The aim of these work packages is to provide all parties with clear guidelines and administrative procedures about their tasks. All activities and work plans will have to be discussed and revised accordingly. The University of Nantes will be the leader of the overall work packages and supported by GASS.
In the beginning of the project, a kick-off meeting (first Consortium meeting) will be held by GASS at Hanoi (Vietnam). The objective is to discuss the work plan, define different job profiles of the staff to be hired, to set up an organizational chart and the composition of the Project Management Board (PMB). It will be decided how the decisions will be made and the precise role of PMB.
After the kick-off meeting a manual will be prepared which will describe the project procedures, including the planning of tasks between partners, the number and nature of reports, the templates and list of actions, and the communication tools. The second Consortium Meeting will be held one year later by a Cambodian partner at the end of the first autumn training session organized in Cambodia. The main goal of this meeting will be to discuss the results of the first year implementation with respect to the WP Quality. One
year should be sufficient to discuss and thus avoid any management risks and conflicts during the project lifetime. Furthermore, all the partnerships agreement will have to be signed in the first 6 months.
WP1 deliverables will be: a) the final composition of the PMB and b) the adoption of the manual guidelines, and c) the adoption of the partnership agreements The indicators of progress will be the final composition of the PMB, the quality
Work Package 1- Inception phase
The aim of this work package is to provide all parties with clear guidelines about their tasks, as well as the administrative procedures to be followed. All activities will be discussed in details. UN will be the leader of this WP, supported by GASS.
At the beginning of the project, a kick-off meeting (first Consortium meeting) was organised by GASS, in Hanoi (Vietnam). Its objective was to discuss the work plan, to define the different job profiles of the staff to be hired, to set up an organisational chart, to create the Project Management Board (PMB) and to draft the partnership agreement. It was decided how decisions will be made and the precise role of the PMB. It was also clarified how the partners will communicate and share documents. Discussion on the most efficient ways to manage the activities within the project and to make the transfer of funds was done. All financial matters such as real costs, unit costs, exchange rate etc. were explained to all partners’ representatives.
WANASEA now have a common agreement between all parties on all administrative and financial matters of the project and to be able to sign the partnership agreement in the first six month since the beginning of the implementation process.
After the kick-off meeting a manual will be prepared which will describe the project procedures, including the planning of tasks between partners, the number and nature of reports, the templates and list of actions, and the communication tools to be used. These guidelines will also include a revise work plan and clear procedures on hiring interns, staff etc. This manual will be a complementary to already existent guidelines of the EU commission. Its objective is to clarify the decision making process and the precise expected activities and outputs from each partner.
A dissemination plan will be also prepared. It will describe how the consortium will disseminate the outputs of the project. This plan will contain some guidelines regarding the management of the website and the accounts in the social media (Twitter, Facebook, etc.). It will also give clear deadlines on when to produce any marketing materials, when a report or paper could be published and how shall we communicate the activities of the project with stakeholders. The dissemination plan will also contain a time frame and precise activities expected by each partner regarding the dissemination and sustainability of the project.
At the end of the first year since the beginning of the project, a second Consortium Meeting will take place in Cambodia along with the first autumn training session. The main goal of this meeting will be to discuss the results of the actions implemented. The outcomes of the quality report (WP7) will be also discussed. One year should be enough to see how to implement all activities, and thus to avoid any management risks and conflicts during the project’s lifetime.
WP1 deliverables will be as follows
- the final composition of the PMB,
- writing the manual’s guidelines
- writing the dissemination plan and d) signing the partnership agreements.
The indicators of progress will be the final composition of the PMB, the quality/accuracy level of the guidelines, and the time of adoption of the partnership agreements.
Work Package 2- Needs Assessment in the Water and related Natural Resources Management (WNRM)
The leader will be the RMIT-VN assisted by GASS and SDU. The main goal of this WP2 is to create a network which will facilitate the collaboration between project’s partners and stakeholders involved in WNRM. Most of the activities will take part within the first year of the project. However, the expansion of the network in the three partner countries, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand will be an ongoing process which is expected to continue even after the end of the project.
In order to raise awareness about the management of water and natural resources, a workshop on WNRM will organised by RMIT-VN in Ho Chi Minh City. The attendance on the workshop will be open for the public. Our objective is to gather together stakeholders involved in WNRM in order to strengthen the cooperation between them. Moreover we expect enable the project partners to create long lasting partnerships with these stakeholders. A set of innovative tools such as “Evenium Connex Me” application and other IT tools will be used in order to promote interaction between participants, obtain quick feedback and assess the quality of the organised training sessions.
Following the workshop, we will prepare a set of questionnaires in order to define the main stakeholders in WNRM. Moreover, we will conduct a mapping of the existing Ph.D. and master courses dealing with WNRM. This catalogue will be the basis to propose additional courses and trainings in order to improve the quality of the existing programs and to create new ones. In long run we expect to have joint degrees and joint research activities between the partners of the project.
Finally, a report will be written which highlights the needs of partner countries’ universities as well as the main stakeholders in WNRM sector. A set of recommendations and potential long run and short run strategies will be provided to ASEAN partners.
In summary, there are three deliverables in WP 2
- organisation of a workshop on WNRM
- mapping of the existing courses and identification of the main stakeholders in WNRM and
- written report which includes a set of recommendation regarding courses related to WNRM and stakeholders’ analysis.
Work Package 3–Improve quality of teaching and research in the field of WNRM
The leader of this work package will be CREED, assisted by UB, ITC, RULE, TU and VMU.
Improvement of the quality of teaching and research in WNRM cannot be ensure without, a) a high commitment of HEIs in the partners countries, b) a high quality of trainers selected from the program countries, c) ability to provide support (financial and supervision) of young researches, and d) an adequacy between the academic skills taught and the skills expected by the wider economic and social environment.
Therefore, specific training sessions (around 2 per year) will be organised. Their topics will be defined based on the needs identified in the report on WNRM and following the workshop organised in WP2 (task 2.3). Some of these training sessions will be open to Stakeholders outside the consortium. Potential topic that could be proposed are as follows: “How to finance your PhD?”; “How to write a project/PhD proposal”; “Potential grants from private institutions””; “Climate Change Impacts in South East Asia”; “Vulnerability and sustainability of water resources in South East Asia”; “Trans boundary Waters: Sharing Benefits, Sharing Responsibilities”; etc. Participants on these trainings will be selected according to their backgrounds and their working place.
WANASEA will offer special mobility in EU institutions (around 9 people, one per ASEAN partner) in order to share good practices and to foster international scientific cooperation initiatives between partners and other economic institutions. It will be organised a round table in Paris with stakeholders outside the consortium, such as the French Development Agency (AFD). We will provide opportunities to ASEAN partner to create long term partnerships with such institutions which will eventually ensure long term impact of the project.
Work Package 4– Capacity building of students and young researchers on WNRM
This WP will be led by NUM and GASS, with the help of CTU and CMU.
GASS will be responsible for the selection of researchers who will attend the annual ASEAN Water Platform (AWP). The annual event will take place in three countries. Each conference will last around 10 days.
The goal of this WP is to build capacity in research on WNRM within the partner countries’ institutions. GASS, UN and AUF have already organised similar event, “Tam Dao Days in Social Sciences” – http://www.tamdaoconf.com/en/presentation/. The first goal of AWP is to gather together researchers with different backgrounds in order to have an exchange of multidisciplinary methodological approaches related to the analysis of WNRM sector. Therefore, facilitators specialised in various fields will be carefully selected. The second objective is to disseminate knowledge on WNRM and enhance collaboration between the participants. We will use interactive tools (applications and other collaborative tools). The purpose is to support different groups of researchers specialised in different disciplines in order to accomplish a common goal that they have set themselves. Our aim is to increase the research collaboration between participants and to set the basis future long term partnership between the representatives of different institution in EU and in ASEAN. These workshops will strengthen the multidisciplinary research and make the institutions involved in the project more internationalised.
There are two main tasks in this WP. The first one is the selection of trainees and trainers. For each AWP, 72 Asian young researchers and 5 Europeans visiting scholars will be selected on the basis of transparent rules and clear criteria. The second task is the organisation of the events. Every annual conference will be organised by different institution and in a different ASEAN country.
- First AWP will be hosted by Can Tho University (Vietnam) – July 2018
- Second AWP will be hosted by Chiang May University (Thailand) – July 2019
- Third AWP will be hosted by NUM (Cambodia) – July 2020.
The format of the AWP will be as follows:
- There will be two days of plenary sessions on “state of the art” research or analysis on WNRM. These sessions will be an introduction to the workshops which will take place later. At the end of the second day, an executive summary of the plenary sessions will be provided to all participants.
- Within the next five days, four capacity-building workshops on different topics related to WNRM will be conducted. Each workshop will be attended by around 20 people.
- A Half day will be dedicated to sharing of experience by the participants on the trainings organised within the framework of WP3. The report on WNRM courses and main stakeholders will be also presented.
- A half day will be devoted to feedback from participants and some recommendations in order to improve the activities for the next event.
At the end of the each AWP, a certificate of participation signed by the consortium will be presented to all trainees. A special attention will be given to the integration of this program into the existing university curricula of ASEAN partners. The trainers will use a set of innovative tools in order to animate the trainings. (ICT, workshop on field inquiries methodologies happening on research site). The purpose is to promote multidisciplinary collaboration and interactions between all participants. The best ASEAN researchers will have the opportunity to undertake joint-research activities with their European counterparts.
Work Package 5– Network identification and animation
The leader of this work package will be IRD, assisted by GASS, EFEO and UN.
This work package will support the implementation of WP2, WP3 and WP4. The aim of WP 5 is to create and animate a network of researchers dealing with WNRM. In order to create a “movement”, in order words, to improve the research collaboration between partners, there are two main tasks to be done. The first one will be to maintain a specific network animations for researchers and teachers in the consortium, such as regular on-line training sessions (webinars), up-to-date research presentations, conference calls, grant calls, etc. In order to involve external stakeholders in the network, these activities will be open for public. The second task will be to enhance the participation of graduate students and PhD candidates through a series of workshops and trainings within the partner institutions. These trainings will be available on-line. For this purpose, a specific webpage within the WANASEA website and mobile application will be created.
The animation of the network also depends on the efficient dissemination of the project’s outcomes and accomplishments. Therefore, the leaders of WP5 and WP7 will have to work together, and to connect WANASEA to other existing projects and research networks (Erasmus Plus projects and others) in the region.
This Work Package 5 is essential for the sustainability of the project.
Work Package 6– Quality control and monitoring
WP 6 will be implemented by NUM assisted by RULE and UN. The main objective is to provide clear guidelines on the quality of the implementation of all planned activities in the project. It will be also assessed whether the communication and the established mechanisms of cooperation between the partners of the project are efficient enough. The recommendations should be improved by PMB. NUM, RULE and UN will make sure that the key deliverables are achieved within the budget and time frames.
The following points will be reported:
- regular monitoring of progress with regard to the schedule,
- reporting of any deviation from the work plan,
- involvement of partners in the project,
- communication between the project management team and the rest of the consortium.
All means of communication will be used (e-mail, phone/Skype, teleconference, face-to-face meetings, internet tools, etc.). An annual quality report including recommendations and the results of the internal audit will be provided to the PMB. Just before the end of the project, a subcontractor will be hired to execute a complete external financial audit of the project.
This WP will cover the lifespan of the project. The indicators of progress will be the number of reports produced, the number of progress indicators collected by the leaders of the WPs, and the rate of satisfaction of conducted training sessions and AWPs. Based on the reporting of partners and internal and external evaluation, a set of recommendations will be provided to PMB in order to improve the quality of activities within WANASEA.
Work Package 7- Dissemination and exploitation
The leader of this work package will be TU, assisted by GASS.
The objectives of WP7 are to disseminate information to all stakeholders, researchers and students, not only within, but also outside the consortium.
The internal dissemination of results and outcomes will be undertaken to improve the management of the project. For the external dissemination process, the following activities will be carried out: publication and distribution of e-letters, flyers, leaflets and booklets to specific target groups by the consortium, mainly in the Southeast Asia region (ASEAN). The leaders of this WP have to find the most efficient way to promote the AWPs, training sessions and the Network of stakeholders and researchers on WRNM.
The core of this WP is the creation of interactive website. The website will be regularly updated. The purpose of the website is to inform the public about the news, deadlines for selection of trainees to attend the AWPs and Training sessions, presentation calls, hiring opportunities for staff members, description of the project and the major outcomes of all activities within WANASEA. The website should contain different WRNM topics. Particular attention will be paid to the plenary sessions of AWPs. Their proceeding will be available online. The precise specification regarding the security, interactivity and the content of the website will be approved by PMB.
These sessions will be published in hard copy (paper format) or online or to be printed; English and French version) but also as videos on the project’s website. Subtitles in English, Khmer, Thai, Vietnamese and French will be added.
Upon request, other WP leaders, other useful communication and social network tools and applications could be developed (webinars, Facebook, on-line interactive surveys, e-letters, templates, logos, etc.). The main purpose is to improve the management of the project, to make the seminars and training sessions more interactive, to efficiently disseminate the outcomes of WANASEA, and to animate a network of researchers and stakeholders specialised in WRNM.
Finally, this WP is important for the sustainability of the project. The website must be interactive a place of exchange between the users. It must be used even after the end of WANASEA,
The indicators of progress are the number of communication tools that have been designed and used, the number of web pages that have been written and read, the number of proceedings published, and the number of uploaded documents.
Work Package 8-Project Management
The person in charge of this WP, is UN assisted by GASS.
The goal of this work package is to keep the project on schedule and within the limits of the budget constraints. The main tasks are overall project management, financial management, organisation of the consortium meetings, and formal and informal reporting. The project coordinator (PC), located in the UN, will be in charge of the overall management of the project. The responsibilities of PM include preparation and delivery of progress and final reports, as well as any additional reporting input that might be requested by the EACEA, by the PMB or by the Consortium initiative.
An International Coordinator (IC), in charge the Regional Management Coordination (RMC) located at GASS, will coordinate the activities in Asian countries, including all the financial aspects of the project, with the help of a Vietnamese assistant to be hired. The role of IC will be to assist the PC and to inform regularly PMB. IC will be in charge of the communication with Erasmus Plus Offices or European Delegations in Cambodia, Thailand and Vietnam. He/she must check all necessary administrative aspects such as tax exemption, tendering procedures, etc.
To facilitate the communication between partners of the project, in each country, there will be appointed a Local Coordinator, who will report to IC and PC.
A Project Management Board (PMB) will be created which will provide guidelines and support for the implementation of activities and for solving problems when they arise. PMB will meet every six months. PMB will take all important decision regarding the implementation of the project based on the democratic principle. Both PM and IC will be members of the PMB. The agenda of the PMB meetings will be defined by the PC. The meetings will be organised physically or via videoconference.
PC has the authority to request any additional information and data in order to prepare the intermediate and final report of WANASEA. Indeed, the most important deliveries of this WP are the preparation of intermediate and final report, because the Executive Agency will assess the quality of the project based on their outcomes. These reports will contain qualitative and quantitative analysis regarding the implementation of the project. Therefore, PC and IC must make sure to collect important information and data from all partners. Moreover, we will include difficulties that have accrued and if necessary, an assistance from Erasmus Plus Office or European Delegation will be requested. The purpose is not to make the intermediate and final report as good as possible and to show only positive results of WANASEA, but also to state clearly any operational and administrative issues in order to be assisted by the Executive Agency. These reports will also include a general description of project outputs, deliverables and budget evolution. Based on these monitoring reports and discussions with the PMB, the project coordinator will send the PMB recommendations to the other WP leaders. All major decisions regarding hiring staff members and organisation of events must be approved by the PC. Minor decisions, which do not have any major impact on the project’s implementation, could be directly approved by IC and LCs.
