NewRail and Research Coordination Prof. Mark Robinson, Director, NewRail

and engineering excellence’ Mission Statement ‘Maintain and enhance our position as the leading University based Railway Research Centre in Europe’ ‘ To be globally recognised and respected as a Rail Research Centre through our innovation, quality and engineering excellence’

Key Focus Areas Strategic Research Academia Consult

7th Framework Project (2 Year) TRANSNEW is a multi-national initiative supported by the European Commission whose aims are to support transport research activities in the new member states, evaluating each countries research capability in addition to the potential exploitation of the synergies between air and surface transport modes TRANSNEW European Commission 7th Framework Project (2 Year) 15 Partners, 12 Countries

Key Research Areas Research Rail Vehicles Rail Infrastructure Rail Systems Rail Freight & Logistics

7th Framework Project (3 Year) SECURE METRO is a multi-national initiative supported by the European Commission whose aims are to increase safety and security of metro vehicles from terrorist attack by explosives and firebombs reducing the impact of such attacks on passengers, staff, infrastructure and property SECURE METRO European Commission 7th Framework Project (3 Year) 11 Partners, 5 Countries

7th Framework Project (4 Year) FIRE-RESIST is a multi-national initiative supported by the European Commission whose aims are to develop novel, cost effective, high performance, lightweight polymer matrix composite materials with a step-change improvement in fire behaviour Fire Resist FIRE-RESIST European Commission 7th Framework Project (4 Year) 18 Partners, 9 Countries

NewRail Coordination activities in FP7 SecureMetro started 1.1.2010 TransNEW started 1.1.2010 FIRERESIST approved and contract negotiation started Feb .2010 project will start September 2010 Keep in regular touch with the Technical Officer good and bad news Always be one step ahead, turn up with a revised technical annex having sent it the week before the meeting. See if they would like to meet for dinner the night before. Do not start a project July or August, they will expect the Deliverables even if Europe is on holiday and you will lose impetus if starting just before a long break. 8

Proposal preparation The proposal is your own idea and within reason you can decide what to include: Which partners you want. The role of the partners. The budget. For the proposal work mainly on your own to prepare the proposal Do not create a proposal preparation committee. At least 20 days per project plus travel all at University expense (Deirdre is good for 50% particularly for new players). ? 9

Contract Negotiation Influence where any budget reduction occurs. Roles and budgets can be modified. The consortium may lose key partners, so it is the Coordinator’s role to provide acceptable replacements. Need to convince the TO that the project is still viable. Responsible for preparing the Annex I, Nicola Dolman is great at preparing the Financial Forms and works closely with the coordinator. Contract Negotiation takes at least 10 days, sometimes longer. Travel will also be needed. 10

Contract Agreements Main University Role. Consortium Agreements and Grant Agreements etc. Create very few issues for the Coordinator. These aspects are very well supported by Nicola and her team. TIP – There is usually a year between the start of a contract negotiation and actually getting the contract. It is sensible to use this time to produce the reporting, dissemination guidelines and template. This includes format/style of reports, power point and other templates. It is often better to adapt previous versions rather than starting from scratch. 11

Kick Off Can select the venue. Can select the format. Can decide on the date. EC can insist that it is Brussels. EC can request that certain items are included on the agenda. EC can express a preference for a date – this is then accepted by the consortium. The kick-off meeting/reception/dinner/gifts are funded by the Coordinator. Set the Standard. 12

Coordination - what/who makes an effective coordinator NewRail usually have a Coordination team featuring an experienced coordinator and a project manager. Coordinator is a figure-head, usually the source of idea for the proposal and respected by the Consortium. Experienced at managing and/or coordinating European projects. Project Manager is well organised, with good time management and should have some experience of WP leadership in the past. The Coordinator and project manager should be comfortable with each other. The Coordination team should be experts in the area in order to settle technical disputes. 13

What’s involved in coordinating an FP7 project The ease of coordination is very much dependent of the quality of the proposal. If WPs, Gantt charts and deliverables need to be clear. The partner responsible is identified, as well as the partners contributing through tasks. The Coordinator’s role is to merely push these activities along. The Coordinator is ultimately responsible for everything: non-submission of deliverables and quality control of deliverables. Quality management procedures should be addressed in the proposal. The Coordinator can not afford to let a project fail! Reputations can be lost easily by 1 bad project. 14

Perks - the benefit of coordinating FP7 projects, both for the individual and the University Publications and Conferences Opportunity to work with a Technical Officer – Evaluation, Information on new calls, etc. Travel. Visiting Professor Build a research team Membership of influential bodies University European Visibility International outputs RA and PhD funding. Equipment. The coordinator can submit their cost statement last. 15

Cons - disadvantages of coordinating FP7 projects Individual The buck stops here – no passing ! No extra budget to solve problems – we build in a RISK budget, try and identify risks in the proposal and in the Annex. Technical Officer – The Customer is always right! Travel may be too much if things are not running smoothly. Key partners may withdraw Deliverables may take a lot more effort to produce than you imagine As a UK partner there is a lot of English language correction and assistance work required and expected. University Not FEC 16

Ioan Buciuman Technical Director of Romanian Railway Authority (AFER)