EFAP's management structure

EFAP’s management structure and procedures were developed as a bottom-up process in accordance with COST rules. COST has been deliberately chosen to involve a variety of emerging stakeholders whose interests are difficult to represent in traditional academic organisational forms. At the same time, open and inclusive structures will ensure a maximum of participation in the different processes.

The Management Committee (MC) consists of experts nominated by the COST Countries. The MC will elect a Chair and a Vice Chair in accordance with generally accepted practices. Within the MC, a Core Group (CG) will be established to provide support for the Chair. The CG consists of the Chair and Vice Chair as well as the Leaders and Vice-Leaders of each Working Group and of any other management task that will be set up. The CG will support the MC to coordinate, implement, and manage EFAP’s activities and to supervise the allocation and use of funding. In addition, the CG will focus on feedback from of relevant, established stakeholders, assess the performance of the network, and ensure the quality and the dissemination of all outcomes. Both entities, MC and CG, will play an important role in moderating, streamlining, and guiding the Working Groups and their work.

EFAP’s Working Groups are the core of its activity. The project is structured into five Working Groups (WGs) that will meet EFAP’s broad objectives, coordinate various networking activities, and build capacity. Working groups meet on a regular basis, ideally 4 times per year.

At the kick-off meeting, each Working Group will appoint a Working group Leader and a Vice-Leader (both WGLs). WGLs are responsible for the quality and coherence of all research and the completion of milestones and deliverables within the allocated time frames. They are also responsible for regular, timely communication with the MC regarding the progress of all WG work and other issues.

In coordination with the MC and the CG, WGLs can create special task forces within and/or between WGs to address specific challenges and ensure that milestones are met. WGLs will ensure an appropriate composition of the WGs, according to gender balance, geographical origin, areas of academic expertise, institutional backgrounds, and specific interests. Ad-hoc participants in WGs will play a crucial role as expert witnesses (e.g., to provide and recruit knowledge and expertise from emerging fields and specific contexts).