6:53 a.m.
To Meliaceae Working Party:
I am forwarding this message from IUFRO in case you have any ideas on
forestry topics that could use focussed attention over a period of time.
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Mon, Nov 17, 2014 at 9:01 AM
Subject: IUFRO Task Forces: Open Call for Proposals
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
<http://www.iufro.org/>
* International Union of Forest Research Organizations *
IUFRO Task Forces: Open Call for Proposals
IUFRO Task Forces are established on a temporary basis to advance
inter-disciplinary cooperation in inter-divisional forest research fields.
Their focus is on emerging key issues that are of strong interests to
policy makers and groups inside and outside the forest sector, and
contribute to international processes and activities.
During the IUFRO Board Meeting held in Salt Lake City in October 2014, a
number of Principles were agreed upon as a basis for the establishment of
Task Forces during the current IUFRO term. In the view of the IUFRO
Management Committee, the number of Task Forces to be convened during a
given year may be up to ten, but *in order to encourage activities across
the full spectrum of IUFRO's disciplinary expertise, shorter-term, more
tightly focused Task Forces are encouraged*. This will enable IUFRO to
establish new Task Forces on a periodic basis throughout the 2015-2019 Term
to take advantage of emerging needs and opportunities.
*SELECTION CRITERIA*
Proposals for new Task Forces will be evaluated by the Management Committee
based on the following criteria:
• Contribution to implementation of the IUFRO Strategy 2015-2019;
• Potential to strengthen cross-Divisional interaction on specific
topics of global relevance related to one or more Emphasis Areas and/or
Institutional Goals of the IUFRO Strategy 2015-2019 (for details see
http://www.iufro.org/discover/strategy/#c10578);
• Engagement of two or more Divisions by specifically involving relevant
Divisional units (Research Groups and/or Working Parties) - proposal should
be jointly developed with the relevant IUFRO Divisions and their units, but
may involve additional experts currently outside of the IUFRO network and
partner institutions, as required. Task Force activities should not
undercut current work within IUFRO Divisions, but rather complement and
expand their activities;
• Specific contribution of the proposed Task Force to addressing broader
policy processes or interdisciplinary science-policy initiatives; e.g.,
Future Earth (1) , Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services (IPBES), etc.;
• In case partner institutions are involved, brief justification for
their involvement;
• Clarity of timelines for proposed Task Force activities and their
deliverables; while Task Forces can be proposed for up to the full length
of the current IUFRO term (until the 2019 World Congress in Brazil), *it is
highly recommended that proposed Task Forces consider more focused
activities to be undertaken over a much shorter time period (i.e., 1-2
years)*;
• Selection of Task Force members in a way that they reflect required
scientific expertise, diversity, balance between North/South, natural and
social sciences, and gender;
• Clarity of operational aspects (roles and responsibilities of Task
Force coordinator and members, roles and responsibilities of partners
involved, if any), budget for activities and funding sources.
Proposals are now being accepted for new Task Forces that would begin their
work in early 2015. Please refer to the format (outlined below) when
preparing your proposals. *The deadline for submission of proposals is
January 15th, 2015*. All proposals will be reviewed by the Vice-President
for Task Forces in consultation with other members of the IUFRO Management
Committee and the Coordinators of IUFRO Divisions relevant to each
proposal. Decisions on the establishment of new Task Forces will be made
and communicated to the proposed Task Force coordinators by the end of
February. The coordinators of new Task Forces will be invited to
participate in the upcoming IUFRO Board meeting to be held in Vienna from
April 15-17, 2015.
*FORMAT FOR TASK FORCE PROPOSALS*
Note: Proposals should include the following as concisely as possible,
within 3-5 pages.
• Name of proposed Task Force
• Name of proposed Task Force coordinator, affiliation (including IUFRO
position) and contact information
• Names of proposed Task Force members, their affiliations (including
IUFRO positions) and contact information
Brief overview of the rationale, goals, and objectives of the proposed Task
Force (1 paragraph)
• Description of specific proposed Task Force activities, deliverables
and timelines. This should include planned focused meetings with tangible
outputs such as 'state-of-knowledge' reviews, journal papers, dedicated
volumes, etc.
• Budget table listing major activities and funding sources, if known –
indicate if these funds are already secured.
• Narrative addressing the following:
- Contribution to implementation of the IUFRO 2015-2019 Strategy;
- How the proposed Task Force will strengthen cross-Divisional
interaction on specified topics related to IUFRO 2015-2019 Strategy's
Emphasis Areas and/or Institutional Goals , and how the Task Force will
complement and/or expand activities of existing IUFRO Divisional units;
- Specific contribution of the proposed Task Force to addressing broader
policy processes or interdisciplinary science-policy initiatives.
*The deadline for submission of proposals is January 15th, 2015. Proposals
should be sent to John Parrotta (jparrotta(a)fs.fed.us <jparrotta(a)fs.fed.us>)
with a copy to Renate Prüller (prueller(a)iufro.org <prueller(a)iufro.org>)g>). *
(1) *Future Earth is an ICSU interdisciplinary initiative to develop
knowledge for responding effectively to the risks and opportunities of
global environmental change and for supporting transformation towards
global sustainability.*
