The main aim of Work Package 1 (WP1) is to provide a structured system for both the technical coordination and non-technical management of network activities. WP1 will ensure effective coordination and cooperation among all the contracting partners and different work packages. WP1, which is divided into two sub-packages WP1a and WP1b, will ensure that the project meets the requirements of the ERA-NET scheme and FP6.

WP1a: technical coordination, knowledge management and networking
WP1a will oversee the coordination of the network’s techincal activities and is responsible for ensuring the delivery of project objectives 1, 2 and 3 (see section 2.3). WP1a will coordinate the activities of the Steering Group and work delivered on behalf of the consortium by the Advisory Group, ensuring that all discussions, decisions and actions are recorded and minuted. WP1a will be the driver for knowledge management and dissemination of outputs via the project website. This Work Package is also responsible for networking, promotion and relations with external organisations.

WP1b: project management, review and assessment
WP1b will secure the timely production of all project deliverables and milestones to budget and meeting agreed standards of quality. In WP1b, the partners will review project outcomes and assess progress towards the objectives. WP1b is also responsible for ensuring the achievement of project objectives 4, 5 and 6. It will coordinate the activities of the Management Group, ensuring that all discussions, decisions and actions are recorded and minuted. WP1b will provide a system for the full administrative and financial management of the project on behalf of the EC and the partners. WP1b will oversee the non-technical coordination of: financial management systems; processes for providing the capacity to achieve the project objectives;procedures for monitoring and evaluation; and routines for review, reaction and, if necessary, recovery.

Work Package 2 (WP2) is dedicated to the exchange of information and good practice between the project partners. WP2 is a critical driver of URBAN-NET, since access to up-to-date information on past and ongoing urban research in European countries represents an important pre-condition for effective collaboration and a key input for the identification of strategic themes for cooperation. Accordingly, this work package has an important function to disseminate knowledge between the URBAN-NET Consortium and other stakeholders, directly contributing to collaboration with all key stakeholders.

Work Package 3 (WP3) represents the main preparatory building block for the implementation of URBAN-NET cooperation and coordination activities. It aims to develop joint understanding of the future agenda for urban research, incorporating links with policy. From this base, a transparent and consolidated process of selecting thematic priorities for cooperation and coordination is derived. This selection of thematic priorities will be achieved by combining an overview of regional, national and European urban research activities with a foresight or ‘horizon scanning’ type process to define the future strategic priorities for urban research in Europe. It is intended that URBAN-NET will employ both top-down, strategic approaches to identify research topics and bottom-up, problem-driven methods. WP3 will also contribute to the longer-term project objectives by highlighting opportunities for future initiatives.

Work Package 4: planning and development of joint activities between programmes

Work Package 4 (WP4) is tasked with developing joint activities between national and regional programmes and must define mechanisms, procedures and protocols for joint research calls. WP4 has the task to develop guidelines for national urban research strategies and programmes that are structurally open for cross-national cooperation. It is intended that URBAN-NET will preferentially and wherever possible adopt the ‘common pot’ approach, whereby resources are shared and targeted towards the most appropriate research provider, wherever their location in Europe. The first step in this process is providing access to national and regional calls for research to providers from other countries, which would provide concrete information about the common and differing characteristics of calls implemented by the partners. This includes the common evaluation procedures essential for the realisation of trans-national cooperation. Next, WP4 will plan to deliver common calls involving several or all participating countries, which will be achieved in conjunction with WP5. In focussing on model procedures and rules for cooperation, WP4 is of strategic importance for URBAN-NET, because a clearly structured repository of such rules and procedures is central to ensuring a systematic and sustainable institutionalisation of cooperation beyond the lifetime of this project.

Work Package 5 (WP5) is the core of URBAN-NET, where the cooperation and coordination activities are tested and implemented. This work package also establishes mechanisms to achieve durable and lasting trans-national collaboration. The themes and appropriate mechanisms for implementation (i.e. levels of cooperation and coordination) are selected, based on the results of WP3 and the priorities of the national ministries in charge of urban research. Three different kinds of joint calls will be explored:
1. Co-ordination between “parallel” national calls on related topics, in order to prevent duplication and with some joint activities to disseminate and communicate results.
2. Existing or new national calls, which through URBAN-NET are opened to research providers from other countries.
3. Truly integrated trans-national research programmes or calls for proposals, which are open to research providers from any country sponsoring the programme/call, or to consortia including representatives from several of those countries.

WP5 will aim to hold a pilot joint call, between some or all of the URBAN-NET partners. The pilot call will be assessed as part of the basis for a full common call and programme in year 4 of the project. Resources for this work package have been increased to reflect the feedback of the EC’s techinical evaluators on the original project proposal.