ERIC Forum: Bringing European Research Infrastructures together

Project Acronym ERIC-FORUM
Funding Program H2020 (Research Infrastructures)
Budget €1,495,281.25
Coordinator BBMRI-ERIC
Website https://www.eric-forum.eu/
Start - End Year 2019 - 2022

LAUNCH OF THE ERIC FORUM PROJECT

On January 31, 2019, 23 ERICs from 11 countries with national nodes in all European Member States, met in Amsterdam to launch the ERIC Forum project funded by H2020.

ERIC-Forum aims to strengthen the coordination and networking of the established European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs). It will support the organisation of specific meetings, targeted thematic workshops focusing on shared challenges such as the development of internal procurement rules, harmonised financial reporting, VAT exemption practices, insurances and pensions policies and training of governance bodies representatives.

The project will also facilitate common outreach activities and strengthen the external representation of ERICs.

In this project, EATRIS is leading WP3 – Operations, Administration, HR and Finance. WP3 focuses on benchmarking and exchange of best practices, both from within and without the ERIC community, so that current and future ERICs can benefit from the Forum’s existence. The practices evaluated in this WP cover:

  • financial management (accounting practices, procurement policies and use of VAT exemption),
  • operational management (recruitment practices, secondment, in-kind contributions),
  • quality management systems and insurance policies.

Through a variety of surveying, desk research and workshops, best practices will be assembled and disseminated to the Forum and beyond.