The Network Co-ordination Board (NCB) is the ultimate decision-making body of the consortium. Each member of the network send one representative to the board. These representatives are at the management level and entitled to approve decisions on behalf of their organisations. Furthermore, it is the supervisory body for the network. It includes the “Person in Charge” of the overall project, as the chairman of the NCB, the Scientific Co-ordinator, the Cluster Co-ordinators (CC), the Communication Manager (CM) and the Methods Manager (MM). The NCB meets at least once a year during the planned meetings of the consortium and decides on the following matters:

1. the acceptance of new parties as well as the exclusion of partners;


2. the structure and restructuring of the Network Areas, i.e. proposed changes in work sharing and participants in the consortium;


3. the altering of the consortium agreement, and


4. all matters regarding procedures and policies in accordance with the contract with the Commission for dissemination of knowledge of the project. In order to simplify collaboration amongst the network partners and accelerate the integration process at the level of personnel, infrastructure and programme of activities, the NCB has elaborated guidelines during the project kick-of-meeting at Centre for Liberal Strategies, Sofia, 2 –3 February 2006. It is mandatory that the consortium adhere to these guidelines when concluding bi- and multilateral agreements between partners. All decisions made by the NCB are legally binding for all partners.