Together with the partners of the ECCO research project, we have designed procedures to streamline collaboration between academic and societal partners. With contextual adaptations, these Standard Operating Procedures can be applied to future research projects.

• Data sharing
  Data and data-sharing play a central role in our research projects. This SOP outlines why it is crucial that data is shared in a fair, responsible and timely manner. Key principles guiding data sharing are: transparency, fair use & attribution, useability & synergy, and timely data sharing.
• Remuneration of societal cooperation partners
  In our research project, we often work with societal parties. This SOP has the intention to stipulate the conditions under which organisations can be remunerated. It provides the framework and conditions regarding eligibility, activities, reasons, amount and process.
• Management structure
  In collaborative research projects, we choose a value-centric governance approach. To ensure clarity and transparency, we decide in the early stage which kinds of decisions are taken at which level, and how they are logged.
• Approaching citizens to participate in research
  There are several reasons to be very careful in communication and collaboration with external parties and explicitly citizen collectives. The aim of this SOP is to coordinate communication, so we can prevent research fatigue among societal partners and choose the right communication style.
• Remuneration of representatives of citizen collectives
  This SOP has the intention to stipulate the conditions under which representatives can be remunerated. In order to value the contribution of citizens to knowledge development, research validation, social interpretation and strengthening the social impact of science, a SOP for a fair remuneration of time, effort and the use of resources and community networks is appropriate and necessary. This also removes financial barriers to participation and, at the same time, recognises experiential knowledge as a valuable contribution.

Examples of above SOPs, for example in the context of the ECCO project, can be requested by email: collective-action@rsm.nl