1 1.1 Coordinate and advance standardised and qualitycontrolled data flows into regional and international longterm archives MBA (VLIZ) VLIZ, MBA, CNR, UNESCO, AWI, UiT, SSBE, LifeWatch TBC 1.2 Establish endorsed Essential Variable Data delivery UNESCO UNESCO, VLIZ, AWI, MBA, CNR, DTU, GEOECOMAR TBC 1.3 Establish robust data flows into European biodiversity monitoring systems CNR MBA, AWI , SSBE, LifeWatch TBC 1.4 Digital synthesis, gap analysis, and sustainability AWI GEM, UNESCO, SSBE, DTU, GEOECOMAR TBC 2 2.1 Meta-analysis of technical and practical aspects of current eDNA approaches MS CNRS, UiT, MBA Iveta Matejusova 2.2 Tuning and integration of current resources and technologies for eDNA, PCR-based monitoring UiT CNRS, MBA, SU, MS, SZN, UNESCO Daniel Kumazawa Morais 2.3 Comparison of spatial and temporal eDNA-based vs. traditional observations MBA CNRS, UiT, VLIZ, SU, MS, SZN, UNESCO Chris Bowler 2.4 Defining eDNA-based variables for the EV, MSFD and WFD frameworks CNRS UiT, MBA, VLIZ, SU, MS, SZN, UNESCO Mike Cunliffe 2.5 Developing a framework of guidelines/protocols for eDNAbased biodiversity observations SU CNRS, UiT, MBA, MS, SZN Fabrice Not Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 71 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. WP Task Title Lead (co-Lead) Contributors Task Leader 3 3.1 Meta-analysis of land and sea observation variables, protocols and tools CNR Hereon, SGN,UB,VLIZ Caterina Bergami 3.2 Testing biodiversity and environmental variables workflows using case studies GeoEcoMar CNR, Hereon, SGN, UkrSCES, UB, USE, APS Mihaela Muresan 3.3 Causal chain analysis in coupled land-river-sea systems UFZ CNR, Hereon, SGN, UB, GeoEcoMar, USE, APS, NORCE Markus Weitere Norbert Kamjunke 3.4 Effects on conservation areas UB Hereon, SGN, CNR, GeoEcoMar, USE, APS Mihai Adamescu 3.5 Roadmap for harmonising biodiversity observation Hereon (SGN) GeoEcoMar, UFZ, UB, CNR Peter Haase Tina Sanders 4 4.1 Autonomy for mapping biodiversity characteristics NOC all Daniele de Corte 4.2 Pressures and biodiversity variables from remote sensing CNRS DTU Chris Bowler Pedro Junger 4.3 Networks of biodiversity sensors USE NOC, VLIZ Benedicte Madon Miguel Benitez 4.4 Multi-sensor biodiversity observations VLIZ NOC, DTU, USE Elisabeth Debusschere Carlota Muñiz 5 5.1 Detection and analyses of biodiversity trends SGN VLIZ, SZN, MBA, DTU Peter Hasse Carlos Cano 5.2 Application of integrative approaches on established biological indicators VLIZ MBA, CNRS, UiT, DTU Isabelle Rombouts 5.3 Spatial mapping of Blue Carbon benefits NORCE CIMAR Richard Sander Isabel Sousa Pinto 5.4 Mapping the impacts of NonIndigenous Invasive species on European coastal and marine habitats, based on multidisciplinary approaches UGOT VLIZ, LifeWatchERIC Mathias Obst 5.5 Creation of reproducible analytical workflows and VRE deployment LifeWatchERIC VLIZ, UGOT, SGN Cristina Huertas Christos Arvanitidis Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 72 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. WP Task Title Lead (co-Lead) Contributors Task Leader 6 6.1 Develop and Operationalise a CoP UNESCO UNIVIE Lisa Benedetti Wards Appeltans 6.2 Co-Design, Co-Creation and Stakeholder Consultation UNESCO SSBE, MBA, CIIMAR Lisa Benedetti Wards Appeltans 6.3 Knowledge transfer, capacity building and exploitation of MBO results SSBE (CIIMAR, MBA) ERINN, UNESCO Kate Larkin Megan Tijssens Isabel Sousa Pinto Dan Lear 7 7.1 Project Management EMBRC-ERIC All Claire Laguionie 7.2 Communication & Dissemination ERINN all Avril Hanbidge 7.3 Citizen Engagement and Public Outreach ERINN all Avril Hanbidge 7.4 Clustering activities with marine biodiversity projects and coordinating activities CIIMAR EMBRC-ERIC, SSBE Isabel Sousa Pinto Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 73 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. 8.2. List of MBO deliverables WP Deliverable Name Lead Beneficiary Type Dissemination level Due month WP7 D7.1 Project Management Guide EMBRC-ERIC Report Public 3 WP7 D7.2 Project Data Management Plan EMBRC-ERIC Data Management Plan Public 6 WP7 D7.4 Plan for Dissemination, Exploitation and Communication Activities ERINN Report Public 6 WP6 D6.1 Internal advisory document with stakeholder profiling information for the CoP UNIVIE Report Sensitive 12 WP7 D7.5 Portfolio of tools and activities to promote MBO ERINN Report Public 12 WP2 D2.1 Report on meta-analysis of the performance of eDNAbased approaches and associated optimal diversity indices for biodiversity observations MS Report Public 15 WP4 D4.1 Preliminary report on advanced sensor data processing, geolocation and export format NOC DATA Public 16 WP3 D3.1 Report on meta-analysis of current marine, costal, freshwater and terrestrial biodiversity observation variables, methods/protocols and tools from different providers CNR Report Public 18 WP5 D5.4 Scientific document summarising the input data layers for the models, i.e. data products (genetic data, environmental data, alien species checklists) UGOT Report Public 18 Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 80 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Risk: New Methodological choices and constraints of eDNA-based observation protocols developed in WP2 fail to deliver data for modelling (WP5) Likelihood: Medium Severity: Medium Proposed mitigation measures: Joint WP2/WP5 technical workshop organised to discuss methodological approaches before related tasks start in WP2 and WP5. Risk: Demonstrated cases not sufficiently tied in with stakeholder needs (WP5, WP6) Likelihood: Medium Severity: High Proposed mitigation measures: Co-design and stakeholder consultation workshops will allow early in the project to make adjustments to demonstrators to become relevant. Risk: Failure to create and mobilise a Community of Practice across Scales and Stakeholder groups (WP6) Likelihood: Medium Severity: High Proposed mitigation measures: Participation to the CoP is key to the success of the project. MBO will prepare a substantial list of potential participants (individuals and organisations) to ensure that it can identify actors from key sectors keen to participate. If necessary, projects identified in the clustering activities will be invited in to provide sector insight. Risk: Low user uptake and impact of MBO outputs by intermediate and end users (WP6) Likelihood: Low Severity: High Proposed mitigation measures: Stakeholder dialogue and codesign will ensure that outputs are fit-for-use and that stakeholders are made aware of project developments, are consulted for feedback to shape project outputs and dialogue with policy makers and key actors in the wider marine biodiversity stakeholder landscape ensuring longer-term implementation of MBO Best Practises in optimising the marine biodiversity data flow. Risk: Failure to coordinate and communicate effectively with the MBO consortium and related entities (WP7) Likelihood: Low Severity: High Proposed mitigation measures: Many of the Consortium key partners have a direct involvement in the MBO related initiatives and a project manager will coordinate with them and the communications officers of the entities. Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 81 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Risk: Failure to commit to the project work plan, resulting in execution delays (All WPs) Likelihood: Low Severity: Medium Proposed mitigation measures: Regular meetings will be held between the PMT and WP coLeader to determine progress and potential bottlenecks. Project Coordinator, WP co-Leaders and PMT will further impose specific corrective actions throughout the project lifecycle to provide the necessary flexibility ensured by a carefully designed work plan. Risk: Lack of interest from the research communities to contribute to, validate or use the proposed standards/protocols/method (All WPs) Likelihood: Low Severity: High Proposed mitigation measures: Current standards/protocols/methods have major gaps and issues that reflect on the data and analyses, which are acknowledged by the communities. Such communities will be involved and integrated in the evaluation of current standards and protocols to ensure that their input is incorporated in the proposed guidelines. The gap analyses will shed light on the needs of the communities, reflected in the standards/protocols/methods. Risk: Underestimation of WP costs (All WPs) Likelihood: Low Severity: Medium Proposed mitigation measures: If a deviation from the workplan and related budget will be detected, the Coordinator will either reconsider the research plan or discuss a different allocation of budget to be submitted to the EU. Risk: Cancellation of all physical meetings and field work due to the Covid-19 pandemic, or similar regional or global phenomenon (All WPs) Likelihood: Medium Severity: Medium Proposed mitigation measures: For all external meetings, MBO will look into options for offering a hybrid element to be as inclusive as possible for external stakeholder interaction. Should key stakeholder events need to be moved fully online, the Consortium has expertise in organising and delivering high quality online events. Risk: Delays or potential issues with the payment from UK government to UK associated partners (WP7) Likelihood: Low Deliverable D7.1 Management Plan Guide 82 This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 101082021. This output reflects the views only of the author(s), and the European Union cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein. Severity: High Proposed mitigation measures: UK partners accept to be moved as Associated partners and receive money from the UK government guarantee scheme. If any issue with the payment of the UK Associated Partners arise, the Consortium will consider through its governing body, the General Assembly, if advances under the form of loans could be possible, or if amendments will be necessary to transfer some tasks to other eligible partners.