2.3 Network Management Board, 4-5 September, Roskilde (Denmark)

Thomas P. Boje,  Roskilde University (Denmark)

The Network Management Board

In his opening of the meeting Thomas Boje recapitulated that the Network Management Board (NMB) is the decision-making organ of the CINEFOGO Network. Thus NMB is responsible for the overall coordination of the Network's activities, scientific as well as administrative. The members of NMB are prof., dr. Thomas Boje (Denmark), chairman of the board and CINEFOGO's international coordinator, prof., dr. Paul Dekker (the Netherlands), prof., dr. Zinka Kolaric (Bulgaria), and prof., dr. Anne Kovalainen (Finland), and assoc. prof., PhD Lars Hulgaard. However, Lars Hulgaard did not attend the meeting, since he has got a new position at Roskilde University as Chair of The Department of Psychology and Educational Studies. Against this background Lars Hulgaard has to leave all administrative duties at the CINEFOGO Network.

Overview of main structure and timetable of the CINEFOGO Network

Firstly, the NMB went through and commented on the first draft of the '12 Month Interim Activity Report' (M0-11). In general, the activity level in CINEFOGO WPs has been satisfying. After 12 months, 21 of 23 WPs are active and the majority of milestones and goals have been achieved. Next, Thomas Boje briefly outlined the draft first year financial report, that was based on incoming contributions from WP responsibles. Further, Thomas Boje then presented a plan for the second  18 month period (i.e. month 12 - 29) and a budget for the next financial year. The activities in this second period include extension of some work packages already begun in the first period (M0-17), and entitled with new funding - as well as new work packages. A call for new activities for the third period will be made in the spring 2007, and should be finally approved by the Network Council meeting in June 2007.

Organizational matters

The NMB agreed that there is a need for extensive knowledge undertaken on develop-ing the Spread of Excellence (SoE) activities (cf. WP 6). The structural platform forming the link between CINEFOGO research network and CINEFOGO spread of excellence network is an essential part of the Network's overall goal. The NMB encouraged the SoE coordinator to address and direct all communication related to SoE activities to the WP responsible. NMB found it important that adequate knowledge dissemination structures are in place before the major activities take place in the second half of 2007. Thomas Boje informed that the CINEFOGO Newsletter shall be published twice a year and that the Newsletter editor in the future will work closely with the SoE secretariat at CESES, Charles University in Prague.

Returning to the Network Management Board Thomas Boje repeated that Lars Hulgaard would not be able to continue his obligations in NMB due to his new position at Roskilde University. - Thomas Boje declared that he would accept to continue charing the Network Management Board if the NMB would support him. The NMB unanimously agreed to do so. Persons to replace Lars Hulgaard as member of NMB and as national coordinator for Denmark will be found. - The Board's work is facilitated by the CINEFOGO secretariat, headed by the managing director, Inger Vibeke Dorph.

NBM discussed two issues related to the question of new partners: criteria for adopt-ing new academic members from existing partner institutions, and inclusion new part-ners. Finally, NMB addressed the PhD activities. It was emphasized that PhD activi-ties are seen as one of CINEFOGO's key activities in integrating the European research area. Thus the work package "Giving support to postgraduate students" (WP 22 ) has been extended. Other PhD oriented activities are: A website (Euro Students' Corner), a PhD workshop on European Civil Society (Münster, May 2007) and Summer schools (June 2007 in Roskilde on social capital, and in 2008 on social entrepreneurship).

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The full text of minutes of the NMB meeting