![]() SERG International
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![]() SERG International
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SERG International (SERG-I) is an association of forest management, regulatory and research agencies, and pesticide suppliers, interested in forest pest management. The primary aim of SERG-I is to improve application technology and pest management methods associated with the use of pest control products in the context of integrated forest pest management. SERG-I facilitates efficient use of resources for collaborative research to meet the needs and priorities of pest managers.
SERG-I is not a funding agency. Rather, SERG-I provides a means for the members to work cooperatively on research projects through the sharing of expertise, financial resources, in-kind resources, staff, and the results to achieve common goals in the areas
of spray efficacy and pest management methods.
Through this co-ordinated approach, members of SERG-I are able to pool their resources, leverage other sources of funding, and work cooperatively to conduct research and share results amongst the members.
General Areas of Research that are coordinated by SERG-I.
The SERG International Steering Committee consists of Executive and Associate Committee members.
Membership:
Provincial representatives, along with the SERG-I Executive Director and a Director-level representative of CFS and the USDA-FS shall form the Executive. Membership fees for Executive members are set at $6000/year.
Executive Members presently include:
Province of Alberta (Alberta Sustainable Resource Development)
Province of British Columbia (Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations)
Province of Manitoba (Department of Conservation and Water Stewardship)
Province of New Brunswick (Forest Protection Limited)
Province of Newfoundland and Labrador (Department of Natural Resources)
Province of Nova Scotia (Department of Natural Resources)
Province of Ontario (Ministry of Natural Resources)
Province of Quebec (SOPFIM 1)
Province of Quebec (MRNFQ 2)
Province of Saskatchewan (Saskatchewan Ministry of Environment)
Canadian Forest Service (Director)
USDA-Forest Service1 Société de protection des forêts contre les insectes et maladies
2 Ministère des Ressources naturelles et de la Faune du Québec
Executive Members will contribute equally to the cost of maintaining the SERG-I Executive Director and the administrative expenses to run SERG-I. Executive Members have voting privileges on the Steering Committee. In addition, they set the strategic direction for SERG-I and participate in the annual prioritisation of work areas.
Associate Members
Associate Members of the Steering Committee shall include representatives of organisations able to conduct, benefit from or support pest management research and interested in co-ordinating their efforts. Associate Members neither have voting privileges, nor do they participate in establishing either the strategic direction or research priorities of SERG-I. They do, however, participate in the evaluation of SERG-I Proposals and may provide funds according to their individual interests.
Associate Members do not contribute to the cost of administering SERG-I but are encouraged to sponsor research projects
Associate Members presently include:
AEF Global
BioForest Technologies Inc.
Canadian Food Inspection Agency
Canadian Forest Service – Atlantic Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service - Great Lakes Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service – Laurentian Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service - Northern Forestry Centre
Canadian Forest Service – Pacific Forestry Centre
Micron Sprayers Limited
Monsanto Canada Inc.
Pest Management Regulatory Agency
Sylvar Technologies Inc.
Valent BioSciences Corp.
Other organisations may be invited by the Executive to participate as appropriate.Steering Committee
The Executive Director of SERG-I will be the Chair of the Steering Committee.
SERG International activities are directed by a Steering Committee which will:
Each organisation shall have one representative (or its designated alternate) on the Steering Committee. Additional representatives may attend as observers and to provide expertise as needed. Additions can be made to the member organisations of the Steering Committee subject to approval by the majority of the Executive. Additional individuals or organisations may be associated with SERG-I (without becoming Executive (voting) Members or Associate Members of the Steering Committee) by writing to the Executive Director with a request to be included on the SERG-I mailing list. All those included on the mailing list will be notified of the Annual Workshop and will receive the updated SERG-I publication list and the annually updated Long-Term Plan and Research Priorities.
Overhead and Administration Expenses:
Overhead costs for SERG-I, including the fees for the Executive Director, the Executive Director's travel expenses and administrative costs, will be shared equally by the Executive Members of the Steering Committee. The budget for the coming year will be established by the Executive previous to March 31 of the current year.
Disbursement of Surplus Funds:
Meetings:
Meetings of the Steering Committee shall be called by the Executive Director, after consultation with the Executive, and shall be held at least twice per year. Special Issue conference calls may be held at the request of an Executive Member.
The agenda for meetings shall be determined by the Executive Director, in consultation with Steering Committee members.
Minutes shall be taken of all meetings and distributed by the Executive Director to all members of the Steering Committeee.
Workshop:
A formal SERG-I Workshop will be held annually. The Annual Workshop will normally be scheduled in early February. Final or interim written reports will be submitted to the Executive Director prior to the Workshop (mid January). An oral presentation delivered in person preferably by the Principal Investigator on the current year's research will be made at the Workshop. Immediately following the Workshop, research proposals for the upcoming year will be evaluated for member's acceptance and support.
The Executive Committee will meet to update the SERG-I Long-Term Plan.
The location of the Workshop will rotate amongst the member provinces/and or agencies (i.e. the Executive). The host province or agency will co-ordinate the Workshop including the provision of secretarial and related services (such as registration desk and temporary custody of registration fees).
A concept proposal should be no longer than 2 pages using font sizes no smaller than 10. Multi-year projects require a concept proposal each year.
General:
Executive Summary
Objective:
Clear and concise statement of objective (s).
Financial:
Budget requirements clearly identifying funding sought from SERG-I and other potential funding sources. Forecast budget requirements for future years (where applicable) including level of investment by all participants (to the extent possible).
Funding details should include potential funding sources and funding level
Provide details for Year 1* (and future years of multi-year proposals)
Funding runs from April 1 to March 31
Proposed Funding Sources | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year 1 (ie 2010/11) |
Year 2 2011/12 | etc | etc | |
Identify all potential and secured funding sources including in-kind | level of funding | |||
and | ||||
SERG-I | funding sought | |||
Total |
* For new projects, Y1 starts the year when the full proposal is accepted.
Final Proposals should be no longer than 4 pages using font sizes no smaller than 10
Multi-year projects require a final proposal each year.
General:
Executive Summary
Objective: Clear and concise statement of objective (s).
Financial:
Budget requirements (by year for multi-year projects) clearly identifying funding sought from SERG-I and other potential funding sources.
Funding details should include potential funding sources and funding level
Provide details for Year 1* (and future years of multi-year proposals)
Funding runs from April 1 to March 31
Proposed Funding Sources | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Year 1 (ie 2010/11) |
Year 2 2011/12 | etc | etc | |
Identify all potential and secured funding sources including in-kind | level of funding | |||
and | ||||
SERG-I | funding sought | |||
Total |
* For new projects, Y1 starts the year when the full proposal is accepted.
Include funding details for Current Year
Funding Details | |
---|---|
Casual employee/ student salaries | |
Field Trials | |
Vehicles | |
Field equipment supplies | |
Travel, meals, lodging | |
Lab | |
Materials and Supplies | |
etc | |
etc | |
Total |
Note: Full-time employee salaries/travel and administration fees will not be funded by SERG-I but can be noted as in-kind contributions.
Background:
Identify the problem/opportunity of concern and how it relates to SERG-I's Areas of Research in its Terms of Reference. Outline the magnitude of the impact of the project if successful and if not undertaken. Identify the specific solution required. Identify any previous funding received and progress to date.
Participants/Co-operators:
Identify the roles of researchers and user agencies involved in the project as well as the level of support and participation throughout the project.
Methodology:
Identify all relevant details including method of implementation, number of personnel involved, location, anticipated completion date, etc.
Deliverables including Timing and Reporting Milestones
Identify measurable outputs to be produced by which the success of the project may be evaluated and the manner in which these will be presented. Note: Reporting requirements include a final SERG-I report due by mid-January of the year following acceptance of the proposal and an oral presentation preferably by the Principal Investigator at the annual SERG-I workshop.
The Executive will review the SERG-I Long-Term plan annually, update it as required, and set research priorities for the following year. Specific priorities, and the level of funding anticipated for each, will be identified whenever possible. The updated Long-Term Plan and Research Priorities will be distributed normally by early October, at the time of the call for SERG-I Concept Proposals. Specific agencies or individuals may be asked to submit proposals for certain projects or an open public call for proposals may be used for other work areas.
Concept and final proposals (in the formats detailed in Appendix A) will be accepted up to the date set by the Executive Director in his call letter. The research proponent may be invited at the discretion of the Executive to be available either in person or via telephone when a particular proposal is being reviewed.
Stage I Review
Members of the Steering Committee will review the executive summaries of the Concept Proposals to determine the proposal's compliance with the Long-Term Plan and Research Priorities, and to identify the funding potential for the proposed research. This review will be completed no later than the end of the National Forest Pest Management Forum week (usually first week in December). Only Concept Proposals approved at this stage will receive further consideration at Stage II.
Stage II Review and Funding
The Executive Director may obtain at least two reviews of each Proposal – one from a scientist and one from a user. The final proposals and the reviewers' comments are then provided to the Steering Committee to determine which projects will receive support for funding in the upcoming year.
Conflict of Interest Guidelines
Recognizing that members of the SERG-I Steering Committee may also be participants on SERG-I-supported projects, the following rules will apply:
SERG-I is not a funding agency with an allotment of money to be awarded through a competitive-process. Rather, SERG-I provides a means for the members to work cooperatively on research projects through the sharing of expertise, financial resources, in-kind resources, staff, and the results to achieve common goals consistent with specified SERG-I General Areas of Research.
At Stage II, the Steering Committee will review the final proposals and the comments of the reviewers in considering the proposals for funding by the members. Each member will decide which specific proposals to support, and what type (e.g., financial, in-kind, coordination, advisory) and amount of support will be provided. Opportunities for cooperation and efficiencies will be explored and encouraged by the Steering Committee.
Proposal Endorsement and Conditions
The Executive Director will inform each proponent in writing of the status of the Proposal (e.g. approved, not approved, approved with conditions, or revise and re-submit). Proposals approved at Stage II will be assigned a Project Number.
SERG-I research projects will be completed according to SERG-I Field Guidelines available on the SERG-I website (www.sergreport.net).
For most projects, SERG-I will arrange for a holdback of at least 10% of funds. This holdback will be released upon receipt and acceptance by the funding agencies of the final or interim report and a presentation preferably by the Principal Investigator at the SERG-I Workshop. Proponents are expected to manage their finances by taking this 10% holdback into consideration. Each year, a project report must be received and accepted by the funding agencies before funding will be granted for subsequent years.
SERG International (SERG-I) has an excellent reputation for supporting applied research and
technology for use in forest pest management and other related fields. As a service to the
technical community, SERG-I maintains on-line access to reports produced through the SERG-I
process and distributes these as PDF files upon request. Typically, SERG-I facilitates some 30
research and development projects annually.
As part of the agreement with a Principal Investigator (PI) who participates in the SERG-I process, a final report (and yearly interim reports in the case of multi-year funding) is required
by mid-January of year following acceptance of proposal and an oral presentation at the annual
Workshop. Final acceptance of report submissions is the responsibility of SERG-I funding
members.
Final Reports
Copies of final reports will be distributed by the PI in the following manner:
Interim Reports
All formats discussed above (with a bilingual abstract) are appropriate for interim reporting. It is suggested further that reporting requirements be discussed in the proposal and upon funding. As a minimum reporting requirement, an interim report will be required every year. Interim reports include
Proprietary Research
Proprietary industrial projects (as opposed to proprietary academic rights in order to protect publication potential) will be handled as a separate entity. In this case, an explicit contract will be entered into between funding members and Principal Investigator and the deliverables will be stated. This is the only case where a final report may not be required based on the specific contract.
For most Projects, SERG-I will hold back a minimum 10% of allocated funds. These will be released upon acceptance of reporting requirements. Ultimately, acceptance of all SERG-I reports rests with the funding members. If a majority of the funding members accept a Final Report then the project is considered complete. If there is a dispute or in the unusual case of a deadlock, the SERG-I Executive Director will cast the deciding vote. The balance of project funds will be withheld and released only on report completion unless negotiated beforehand (i.e. in the case of the prospect of a long peer review process, the letter of submission to a journal would release the final balance of funds).
It will be the responsibility of the Funding members working with the Executive Director to obtain project reports. Reporting delinquency is a problem and can, in some cases, result in the inability of a funding member to generate additional funds for contribution to SERG International. Principal Investigators who don't fulfil yearly interim or final reporting requirements will not receive further funding from SERG-I until reporting requirements have been completed.
In the event a delinquent report is not 'in the works' (i.e., actively being worked on by data analyses and writing, and has a scheduled reporting date), or is not likely to be prepared as acknowledged by the original PI, then that PI will be obliged to provide the raw data and associated results that were collected, the objectives of the project, and as much detail as possible about the material and methods that were used. This information may be made available to one or more of the original funding members of the project and subsequently made available by them to another researcher duly recognized by them and/or the SERG-I Executive who has interest in further analyses and reporting, though not necessarily to the exclusion of the original PI.
Overall Responsibility
Under the authority of the Executive Members of SERG-I, the Executive Director has the responsibility to plan, organize, manage and control all the activities defined in SERG-I's Terms of Reference.
Specific Responsibilities
Context
SERG International (SERG-I) would like to honour the hard work and dedication of many practitioners of forest pest management by establishing an annual Graduate Student Awards Fund (GSAF) to support graduate students who are doing research directly related to SERG-I's areas of interest [www.serg-i.org]. The main purpose of the Fund is to support students early in their careers by providing an opportunity to attend the annual SERG-I Workshop where they can present their own research and interact with many of the key researchers and managers responsible for forest pest management in Canada and the United States as well as some of the leading manufacturers of pest control products and related services. The Annual Workshop is hosted by different member agencies; hence, its location varies annually across Canada and northern United States.
Terms of Reference
January February March April May June July August September October November December -------------- Student study & research period -------------
Letter of Support & Student Summary Statement to be prepared with Application to be submitted by deadline of November 15th.
Applications received by SC by Nov. 15th; Reviews done. GSAF Awards announced at AGM.F
Travel Options
- Economy Return Airfare
- Private Car
- Car Rental
Notes:
- The cost of option 2 or 3 cannot exceed the cost of option 1
- Use of private car includes
- Mileage at $0.58/km
- Parking
- Car Rental includes
- Gas, insurance
- Parking
Allowed Expenses
Day 1 (Monday)
- Travel
- Meals (from time leaving residence)
- If flying, include taxi (residence to airport), taxi (airport to Workshop hotel)
Day 2 (Tuesday)
- Meals (Breakfast, supper)
Day 3 (Wednesday)
- Meals (Breakfast)
Day 4 (Thursday)
- Travel
- Meals (Breakfast + meals during return travel)
- If flying, include taxi (Workshop hotel to airport), taxi (airport to residence)
Meal Allowances
Breakfast $17.15
Lunch $18.05
Supper $45.95
______________
Total $81.15Note:
- Use appropriate meal rate if receipt is lost.
- While a meal receipt can exceed the meal allowance listed, the total daily meal claim cannot exceed $81.15 less meals supplied at Workshop.
SERG International Terms of Reference December, 2019