FINDING PARTNERS AND CONSORTIUM DEVELOPMENT.
DR S.G YIASE
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, CENTER FOR RESERCH MANAGEMENT
WORKSHOP : PROPORSAL WRITING AND
RESEARCH MANAGEMENT FOR PROJECTS AND
OTHER SCHOLARLY PRODUCTIONS.
15th NOV. 2011 AT COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE
AUDITORIUM, BENUE STATE UNIVERSITY,
MAKURDI.
1
INTRODUCTION.
PARTNER:
An individual, organisation or company whose
responsibilities in a project may involve:
- Leading a small part of the job, work package or
task.
- Taking part as a contributor in several phases of the
project.
- Preparing a report including financial for the phase
of the work led.
2
CONSORTIUM:
A group of organisations, companies or individuals
formed to carry out a project or activity that would be
beyond the capabilities of the individual members.
A consortium is thus made up of a project coordinator
who is accountable to the funding body, and his
partners.
3
PARTNERSHIP IN PROJECTS.
-
-
-
-
Projects involving large funding usually will require
partners to cover all areas of expertise needed in the
successful execution of the work.
Usually, the project leader has an idea; a decision on
the main research and the business reasons for
undertaking the work.
He must then wait for a call for proposals by grant
awarding bodies.
He may identify a call that fits his research idea, or
He may spin his research idea to bring it in line with
the call and the related work programme.
Then he looks for partners.
4
CONSORTIUM MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE.
Funding Body
Contract
Consortium Agreement
Project Coordinator
Partner 1
Partner 2
Partner 3
Realising the funding body is also a partner, the management structure takes the
form:
- For integrated projects the structure may involve a governing assembly, senior
partners, external experts and representatives of the funding organisation.
- There may also be both technical and management committees overseeing the
consortium.
5
THE CONSORTIUM AGREEMENT.
Participants in a project are usually covered by a
consortium agreement
The agreement addresses the following issues:
* The internal organisation of the consortium
* The distribution of finances available
* Rules on dissemination, use and access right
* The provisions of the grant agreement
* Settlements of internal disputes including cases of abuse of
power
* Liability indemnification and confidentiality arrangements
between the participants
6
THE STRUCTURE OF A CONSORTIUM AGREEMENT.
- A consortium agreement includes:
- Some preliminary clauses which cover:
* The title of the project
* Parties in the agreement(those that sign it)
* Abstract of the project
* Language of the document
* Definition of terms to avoid misunderstanding
- The central clauses which include:
* The management and financial clauses
* The technical dispositions
- The final clauses which cover:
* The implementation and duration of the agreement
* Law applicable
* Dispute resolution system such as internal committees, competent
courts, or arbitration or mediation.
- Annexes which cover:
* Identification or exclusion of background intellectual property rights
* list of partners needed to transfer the foreground without notice to others
* List of affiliates of each participants.
7
CHANGES IN THE CONSORTIUM.
In many cases, it is important to add clauses in the
agreement that allows:
The addition of a new partner or removal of an
existing one
Compel any additional participant coming on
stream to adhere to the existing agreement
Compel the consortium to inform the
awarding body any changes in its
composition.
8