Governance of PRIMA
Article 12
1. The bodies of PRIMA-IS shall include: (a) a Board of Trustees, which shall have a Chair and a Co-Chair; (b) a Steering Committee; (c) a Secretariat, headed by a Director; (d) a Scientific Advisory Committee. 2. PRIMA-IS shall be governed by the Board of Trustees, in which all Participating States are represented. The Board of Trustees shall be the decision-making body of PRIMA-IS. The Board of Trustees shall, after obtaining approval from the Commission, adopt: (a) the annual work plan; (b) the common principles referred to in Article 6(9); and (c) the Participating States' reporting requirements to PRIMA-IS. The Board of Trustees shall verify that the conditions set out in Article 1(3) and point (c) of Article 4(1) are fulfilled and shall inform the Commission accordingly. The Board of Trustees shall approve the participation in PRIMA of any third country not associated to Horizon 2020 other than those listed in Article 1(2) after examining the relevance of its participation to achieving the objectives of PRIMA. Each Participating State shall have one vote in the Board of Trustees. Decisions shall be taken by consensus. Where no consensus is reached the Board of Trustees shall adopt its decisions by a majority of at least 75 % of the valid votes cast. The Union, represented by the Commission, shall be invited to all the meetings of the Board of Trustees as an observer, and may take part in the discussions. It shall receive all necessary documents. 3. The Board of Trustees shall determine the number of Steering Committee members, which shall not be less than five, and shall appoint them. The Steering Committee shall monitor the work of the director and advise the Board of Trustees on the implementation of PRIMA by the Secretariat. In particular, it shall provide guidance on the implementation of the annual budget and on the annual work plan. 4. The Board of Trustees shall establish the Secretariat of PRIMA-IS as the executive body of PRIMA. The Secretariat shall: (a) implement the annual work plan; (b) provide support to the other bodies of PRIMA-IS; (c) monitor and report on the implementation of PRIMA; (d) manage the Union financial contribution referred to in Article 3(1) and the Participating States' financial contributions and report on their use; (e) increase the visibility of PRIMA through advocacy and communication; (f) liaise with the Commission in accordance with the delegation agreement referred to in Article 8; (g) ensure the transparency of PRIMA activities. 5. The Board of Trustees shall appoint a Scientific Advisory Committee consisting of renowned independent experts, competent in areas relevant to PRIMA. The Board of Trustees shall establish the number of Scientific Advisory Committee members, and the arrangements for their appointment in accordance with Article 40 of Regulation (EU) No 1290/2013. The Scientific Advisory Committee shall: (a) advise the Board of Trustees on strategic priorities and needs; (b) advise the Board of Trustees on the content and scope of the draft annual work plan from a scientific and technical standpoint; (c) review the scientific and technical aspects of the implementation of PRIMA and deliver an opinion on its annual report.