At its first session in June 2014, the Management Committee of the IBCS approved two sets of criteria for projects:
- Criteria for projects to be designated as GFCS Projects:
- Are aligned with at least one of the Framework’s priority areas. The initial priority areas are disaster risk reduction, water resources management, agriculture and food security, and health.
- Have a strong climate service focus, with operational services as a core element. While it is important to coordinate weather and climate service activities, projects that are primarily focussing on weather capabilities and services with little or no climate service element are out of scope. Projects that address scientific or technical research priorities alone are of great value, but are also out of scope.
- Ensure that their outcomes will address the needs of decision-makers and users of climate services, and therefore build the User Interface platform. The project should ensure close engagement between users, developers and providers and include all relevant stakeholders; and address the gaps that have been identified in the Implementation Plan, since these have been identified as the gaps that need to be filled to meet user needs.
- Develop national or regional capacities. Countries and regions with limited capacity and capability need assistance to enable them to provide improved quality products and services. Ultimately the need is to develop sufficient capabilities in all countries – in some cases this may be best done at the national level, and in others it may be best done at the regional level to support the national level. The project must therefore either upgrade the national climate service providers, particularly the NMHSs, which currently have basic climate service capabilities, or develop regional capacities to assist national capacities.
- Ensure that the project strengthens and supports existing activities and doesn’t duplicate. Note that some projects will undertake new activities and this criteria is intended to avoid duplication, or conflict with, existing activities where relevant.
- Involve, or contribute to activities in, LDCs, SIDSs, Land Locked Developing Countries or other regions or countries highly vulnerable and sensitive to climate-related risks. The project should reduce the vulnerability of society to climate-related hazards (Goal number 1 of the Framework), particularly poor and vulnerable groups.
- Have strong prospects for successful delivery. The project needs to be well conceived and described, ensure that the required resources (including financial, human, technological where appropriate) will be available, represent good value for money, be likely to make a significant impact and be sustainable beyond the project duration.
- Ensure the country or region in which the project is being implemented has (or, through capacity development activities, will rapidly have) demonstrated interest and commitment for successful delivery, will build connections across institutes and disciplines, and involve institution(s) with a record of achievement and financial probity. The institutions must take on a level of ownership of the project to ensure the outcomes, benefits, infrastructure and operations are sustained. Ensuring the engagement of users is essential.
- Are implemented at the national, regional or global domain.
- Criteria for projects designated by partners and Members as Contributing Projects:
- Have a climate service focus, with operational services as a target at least. While it is important to coordinate weather and climate service activities, projects that are primarily focussing on weather capabilities and services with little or no climate service element are out of scope. Projects that address scientific or technical research priorities alone are of great value, but are also out of scope.
- Ensure that the outcomes will address the needs of decision-makers and users of climate services. This would typically, but not necessarily, involve building the User Interface platform. The project should relate to gaps that have been identified in the Implementation Plan.
- Ensure that the project strengthens and supports existing activities and doesn’t contradict or duplicate. Note that projects can undertake new activities and this criteria is intended to avoid duplicating, or conflicting with, existing activities.
- Involve, or contribute to activities in, LDCs, SIDSs, Land Locked Developing Countries or other regions or countries highly vulnerable and sensitive to climate-related risks. The project should reduce the vulnerability of society to climate-related hazards (Goal number 1 of the Framework), particularly poor and vulnerable groups.
- Ensure the country or region in which the project is being implemented has, or will have, demonstrated interest and commitment to ensure successful delivery, and will build connections across institutes and disciplines. These institutes should take on a level of ownership of the project to ensure the outcomes, benefits, infrastructure and operations are sustained. Ensuring the engagement of users is essential.