Quality assurance and monitoring

Work package type: Quality Plan

Reference number: 3

The objective of WP3 is to ensure systematic monitoring and evaluation of the project’s activities to maximize the probability that the project will deliver its planned outputs and achieve its intended outcomes.

In order to achieve this, a comprehensive quality plan will be developed to establish standards, define objectively verifiable indicators, and describe the means of verification, including internal and external ‘customer’ evaluations. WP3 will be overseen by members of the Steering Committee (WP2), but will be further supported by external and independent representatives.

Internal evaluation will be informed by partners’ verbal and written evaluations of the project’s events, activities and outputs. External evaluation will be informed by the written annual reports of an Independent Evaluator from the field who will consider all WP. This external evaluator will receive all project plans and outputs. Reports in years 1 and 2 of the project will be used to identify and rectify any shortcomings in the performance of the project, while year 3 reports will be included in the project final report (WP2). Attendees of project events and activities, both internal and (if any) external to the project, will be asked to complete participant surveys.  The project’s quality plan will develop standard reporting templates for individual WPs. WP Leaders will be required to submit reports to the Project Coordinator on a quarterly basis (from month 6), reporting against indicators, as well as providing records of input/expenditure attributable to the project in line with EU financial guidelines. 

A progress survey (following on from the baseline survey conducted in WP1) and focusing on the same research and innovative capacities index and indices will be undertaken in the latter stages of the project to provide the project and its partners with an indicator of overall progress against the project objectives / outcomes.

The involvement of EU programme country partners will add value due to their extensive experience of research quality management. The involvement of all EU and Asia HEIs in quality management will help to fertilize knowledge transfer in effective quality practices.

Tasks:

3.1 Convene quality board: A quality board will be established and meet to ensure systematic monitoring and evaluation of the project’s activities to maximize the probability that the project will deliver its planned outputs and achieve its intended outcomes. The quality board will be a subcommittee of the steering committee and comprise members of the project steering committee, but further supported by representatives of the Associate Partners, and external and independent representatives. The quality board will be chaired by P6 and meet in accordance with the schedule of meetings for the steering committee. The first meeting will be used to refine and finalise the quality plan that has been drafted in the preparation of this proposal. Subsequent meetings will review quarterly WP reports against the quality plan, and also consider the results of internal and external evaluations.  

A draft quality plan has been prepared to ensure systematic monitoring and evaluation of the project activities, and thereby to maximize the probability that the project will deliver its planned outputs and achieve its intended outcomes. The quality plan will be coordinated jointly by P2 and P15 (WP3 leaders) and document agreed standards, objectively verifiable indicators, and methods of verification. These will form the basis from which WP Leaders will be required to report progress in quarterly reports, and will identify standard reporting templates for individual WPs. The plan also sets out means for internal and external ‘customer’ evaluations. The plan establishes standards, objectively verifiable indicators, and describe the means of verification, including internal and external ‘customer’ evaluations. This activity will be overseen by members of the project steering committee, but further supported by the Associate Partners, and other external and independent stakeholders. The project’s quality plan includes standard reporting templates for individual WPs. WP Leaders will be required to submit reports to the lead partner (P1) on a quarterly basis, reporting against indicators, as well as providing records of expenditure attributable to the project in line with EU financial guidelines.

3.2 Conduct capacity building progress survey against year 1 baseline: A progress survey (following on from the baseline survey conducted in WP1) and focusing on the same research and innovative capacities index and indices will be undertaken in the mid and latter stages of the project to provide the project and its partners with an indicator of overall progress against the project objectives / outcomes. This survey corresponds with the project logical framework. The results of the survey will be reported in the project report and research papers (WP9).