Tasks in a Consortium

Building a consortium

The first task for a participation in a research project will be the building of a consortium. SPAS and/or the NCP´s have a large network of contacts to the major players in European research, including the EU’s New Member States and the Associated Candidate Countries. Through these networks the company will be able to assemble suitable partners for the consortium in order to create the critical mass for achieving the project goals. They help the companies to find the right partners. Furthermore, NCP´s support the company in negotiating a consortium agreement among the partners. The company can become a partner (contribution to fulfil the tasks) or the coordinator (additionally management of the consortium) of the consortium.

Consortium Agreement

This would be obligatory, except when indicated otherwise. The new provisions on intellectual property should make is easier to conclude consortium agreements.

Dissemination, Use and Access Rights

In the area of ownership, protection, publication, dissemination and use, and access rights to background and foreground the changes are:

1. removal of most of the obligations for participants to finalise conditions prior to their accession to the EC contract
2. removal of most obligations to request prior approval from the EC for publication, transfers of ownership and provision of access rights to third parties, where all other partners agree.
3. changes to definitions: “background” replaces “pre-existing know-how” and no longer includes side-ground and, as a consequence, “foreground” replaces “knowledge”.