Managing an ERC grant or how to prevent a research dream to

become an administrative nightmare

Barcelona, 20 December 2016

Victoria Reyes-García

ICREA Research Professor

Institut de Ciència i Tecnologia Ambientals

Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

Spain

LEK

(FP7-261971)

ERC Grants are high-risk, by definition

The LEK ERC-project and its challenges

Management lessons learned

Outline

= unconventional methods

and approaches

ERC Grants are high-risk, by definition

The LEK ERC-project and its challenges

Management lessons learned

Outline

The problem

Local knowledge systems supposedly provide a basis for

adaptive strategies, but are eroding worldwide.

Reyes-García, et al.

EHB, 2012

The adaptive nature of culture

We studied LEK systems in three indigenous, subsistence-based

societies with relatively little (albeit increasing and uneven)

involvement in market economies, school-based education, or

modern health care systems.

The main focus

The project addressed 1) the generation and transmission, 2) the

distribution, and 3) the use of LEK in the three studied societies.

Focus Groups

Participant observation Productivity measures

Anthropometric measures

18 months of in-depth fieldwork

LEK tests

Structured interviews

Collaboration with communities and local institutions in

research at different levels:

Alliances with local

organizations & Univ.

FPIC

Community agreements

Local norms

Engaging with local actors

What I had not foreseen. A laundry list

Different rules in ERC and UAB• Ex: 3 vs. 4 years PhD contract

• Ex: Competitive salaries and per diems

Management challenges of cross-cultural research• Getting visas, sending money to other countries,

• health hazards

Lack of adequate administrative support• Staff unaware of ERC rules (what are eligible costs)

• Loyalty to UAB internal rules over ERC flexibility

• Some UAB rules not adequate to unconventional

approaches

• No preparation/follow up meetings

• Inadequate training “si escrius tu el missatge millor, el

meu angles es molt dolent”

What I had not foreseen. A laundry list

Understanding local conditions• Ex: people waiting in the field, no money

• How to report expenses

Difficult communication with HI personnel• Who is in charge?

• I don’t know how to do it, so I don’t do it (and don’t

report the problem!)

The value of an ERC grant is not necessarily

acknowledged through the administrative line• ‘Ens dones massa feina’

• Ex: delays in submitting final financial report

ERC Grants are high-risk, by definition

The LEK ERC-project and its challenges

Management lessons learned• Preparation

• Negotiation

• Implementation

• Closing the grant

Outline

The management challenge• Identify the challenging aspects &

• Discuss them with the host institution

• Keep in the proposal only feasible actions

Be prepared, anticipate• Obtain commitments (HI & others) i.e., personnel, offices,

• Prepare your IRB

• Data Management Plan (including personal data)

• Learn about HI hiring procedures and timings

Preparation

Negotiation

Adjustments• Are they feasible?

• Be aware of any budget adjustments (ERCEA & HI)

Grant Agreement• Portability of grants

• Working time commitments/contractual conditions

• Minimum administrative support

Supplementary Agreement• the HI commits to accord sufficient support

• & scientific independence to PI

Negotiation

Your negotiating power

(with your HI) is highest

BEFORE you sign

Just after signing• Start working on logistical/management issues

• Meet again with HI grant manager. • Establish responsibilities

• Set up a calendar

Through the grant• Do not guess: ask (HI and PO at ERC)

• Report problems & discuss solutions

• Keep records (e-mails, minutes, etc)

The Manual• Spell out administrative issues for team members

Implementation & Management. General

http://icta.uab.cat/etnoecologia/lek

ERC has more flexibility than other grants• Budget shifts are possible

• PI has control over budget

How to spend money• ERC rules: Do not assume HI staff will know them

• HI rules: how to avoid they constraint research?

Monitoring• Periodic meetings with HI managers/accountant

• Budget reports and budget forecasting

Implementation & Management. Financial

PI is responsible from hiring decisions• But has to follow HI rules (hiring, paying, salary cuts)

• Do you need a training period? Can it be done?

Disruptions• Leaves (maternity, paternity, sick) and drop out WILL

occur. Plan for them!!

Implementation & Management. Personnel

Reporting responsibilities• Financial

• Scientific

At the host institution• Accountability for equipment

• Retention of data

Keeping the records for future audits

Closing the grant

Anticipate management challenges

Prepare/negotiate BEFORE signing the grant

Remember ERC grants are portable

In sum

Do not underestimate management issues, but do

not allow management issues to compromise

science

Do local knowledge systems enhance

human adaptive strategies?

The finding

Local ecological knowledge: hunting knowledge, medicinal plant

knowledge, wild edible knowledge

Nutritional status: anthropometric measures

Sharing

Sharing seems to attenuate the strength of the relation

between LEK and nutritional status

Both local knowledge and the outputs obtained thereof are widely shared within

these societies. This sharing is possibly what is equipping these same societies

their adaptive capacity

LEK

(FP7-261971)

Thank you!

http://icta.uab.cat/Etnoecologia/LEK

The LEKipo The Punan

The Tsimane’

The Baka