Projects

Submission of project proposals for OSPAR’s Consideration

OSPAR welcomes the submission of project proposals. Priority will be given to those projects which best address OSPAR needs. At all times, the OSPAR Secretariat will follow OSPAR’s Data and Information Policy for this application and review process. There are five different ways for OSPAR to be engaged in external projects:

Providing a letter of support to a project;
Participating in a project’s Advisory Board or Steering Committee;
Being an associate partner (i.e., no financial implications for OSPAR) in a project;
Being an implementing partner (i.e., with financial/resource implications for OSPAR) in a project; or
Being the project coordinator.

For project submissions, the application and review process is as follows:

Project coordinators should complete the relevant sections of the request form and send it to the OSPAR Secretariat (secretariat[at]ospar.org) as soon as possible. The level of information needed will depend on the level of OSPAR engagement being sought. The Secretariat will require at least 4 weeks to consider any requests;
The OSPAR Secretariat will do a pre-screening of the information received to ensure that the request is complete and, where necessary, seek input from the relevant Chair or Vice-Chair / Co-convenors. A decision to support a request for support will be based on the criteria outlined in the section below;
Once OSPAR’s participation in projects has been agreed, the specific steps in the process for each level of OSPAR engagement are outlined in the section below.

Please note that, if requests are accepted, project coordinators are expected to provide relevant updates about the implementation of their project and may be invited to present their projects at a relevant OSPAR meeting. The OSPAR Secretariat, together with the Committee Chair and Group Co-convenors, will ensure that the relevant OSPAR Subsidiary Bodies are aware of OSPAR’s support to the project.

Criteria and Selection Process for OSPAR’s Engagement in External Projects

OSPAR’s participation in projects will be assessed according to the following selection criteria (in no particular order of importance). Requests for OSPAR engagement will be treated on a first come, first served basis. If necessary, the Secretariat will consult OSPAR Heads of Delegation in written procedure.

Selection criteria

Engagement with OSPAR during the proposal phase

Has the project proposal been received early enough to allow for internal OSPAR review and consideration?
Have the project coordinators engaged with OSPAR Secretariat and/or OSPAR subsidiary bodies?

Alignment with and support of OSPAR’s policies

Does the project support the OSPAR North-East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030 and the implementation of its Strategic and Operational Objectives?
Does the project address science needs and/or knowledge gaps identified in the OSPAR Science Agenda?
Does the project focus on specific OSPAR work areas and/or regions where particular needs have been identified or where particular topics have long been lacking targeted resources to progress?
Does the project also contribute to meeting international marine policy requirements (e.g., EU requirements particularly the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity), or the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
Does the project align with OSPAR timelines for delivery of products, e.g., JAMP products, QSR/IA assessments?

Geographical scope and representativity

Does the project cover the OSPAR region adequately and involve an adequate number of OSPAR Contracting Parties?
Does the project have an interregional scope and/or specific aim to help implement global marine policy objectives?

Project Engagement

Does the project commit to providing updates on development of project deliverables to relevant OSPAR subsidiary bodies according to the OSPAR meeting schedule with the aim of receiving and taking up any feedback given by the OSPAR subsidiary body?

Does the project engage stakeholders of relevance to OSPAR work that can support OSPAR needs?

For projects where OSPAR is being invited to be an implementing partner or project coordinator:

Administrative and financial implications

The level of OSPAR engagement is expected?
The level of assistance required from the OSPAR Secretariat for the: a) preparation; b) implementation; and c) post-project phases?
In the case of a participation of OSPAR in the implementation of the project, are additional project management support posts planned?

Specific steps for each level of OSPAR engagement in projects

Once OSPAR’s participation in projects has been agreed, the specific steps in the process for each level of OSPAR engagement are as follows:

Levels of OSPAR Engagement in Projects

(in increasing level of engagement)

Steps for when Requests are Approved

Letter of support to a project

If the request is approved:

The OSPAR Executive Secretary will sign a letter of support for the project.

Please note that the OSPAR Secretariat will not provide letters of support at very short notice (less than 4 weeks) or where no previous engagement with the Secretariat on the project’s development has taken place.

Participation in a project’s Advisory Board or Steering Committee

If the request is approved:

The OSPAR Secretariat, with support from the relevant OSPAR body, will nominate a relevant OSPAR expert who will participate in the project’s Advisory Board or Steering Committee. This person can be from an OSPAR Contracting Party or from the OSPAR Secretariat.

Associate partner in the project

(i.e., no financial implication for OSPAR)

If the request is approved:

The OSPAR Secretariat, with support from the relevant OSPAR body, will nominate a relevant OSPAR expert, or group of OSPAR experts, from OSPAR Contracting Parties who will be the project partner(s) for OSPAR; and
The OSPAR Secretariat will have some capacity to help with the coordination of the project proposal and, if successful, some capacity to assist with the administration of the project in which OSPAR is involved. However, the OSPAR Secretariat has a very limited support capacity.

Please note that, if OSPAR’s participation in a project is not approved, a letter of support could be considered as an alternative.

Implementating partner in the project

(i.e., with financial implication for OSPAR)

If the request is approved:

OSPAR Heads of Delegation will be invited to approve the participation of OSPAR in the implementation of the project in written procedure (2 weeks’ review) as there is a financial implication for the OSPAR Secretariat;

The OSPAR Secretariat, with support from the relevant OSPAR body, will nominate a relevant OSPAR expert, or group of OSPAR experts, from OSPAR Contracting Parties who will be the implementing partner(s) for OSPAR; and
The OSPAR Secretariat will have some capacity to help with the coordination of the project proposal and, if successful, some capacity to assist with the administration of the project in which OSPAR is involved. However, as the OSPAR Secretariat has a very limited support capacity, additional project management support posts should be included in the project proposal.

Please note that, if OSPAR’s participation in a project is not approved, a letter of support could be considered as an alternative.

Project coordinator

Please note that the active participation of OSPAR experts will be required to suggest, co-design and co-develop relevant project proposals where OSPAR is the project coordinator (see section E on the OSPAR guidance for developing project proposals).

If the request is approved:

OSPAR Heads of Delegation will be invited to approve the participation of OSPAR as project coordinator in written procedure (2 weeks’ review) as there is a financial implication for the OSPAR Secretariat; and