Work package 5

Responsibilities include ensuring achievement of project deliverables within the allocated time frame and budget; carrying out the organizational and scientific management of the project; facilitation of communication, coordination and data sharing among the project partners and ensuring scientific quality of the deliverables. Tasks include coordination of annual project coordination meetings with all project partners, monitoring progress of WP tasks and connecting with other on-going research projects for added synergies. The project Gantt chart (Fig. 3) will be the guiding document to monitor the deliverables and milestones. In case of major disputes or critical risks to implementation of activities, the issues will be discussed during the annual project coordination meeting for a decision to mitigate or to find an alternative solution so that the tasks are carried out unhindered and as planned. An advisory board with 1-2 members will be formed within the first three months, consisting of leading experts in agro-ecology, biostimulant and sustainable production practices. Advisory board members will be invited to annual coordination meetings to provide feedback on the activities carried out and suggestions for future research direction and activities in the project.

Tasks include administrative, financial and contractual project management, preparation of the ECOTWINS consortium agreement, implementing the scheduled work packages, and facilitating efficient internal knowledge transfer and communication among all parties involved. Other tasks are coordination among the partners, synthesizing inputs from the partners, reporting, preparation of periodic reports with the support of all partners, and ensuring the overall direction of the different elements in the project. In order to improve the project management skills and support the coordinator, NUBIP will hire one staff with expertise in project management and the staff will be trained to to prepare periodic reports and financial reports. ECOTWINS will be linked to on-going projects viz. FOODSHIFT2030, GOHYDRO and MUSHNOMICS projects.

Within this task, we will facilitate the development of shared concepts and methodologies in the project, review WP findings and communicate results, ensure scientific consistency, and monitor and establish a quality management system based on the current practice of the project coordinator’sinstitution and standard operating procedures developed in other EU funded projects. The Gantt chart (Fig. 3) will be the guiding document for monitoring progress of the milestones and deliverables throughout the project cycle. Periodic reports will be prepared for the EU as per the requirement during the life cycle of the project.

Kick-off and annual Project Coordination meetings. The project meetings will provide opportunities to share and exchange methodologies, results, and solutions to problems. These meetings will provide a forum for the partners to discuss the activities and expected outputs from each WP. The meetings will be held to ensure an effective workflow and to minimize and address any risks identified in the course of the project. A timeline of activities will be planned in discussion with the partners and the partners will be informed on the expectations from the project. The final end-ofthe-project conference will be used as a communication strategy to present the project outputs to the stakeholders and to maintain the legacy of the project in future.