General rules for evaluation of projects by internal ERA Committees

 The SAB must evaluate the project submitted, by means of a specific form, by ERA Committees taking into consideration the following parameters:

• Project description and objectives/outcomes (impact on clinical practice must be also clearly outlined)
• Feasibility and expertise of the participants/investigators
• A clear timeline (beginning, development, end)
• Costs (if applicable) with detailed budget forecast
• If the project involves international partners/centres
• Quality control (for medical surveys only)
• If the main outcome results have the potential to improve the visibility of the ERA’s Body and the Association.

1. The SAB is in charge of verifying the feasibility of the project itself. For this purpose, and when this is necessary, the SAB must receive all the approvals and documentation regarding the feasibility of the project, together with the application, including the eventual approvals by the appropriate ethics committees, etc.

2. Each project is evaluated with an appropriate evaluation form [link] and scored according to the following: 1 being poor – 5 being excellent.

A threshold for projects/initiatives approval has been defined as in the following:

Score < 3: negative evaluation of the project (the SAB suggest not to approve)

Score between 3 and 4: further discussion/additional material needed (the applicant needs to send additional requested material/information or reply to the comments/questions asked by the SAB)

Score >4: positive evaluation of the project (the SAB suggest to approve).

3. Applicants can send to the ERA HQ projects/initiatives to be evaluated by the SAB (submission) from the 1st to the 15th of each month. The SAB evaluate projects/initiatives submitted in the first half of the same month (evaluation) from the 16th to the end of each month.

4. The SAB Chair and Vice-Chair, on behalf of SAB, are also in charge of evaluating the reports of the ongoing ERA research projects that must be sent every six months (semestral reports) from a scientific point of view (the financial evaluation will instead be done by the ERA HQ): the evaluations must then be submitted to the Council for final approval.

5. Only in case of problems, or for new projects, upon invitation done by the ERA Secretary-Treasurer on behalf of the ERA President and thus the Council, the Principal Investigator of these granted projects will be invited to participate in a Council meeting to give an annual report. In general, however, it will be the SAB Chair and/or Vice-Chair that will make these presentations on behalf of the Principal Investigator of all granted projects.

Last update: July 2022