Integration activity IA3 aims at implementing a long term strategy of Evoltree. To do so, IA3 intends to harmonise research programmes among the Evoltree partners in order to cover unaddressed issues, to avoid overlaps and to stimulate new research directions. The long term objective is to progressively move from the post process consisting in coordination of the research programmes to the pre-process action that is integration of the research programmes.

IA3 will explore the legal and financial structures, circumstances and possibilities for durable integration in order to set up a common legal structure representing all participating organisations in the network. These efforts will also be conducted towards the search for external funding sources (both public and private) to contribute to perpetuation of Evoltree beyond the duration of the NoE. Additionally, consolidation of the NoE will also be achieved through the harmonization of practices, the efficient distribution of activities across the different partners’ labs and the optimal use of the existing facilities and equipment.

On of the first expected achievement of the consolidation activities is the construction of the joint knowledge database and web interface that will be developed in closed connection with IA1. The contribution of each partner to the consolidation of the integrated organisation will be measured by four main indicators: the number of harmonisation decisions, the external financial contributions, the number of common research projects, and the number of joint peer-reviewed publications.

Sub-Activities

IA 3.1 - Research orientation

IA 3.2 - Network perpetuation

IA 3.3 - Common equipment and best practices

IA 3.4 - Knowledge database