Focus on the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts
Xavier Priem
Director CELTIC Office
CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts are central and instrumental to CELTIC’s success since its inception in 2003. They are at the core of CELTIC’s SRIA, Labelling Evaluations, Projects’ Evaluations, and Reputation. Without them, there would be no CELTIC, CELTIC-PLUS, or CELTIC-NEXT programmes! They are the CELTIC Experts!
Please allow us to offer more insight into their group in CELTIC-NEXT, including their tasks and the impact they have on your projects.
Purpose of the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts (GoE)
The Group of Experts (GoE) is responsible for assessing project proposals and participating in CELTIC project reviews. The GoE includes several sub-groups dedicated to specific technical areas. Core group members nominate individuals for the GoE, and an expert presides over each GoE meeting.
Composition of the GoE
The CELTIC-NEXT Core Group has established a permanent CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts, which has delegated responsibilities and carries out specific tasks. The CELTIC-NEXT Core Group determines the working rules for the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts. The number of members and the composition of the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts are agreed upon by the CELTIC-NEXT Core Group. The CELTIC-NEXT Core Group may decide to replace a member in the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts if such a member becomes an Affiliate to another Participant with a representative in the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts, or to a company not resident in Europe, or if the criteria for their membership no longer apply, or to appoint additional members.
Labelling and recommending funding
After evaluation by the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts, the CELTIC-NEXT Core Group, in agreement with the involved Public Authorities (PAs), decides whether to grant a label, hereinafter called the “CELTIC-NEXT Label”, to the proposed Project. The CELTIC-NEXT Label confirms that the CELTIC-NEXT Organisation considers the proposed Project aligned with the Programme’s goals and that the applying organisations are eligible to participate as Participants in the Programme. It also confirms that the CELTIC-NEXT Organisation recommends the Project for public funding. The CELTIC-NEXT Project Proposal is the fundamental technical document submitted for funding applications to the respective PAs. The final decision on funding rests with the respective PAs.
Responsibilities of the GoE
The CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts is a delegated responsibility by the CELTIC-NEXT Core Group for all decisions regarding the selection and monitoring of projects. Unless otherwise determined by the CELTIC-NEXT Core Group, the CELTIC-NEXT Group of Experts carries out the following tasks:
› Developing, updating, and implementing guidelines for the selection and ranking of technical projects.
› Making recommendations on giving the CELTIC-NEXT Label to project proposals and funding outlook by PAs.
› Making recommendations in case of major Project change requests.
› Participating in mid-term reviews and giving recommendations to achieve better project outcomes (see Figure 1).
› Participating in final reviews, assessing project outcomes and results, and providing further recommendations on further exploitation and potential follow-up projects.
› Advising the CELTIC-NEXT Core Group on all relevant issues.
Figure 1: The positive effect of CELTIC-NEXT’s Experts’ recommendations at mid-term reviews