Working group guidelines

1.Introduction

The Marie Curie Alumni Association (MCAA) is an international non-profit association, based in Brussels, aiming to promote and exploit, in the broadest sense, the full potential of the community of researchers who have benefitted in terms of mobility from the “People” programme of the 7th Framework Programme of the European Community for research, technological development and demonstration activities (2007 to 2013)1, its successors (in the future) and its predecessors (from past Framework Programmes) and to foster greater public awareness of European research.

One of MCAA’s flagship instruments to fulfil this mission are Working Groups, which can be set up on the initiative of an MCAA Member or on the initiative of a group of MCAA Members, on an activity basis.

This document provides MCAA members with guidelines for the creation and running of Working Groups, highlighting the rules and procedures to be followed for the management of key activities, in line with the conditions described in Article 10 of the Articles of Association of the MCAA [https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/statutes].

2.Working Groups

2.1Mission

The main objective of Working Groups is to act as a ‘action’ hub to focus MCAA member activity in the Working Group’s defined area of action, and to communicate about these activities back to all the MCAA members. The MCAA WGs are to be considered as an instrument of MCAA governance, and as such are expected to make a positive contribution to the association, and to take on the responsibility for achieving defined objectives and KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). The WGs are not an interest group and must have an active role in the promotion of the MCAA. The WGs must therefore justify their existence by undertaking actions (they have themselves defined, or as may be requested by the Board) and of reporting the outcomes not only to the Board, but also to all MCAA members as evidence of a thriving MCAA community. In addition, WGs should function as the voice of the MCAA on their specific topic. In that capacity, WGs should contribute to local, national and international forums on their topic and contribute to the production of policy papers where relevant.

The MCAA can also take part in public funding proposals and participate in activities which are interesting for the WG. It is expected that WGs participate not only on the proposal phase, but also in the implementation of the project (if approved).

2.2 Composition

Working Groups are composed only by MCAA members and must have at least five MCAA members to be constituted. This minimum of five MCAA members must be maintained throughout the life of the WG; any WG failing to maintain at least five MCAA members is liable to be closed by the MCAA Executive Committee. Due to the operational nature of the Working Groups, it is advisable that the number of members is limited to a maximum of 15 (unless a larger number of members can be justified for operational reasons).

WGs may include ‘guests’ (i.e. not MCAA members) if the WG so decides, to be invited to the WG meetings, but these individuals (or organisations) cannot be counted as formal WG members for reporting or voting purposes. Such guests are purely informal, have no access to the membership portal, and no legal status as any part of the MCAA.

Working Groups are invited to publish on the MCAA web-portal an announcement to invite other members to join the group. In addition, other channels at local level can be used by WG to attract other members. To integrate a WG, Marie Curie fellows not registered to the Association shall previously join the MCAA, as these groups must be only composed of Members of the Association.

Membership of a Working Group provides access to all its activities and information. It also provides the right to participate in the election of its Chair. The membership of a Working Group is free, and thus shall not be conditioned to a financial contribution.

In the beginning of a year of activities (September) the Board schedules a meeting with the Chairs to deliver a training on how to run a WG. This training is delivered with the support of the Contractor team via GoToMeeting.

2.3 Powers and obligations

Working Groups shall have the following powers and obligations:

- The management of the Working Group activities
- The election of its Chair
- The preparation of an Annual Plan of Activities to be submitted for the approval of the MCAA Executive Committee before the start of each WG Year. The plan of activities should run from 1st September to 31st August, so expenses can be claimed before the end of the contractual year with the European Commission. The MCAA Executive Committee can approve or reject action items proposed by the WG. In other words, the approval of the WG does not by default mean that all the action items mentioned in the Annual Plan of Activities have been approved.
- The preparation of a Mid Term Report on activities and accounts that must be submitted to the MCAA Executive Committee on 28th February an Annual Report on 31st August. These reports must include a summary of activities undertaken, and the budget overview (money spent and received in relation to the reported activities). It is recommended that part of this report should take the form of a ‘rolling’ action list setting out specific tasks/actions with responsibilities and deadlines, and indicating the status of each action (e.g. planned, in-hand, postponed, completed, etc.); this is a useful means for all concerned to gain an overview of past, current, and future WG activity;
- The preparation and organisation of the meetings and events of the working group; as well as the implementation of activities/initiatives as requested by the MCAA Board and/or Executive Committee. The WG should organise at least one meeting, or similar cooperative action, every three months. These events can be both live and online.
- The publication, at least quarterly, of an informal publication on WG activities that allows anyone interested (i.e. not only WG members, but also other MCAA members, and even outside parties) to learn about the activities of the WG. This informal ‘promotional’ publication can be diffused by various means, at the choice of the WG: e.g. WG newsletter, article in MCAA Newsletter, News items on the MCAA web-site, open forum, or blog on MCAA web-site, etc.

2.4 Period of Activities

The annual period of activities of the WG is referred to as the “WG Year”, and it begins on 1st September and ends on 31st August. The Annual Plan of Activities should cover the time between that start and end dates for the specific year. When a new WG is formed, the first Annual Plan of Activities will cover the period from the WG founding until the end date of that WG Year.

2.5 Elections for Chairs of WG

Elections for Chair shall be convened, every two years in the last two months of the WG Year.

The Contractor will invite members of the WG to come forward as candidates for the Chair position via electronic mail at least two months before the election date. The Contractor will set-up a poll for the elections (list of candidates and time-frame) and will send the result of the election to all members of the WG, and the MCAA, via electronic e-mail, within five calendar days following the date of the election. The newly elected WG Chair will begin his or her mandate on the start date of the upcoming WG Year.

For smaller WGs (up to 10 members), the elections can take place on site, during a face-to-face meeting. The members who cannot attend the meeting in person can give a proxy to another member (the proxies should be sent to the Contractor – contact@mariecuriealumni.eu). In this case, Minutes of the meeting with the results of the election have to be sent to the Contractor - contact@mariecuriealumni.eu and the Board - board@mariecuriealumni.eu.

In case of resignation/withdrawal of the Chair, and after decision by the Executive Committee, the Contractor invites the members of the WG to come forward as candidates as mentioned above.

In these cases, the mandate of the newly elected Chair begins with immediate effect and will last at least 14 consecutive months. A new election will be triggered at the end of WG Year in which the 15th month of the mandate occurs. Months will be counted starting from the first full calendar month after the mandate begins.

The previous Chair should introduce the new Chair to the MCAA, and his/her responsibilities as a Chair!

2.6 Meetings

Each Working Group should organise at least one meeting or a similar cooperative action every six months, where all members are invited to attend. These events can be organised as face-to-face and/or as on-line meetings2. It is proposed to hold meetings should occur near the start and end of the WG Year, respectively, with the aim to:

The management of the Working Group activities

- Define the strategy and annual programme of activities of the Working Group
- Present and report the progress and results of activities of the Working Group to members

An invitation letter to these meetings shall be sent by the Chair of the Working Group to each Member, and to the MCAA, by electronic mail, indicating the date, time, place (if applicable) and agenda, at least fifteen (15) clear working days before the date set for the meetings. After the meeting takes place, minutes shall be drawn up describing the main resolutions agreed and included on the Mid-Term Report and Annual Report of Activities. As the MCAA is a volunteer organization, the activities should be performed at a time when most of the members can join, i.e. preferably weekends, holidays (if it’s a full day event), and after working hours.

In addition, Working Groups may organise additional meetings to discuss and agree on the activities of the Working Group. The frequency of the meetings may depend on how many activities or events are planned for the year.

The MCAA encourages the Chair of the WG to propose a calendar of meetings planned, at the beginning of the annual period of activities, and to communicate it to all the WG Members, to the Contractor - contact@mariecuriealumni.eu and to the Board - board@mariecuriealumni.eu.

It is recommended to include local Chapter members in the meeting to make synergy between Chapters and Working Group.

2.7 Quorums and voting procedures

Quorum for meetings and for voting procedures shall be a minimum of five MCAA members of the Working Group. All Working Group MCAA members have the right to take part in voting processes, based on one vote each. ‘Guests’ of WGs (i.e. those who are not MCAA members) are not entitled to vote in WG elections and may not stand for election as WG Chair.

2.8 Budget

Budget cannot be attributed retroactively, and all costs must be justified. The budget allocated for a WG Year must be executed within that WG Year. The WG Chair must receive approval from the Executive Committee for an increase in WG budget. The WG Chair should also inform the Executive Committee when he or she thinks that some or all of the WG budget will go unspent in that WG Year.

Financial support to WG can be provided in the form of reimbursement of expenses, or as a direct advance payment for specific activities and expenditures (e.g. rental of room). Direct advance payments are made directly from MCAA to the person of company in question after submission of an invoice and direct payment form[1] by the WG Chair. Travel expenses will not be paid in advance and can only be reimbursed.

The Annual Plan of Activities of WG should include a clear division of money, expected reallocation strategies and how to improve the resources mobilisation, so they have a bigger impact for the MCAA. The activities presented in the Annual Plan of Activities should benefit a large number of people, thus offering advantages for the entire MCAA membership as well as external entities in the case of outreach activities. Activities that benefit individuals should not be part of the WG budget (e.g., travel to conferences or training for individuals, publishing or training costs for individuals).

WG Chairs can allocate budget for WG members to travel to WG meetings. For travel to other events run by the WG, Chairs can request the reservation of Micro Grants from the Executive Committee for that event. Budget for individual purposes can be supported by the existing Micro Travel, Micro Media and/or Micro One World Grants.

Reimbursements

3.1 Eligible Expenses

Travel

The following rules apply:

1. Travel by air: Every effort will be made to find the most economic option. Wherever possible, ‘budget’ airlines should be used, provided the destination airport does not incur additional access costs (e.g. because further away from the actual destination, and the additional ground-transport cost exceeds the difference in the air-ticket price). All tickets will be ‘economy class’ or equivalent; any exception to this rule must be formally justified and accepted in advance of the ticket purchase. Charges for excess baggage, priority boarding and similar ‘supplements’ are not covered.
2. Travel by car: this will be avoided as it is often an expensive and environmentally irresponsible manner of travelling. Exceptions will be made where there is no feasible alternative, or where several individuals can travel together, thereby achieving a significantly lower cost than would be the case for several separate trips (e.g. by public transport). Car travel is limited to a maximum of 1000km for the entire return journey. Car travel expenses will be calculated at €0.22 per kilometre: proof of distance travelled must be provided (e.g. print-out from ViaMichelin, Google Maps, or another reputable on-line route planner). Costs related to parking, tolls (bridges, motorways, etc.), fuel costs, insurance supplements, car-rental charges, road-side repairs/recovery, parking fines, speeding fines, etc.) are not eligible for reimbursement. Car-sharing is allowed, since it is often a cheaper alternative.
3. Travel by train and/or long-distance coach: every effort will be made to find the most economic option. All tickets will be ‘economy class’ or equivalent; business or first-class travel is not accepted. Supplements for fast trains and/or sleepers are acceptable expenses. Charges for baggage, and similar optional ‘supplements’ are not covered, unless these have been formally justified and approved in advance (e.g. transport of exhibition materials).
4. Local public transport: mass transport (bus, tram, metro, etc.) should be preferred, and will be reimbursed at cost on production of official receipts. The use of other private transport should be avoided unless no viable alternative is available and duly justified.
5. Taxi transport: is not reimbursed, except in exceptional circumstances (if they are justified), such as:
- In cases where no viable public transport alternative is available, and this is duly justified/documented
- In cases where very early (before 06h30 am) or late (after 11h00 pm) arrival or departure is involved
- In cases of force majeure (e.g. public transport services unexpectedly closed due to strikes or terrorism)

Any taxi travel must be fully justified, evidenced by an official receipt showing date and time of travel and trip details, and not exceeding a maximum of €80 for the entire return trip for the activity.

Accommodation

The choice of accommodation should be made with the objective of ‘reasonable economy’. Basic but decent accommodation should be sought at the best possible price. WG members are not expected to stay in ‘flea pits’ but should avoid ‘luxury’ hotels’. As prices and ‘star-ratings’ vary immensely by destination and season, it is not possible to set ‘hard’ rules in this way. In very general terms, mid-range hotels (e.g. 2-star to 4-star) should be sought.

3.2 Reimbursement

Members are expected to pay their own costs and to claim reimbursement after the meeting/event takes place no later than 30 calendar days after the final day of the meeting/event. Chairs should bear in mind that for activities held in August, the reimbursement request should be submitted until 31st August, so there’s enough time to close the accounts before the end of the Contractual period with the European Commission.

Reimbursement payments

To be reimbursed for expenses incurred, the WG member shall fill-in the Reimbursement Request Form via the web portal, describing the activity implemented, and attaching the required documents – an electronic version of the documents is enough.

Reimbursement Request Form: https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/form/reimbursement-request-form

Direct advance payments

In case an advance payment to support the execution of an activity is agreed between the WG and the MCAA, the WG shall fill-in the Direct Payment Request via the web portal, describing the activity to which the expenses relate, and attaching the documents proving the amount requested. The entity/company providing the service will have to issue an invoice to the MCAA, with the following information:

Marie Curie Alumni Association

Att: (insert name of the WG)

Avenue des Arts, 24

B-1000 Brussels

VAT: BE 0548.914.288

Direct Payment Request: https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/form/direct-payment-request

The member submitting the reimbursement request/direct payment and the WG Chair can follow the status of his request through the web portal.

All calculations will be in euro and are final. In case expenses are incurred in a currency other than euro, costs shall be converted using the following currency converter:

http://ec.europa.eu/budget/contracts_grants/info_contracts/inforeuro/index_en.cfm

No payment will be processed, unless the required documents are provided.  Scanned copies of all tickets, receipts, boarding cards, hotel invoices, route declarations, etc. must be provided.  Invoices should be made out to the name of the member concerned, and not to their organisation of employment or to any other name or organisation.

NB: Although original (paper) documents are not required to be submitted at the time of the reimbursement request, members are required to keep them for a period of at least five years, as the MCAA and/or the EC may, at any occasion, ask for them for auditing purposes.  Any member unable or unwilling to keep the documents for this period of time is invited to send them to the MCAA head office: c/o INOVA+, at 24 Avenue des Arts, B 1000 Brussels, Belgium.

Payments of expenses will be made by MCAA within 20 days from the date of reception of all documents required, and only through a bank transfer to an account held in by one of the members of the WG.  Bank transfer to accounts held in the name of non-members must be duly justified by the Chair of the WG. Proof of payment will be sent, by e-mail, to the member making the request and the Chair of the WG as soon as it is made.

NOTE: As specified by the European Commission rules, “any banking fees charged for money transfers or for currency exchanges or for any other similar reason shall be deducted from the sum to be paid to the members who receive the payment”. i.e. the MCAA cannot use money from the EC to cover any such financial charges and cannot increase any claim/grant to cover such costs, so Working Group members are advised to check with their bank in advance and to choose a payment channel that minimises any such ‘banking fees’.

Insurance

As members are not legally employees of the MCAA, but working on a volunteer basis, the WG will not pay any form of remuneration to members and provides no insurance cover for accidents that might happen while the member is travelling to and from an MCAA event.  Members are thus advised to ensure that they have adequate insurance (e.g. personal insurance, cover by their current employer, cover through credit card purchase of tickets, etc.) that would cover any such accident.  This is of particular importance for any member using a private vehicle as part of their travel arrangements.

It is also worth noting that members will not be reimbursed for any cancellation due to any reasons (including the reasons which is beyond the control of the members such as Visa). That is why it is important to have travel cancellation insurance.

For more information please contact: contact@mariecuriealumni.eu