The BESTPRAC group was established in 2014 as part of a targeted COST network that brings together the administrative, financial and legal staff of scientific institutions and universities carrying out research projects (most of which are funded by the European Union). The mission of this new group is to strengthen collaboration, share knowledge and further promote progress in the field of research management.
The third meeting of the BESTPRAC core group took place on October 14 and 15 in Lyon and served to exchange best practices between administrative staff supporting research projects. During the meetings, all participants had the opportunity to learn more about financial issues related to EU grants as well as issues related to the preparation and management of research projects co-funded by EU grants.
Representatives of the Project Support Center of the Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries also attended the meeting. During the meeting, the new members of the BESTPRAC core group were also introduced: Parera (Chair, ISGlobal, Barcelona), Primož Petek (Vice Chair, Slovenian Forest Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia), Cláudia Barbosa (Head of WG1, Instituto de Telecomunicações, Portugal), Katarina Božanić Sviličić (Head of WG2, Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Split, Croatia) and Begüm Özcan (Communications Manager, Koç Üniversitesi, Istanbul, Turkey).
Since 2019, BESTPRAC has been part of EARMA (European Association of Research Managers and Administrators), which connects research funding organizations and scientific communities, bridges cultural and legal differences between countries and between academia and industry, and thus contributes to a simpler administration of research projects.
