PREP-IBISBA is formed by 10 workpackages (WP).

Project Management Structure

Four WPs form the project management structure. Project coordination, management and secretarial duties are the subject of WP1 (Management of PREP-IBISBA). This WP is completed by specific strategic management in WP9 (Critical Decision Points and Consolidation of Results), notably regarding the organisation of timely consultations to take critical decisions, integrate project findings and pilot the transition phase. The third and fourth element of project management is contributed by WP2 (Communication and Dissemination of PREP-IBISBA), which is responsible for dissemination and communication, and by WP10 (Ethics and Requirements) to ensure compliance with the ethics requirements.

Central WPs

Two central WPs are WP3 (Business model and plan) and WP4 (Legal entity and governance structure). The majority of the work in these WPs will be conducted by VTT and INRA, two partners that possess the skills and knowhow to reach the goals. However, these partners will ensure that all partners are regularly consulted and informed of progress. Other important WPs to reach the early targets are WP5 (Scientific and Technical Development Plan), WP6 (Processes for Operation, Coordination and Internal Communication of the Distributed Infrastructure), WP7 (Stakeholder Mapping, Engagement and Leverage of pan-European Interest), WP8 (e-Tools for the Management of Business Processes and Research Assets). These WPs will mostly feed results into WP3 and WP4.

Management, Critical Consultation and Decisions

As mentioned WP1 is responsible for management and secretarial duties, ensuring that the project advances smoothly and that milestones and deliverables are reached on time. A second, WP9 will address another level of strategic organization and will steer the project towards pre-implementation of EU-IBISBA. To this end, WP9 is crosscutting and will play an integration role in the project rollout. The first task in WP9 is provide special coordination of critical consultations decisions (i.e. important decisions requiring wide consultation of project partners and stakeholders). Critical decision point (CDP) meetings will be organized through WP9, with these sometime coinciding with regular meetings organized through WP1. CDP meetings are a pragmatic response to a clear risk of excessive and uncoordinated partner solicitation. These meetings will be held twice a year and will constitute focal points for questions requiring general assembly consultation and/or decisions, leading to either a milestone or a deliverable. CDP meetings are compulsory for all project beneficiaries and ensure that workpackage leaders will have regular opportunities to submit important questions to the whole consortium and receive coordinated replies in a timely and concerted manner. Moreover, WP9 will focus on other important deliverables, integrating results and producing an implementation plan (task 9.2). This plan will contain the conclusions of all of the work performed and a consolidated set of KPIs that will be used to measure the performance of EU-IBISBA RI once it is implemented. Finally, WP9 (task 9.3) will pilot the transition phase towards implementation, ensuring that some processes, key staff are hired, some processes are tested and that early governance is put into place.

Communication and Dissemination

The IBISBA 1.0 project has already generated a variety of communication tools (e.g. web site, graphical charter, information documents, etc.) and has opened communication channels (e.g. Twitter and Linkedin accounts, etc.). These will be used, or adapted for use, to develop WP2 activities in PREP-IBISBA. The advantage of this is to optimise use of resources and create seamless communication for stakeholders. Likewise, the term IBISBA is maintained throughout the different project phases.