The governance structure of the Joint Action consists of the following bodies:
The Steering Council (SC) deals with the strategic implementation of the eHAction and focuses on the final preparations of eHN meetings with regards to contents. The SC is chaired by the Action Coordinator and is composed of all nominated entities and their affiliated entities. The SC will be supported by the Coordination Secretariat (CS).
The SC meets on a quarterly basis (every 3 months) – twice F2F plus twice by Tcon. In addition, informal meetings (twice a year) are to be arranged in order to debrief project partners on eHN meeting outcomes. These activities are important for proper preparation and follow-up of eHN meetings and to move forward quickly and in accordance with the needs of the eHN.
The Leadership Council (LC) is responsible for aligning and coordinating the ongoing work across all WPs through a continuous assessment of inputs and emerging results. It is composed of all WP leaders and co-leaders and is chaired by the Coordinator. LC is also responsible for preparing proposals for SC as well as carrying out executive decisions, i.e., actions that do not require SC approval. LC works closely with Risk Management and Quality Management. The WPLs themselves are responsible for leading (or co-leading) their WP and the respective Tasks in accordance with the objectives in this proposal.
The LC will meet F2F twice a year, on the following day of the eHN meeting and regularly once a month by Tcon. Additional communication is to be done by email or Tcon.
The Action Coordinator (AC) ensures a close strategic alignment between the two eHN co-chairs, particularly when it comes to the preparation of the eHN’s meeting agendas. The AC ensures appropriate and endorsed contact between the consortium and the European Commission (EC) services and will oversee liaison with the eHN particularly through the eHN secretariat. The AC represents the partners in all formal relationships with the EC and the eHDSI Governance bodies. The AC chairs meetings of the SC and the LC. The AC is supported by a Project Management Team in charge of daily management of the Action, including organisational and financial issues. The Project Management Team, together with the LC, supports the AC with a proper project steering and its technical and organisational implementation.
The administrative support of the Action will be carried out by the Coordination Secretariat (CS) established at the premises of the Coordinator. The CS team is in charge of carrying out secretarial support with financial and administrative matters as well as dealing with communication and legal matters.
The CS also liaises with the EC services on all project administrative issues and deals with all relevant reports towards the EC. The CS is also in close contact with the eHN secretariat. The technical execution of the project is followed and monitored by the CS based on reporting sheets delivered regularly by relevant partners. Furthermore, the CS is in charge of secretariat’s activities, organization and logistics of meetings, workshops and other corresponding events. The CS thereby assists WP1 and also WP2 with all kinds of communication activities as well as the organisation and maintenance of the project’s collaborating platform(s) availability for the project participants.
For this JA it is of utmost importance that all aspects of dissemination and communication are very well articulated. To have strong marketing, WP1 and WP2 will be very connected through the CS team. The CS ensures a strong interconnection among all relevant groups of eHealth stakeholders guaranteeing their access to information and promoting their active role on direct and reliable dialogue with different tasks of the project. The SC further deals with proper steering of the communication to all partners and eHealth stakeholders involved.
All core Work Packages have a Leader and a Co-Leader. Both are co-responsible for leading the WP and their respective Tasks accordingly to the objective and description of work in this proposal. For e.g., if a WP has 4 Tasks, each WPL will also be responsible for 2 Tasks. Both coordinate the work in close cooperation, supporting each other, making decisions and being able to substitute each other if needed in meetings.
The Quality Management (QM) is responsible for establishing and following a proper process of Quality Assurance of Deliverables. This process aims to ensure a structured mechanism for the elaboration of the project’s deliverables and its professional review before the documents will reach the main target group, i.e. the eHN. The QM is delivered by the AC.
Risk Management (RM) is responsible for guarantee the process of Risk Assessment. Through a defined process, risks need to be systematically identified, assessed, planned and mitigation measures implemented. Threats and planned responses will be communicated inside and outside the Action. Risks are monitored and managed at all levels throughout the project.
The Risk management is not responsible for issue management.
The overall governance structure is depicted below:
