EuroFIR2 Legal Entity: Update

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EuroFIR2 Legal Entity Update
Paul Finglas EuroFIR Coordinator Compiler
Network Meeting Norwich, 18-20th March 2008

• Paul Finglas, George Chryssohoidis
• Lois Woestman

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Outline

• EuroFIR2 Mission?
• Membership Types Offerings
• AISBL advantages structure
• Next stage

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EuroFIR Sustainability Strategy
Governing Council to establish EuroFIR2 from July
2008 onwards
EuroFIR2 (AISBL/CIC) - sustain databases and
infrastructure - provide common platforms
services - stimulate further technology
development - link with stakeholders (ETP,
industry, )
EuroFIR - create - integrate - develop - train -
implement
EuroFIR2
EuroFIR
1st year of MoUs with non-EuroFIR compilers
06
08
04
10
12
14
1st July 2008
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EuroFIR mission

• EuroFIR2 will be the pre-eminent European
  association in the field of food composition data
  - committed to international cooperation and
  harmonization through information dissemination,
  improved data quality and database searchability,
  and development of standards for all users and
  stakeholders.
• After consultation, general agreement

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Technical support/services NCs want Order of
priority

• XML, web services data exchange
• Food indexing methods thesauri
• Quality standards/documentation compiler
  certification
• Annual conference / NC network meetings
• Technical website
• Coordinated inter/national PR campaigns
• Recipe calculation
• Proficiency testing schemes
• Nutrient analysis, esp. specialized components

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Training NC want Order of priority

• Production use of food databases
• Quality standards documentation
• Food indexing
• Nutrient analysis
• Recipe calculation
• Building FCDB websites

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Most partners willing to provide

• Organize inter/national meetings/events
• Maintain specialized datasets
• Host public website publish documents
• Extend validated datasets for other compound
  classes
• Generate revenue for EuroFIR2
• Exploit datasets using innovative FCDB
  systems/tools
• Identify new funds via EC grants, sponsorship,
  etc.
• Assist in running EuroFIR2
• Lobby key users stakeholders
• Develop online access to FCDBs not in EuroFIR
• Maintain common support datasets (ChEBI,
  CiteXplore)
• Support value added tools (web services, recipe
  software)

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Membership Types

Full Members Most National Compilers Key
supporting partners
Associate Members A few NCs Other supporting
partners
Other stakeholders / users (Associates)
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Current Status (Jan 08)

Full (30) NCs IFR, DTU, KTL, AFSSA, MATIS, UCC,
BGU INRAN, CSPO, UiO, NFNI, INSA, FRI, NFA,
TUBITAK, NNC, ETHZ, IMR, RIVM Other partners
UHEL, AUA, WU, UVI, BNF, EBI, CSL, RIKILT,
IDUFIC, DFI, FCN
Associate (11) NCs NUBEL, NCPHP, BFEL, NKUA,
UGR, FVS FC Other partners RUG, TTZ, SLU,
ILSI, POLYTEC
No (1) US
N/a (3) GUT, IRMM, Baigent
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Membership Offerings Fees
Full fee GDP/cap basis E 8,0000 (GDP gt E
20,000) E 4,000 (GDP E 10-20,000) E 2,000 (GDP lt
E 10,000)

Full Membership Full data access user
rights Full technical support, training,
accreditation Discounted conference training
rates Full voting
Associate fee Half of full
Associate Membership Limited (time, extent) data
access use rights Limited technical support,
training, accreditation Discounted conference
training rates NOT full voting?
Other fee License or pay Per hit Individual basis
Other stakeholder / users Full conference rates
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AISBL relative advantages

• AISBL based in Brussels
• Not for profit Income generated fed back into
  organizational operations
• Location Greater lobby impact, easy
  accessibility to partners
• Allows for administrative offices to be located
  outside Belgium
• Member participation in governance ensured, more
  time consuming
• Greater compatibility with most partner legal
  systems / requirements

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Organizational Structure AISBL
General Assembly (GA Open Closed) All Full
Associate Members Associates Elected Chairman
Secretary
Advisory Board Proposed by Exec
Director Appointed by GA
Executive Director (elected by GA) Executive
Board (elected by GA) GA Chair, 3 NCs 1 other
(All FMs) 1 industry, 1 government/regulator
body
EUROFIR2 Secretariat (at registered office or
elsewhere)
Experts Administrative Personnel
Technical Committees Working groups
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Governance Structure

Full members Voting rights in General
Assembly Active in design of/signing full MoU
AoA
Associate members Voice, but no voting rights, in
General Assembly May sign only part of MoU AoA
Other stakeholders / users Advisory capacity via
Advisory Board
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Possible Hurdles Identified

• One or combination faced esp. by TUBITAK, IMR,
  NUBEL, NCPHP, BFEL, NKUA, UGR, FVS-FC, BGU
• Legal
• NCs contractually bound to deliver datasets to
  EuroFIR
• Data ownership unclear for some NCs
• Inability to sign entire MoU AoA
• Financial
• National vs. EuroFIR2 entity income-generation
• Ability to pay

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Next Steps

• Small working party appointed by GC IFR, RIKILT,
  Nubel, FCN DFI
• Refine Co-operation Agreement draft Articles of
  Association
• Prepare/refine business plan
• Discussions with notary to identify/overcome
  potential legal/contractual/ financial constraints

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GC Meeting 5th June