1. Background

Following the advice of the CS (20-21 September 1996), the GA decided during its meeting on 16 October 1996, on the definition and on the selection criteria for Immediate Actions (IA). Subsequently, the Action was renamed into Infrastructure Action without changes in the definition.

The definition and selection criteria of the IA as it was approved by Intas during 1996, are as follows:

1. an IA is an activity covering needs of urgency and serving a large group of scientists in the NIS.
2. an IA should:
• react quickly to the changing situations and specific needs in the NIS;
• establish infrastructures in specific areas;
• have, as far as possible, an interdisciplinary character;
• be of high quality, cost-effective and reflect the efficiency of the project management;
• have a project coordinator from an Intas member state;
• be outside of limits of a normal Intas Call and offer a significant contribution to the cooperation with the NIS.

During its last meeting on 11-12 December 1997, the CS asked Intas to improve the definition of IA as well as to work out a simpler procedure (for the list of IA funded to the date see annex). The Secretariat proposes to base an Infrastructure Action on the following requirements:
 

2a. Definition

 IA is not a scientific research activity or project, but a quick action in response to the deteriorating situation in the infrastructure of the science in the NIS, and by this serving a large group of scientists in the NIS. IA is outside the limits of normal Intas Calls for research proposals and networks, cover the interests of a broad scientific community and organizations, and offers a significant contribution to the cooperation within the NIS.
 

2b. Eligibility criteria

The first and the most important Eligibility Criteria for an IA is the conformity to the above mentioned Definition of an IA. Upon this,
 
      1.   an IA has to have a Coordinator from an Intas Member State. (If this is not possible the Intas Secretariat should fulfil this role.)
      2.   has to be of high quality, cost-effective and reflect the efficiency of the project management.

3c. Selection Criteria

During the selection, the preference should be given to IA proposals with:

• clear definition of tasks and apparent advantages to the as large as possible scientific community;
• high transparency;
• interdisciplinary character;
• co-funding partners;
• possibility to carry out the proposed activity in the NIS after cessation of Intas IA grant;
• large geographical coverage in the NIS;
• potential to help to maintain activities of scientific excellence in the NIS.

A request for an IA in the NIS has to be made to Intas by:

            1. one or more scientific institutions in one or more NIS countries, interested in the IA;
            2. a member of NIS Government or a leading body of a National Academy of Sciences (or an alternative agency like RFBR) . This        considers only the cases when the requested IA is partly or largely funded by the national Government or other national/international agencies.

2.e. Processing of the request

The proposal should be sent for evaluation to 3 - 5 members of the CS and, when needed, also to an outside expert. The opinions of these members of the CS, as well as of the outside expert, must be presented by the Secretariat to the CS at its nearest meeting. The CS has to propose to the GA to finance the proposal or to negotiate it further.
 

2.f. Management of the IA

For the IA proposal selected by the GA for funding, the Secretariat should produce a Cooperation Agreement, Work Programme and other relevant documents.
The IA could be stopped when there is clear evidence that the goals declared cannot be achieved or when the initial situation has been changed making the project no longer viable.

2.g Termination of the IA

The IA is considered finished when the Final Report is approved by the Secretariat and all payments are made. When the IA is finished, it is recommended that someone from the CS or Secretariat visits the site of the action for the further evaluation and suggestion.

The information on currently running and finished IA should be available on Internet.