General Principles

General Principles guide the audiences of EUnetHTA communications in cases when individual EUnetHTA member organisations represent or act "on behalf of EUnetHTA" and when a new knowledge developed within EUnetHTA is to be taken to other (than EUnetHTA) projects or initiatives.

General principles:

a) Handling the new knowledge being developed within the EUnetHTA Joint Action 2010-2012 (based on the guidelines developed for EUnetHTA Project 2006-2008)

b) Acting on behalf of EUnetHTA

a) New knowledge principles - Background:
The work in the EUnetHTA Work Packages is concerned with developing innovative tools and concepts.

The current General Principles are developed to ensure that
- EUnetHTA's work is all in the public domain
- EUnetHTA, the partners and individuals receive due credit, and
- the limitations of the tools and concepts being developed in the project are well understood by all, ie the proposed models and solutions (eg, Core model, adaptation toolkit, etc) are yet to be tested during the project before they can be declared "fully operational".

General Principles:
1. When providing information on the preliminary results or developments in the EUnetHTA JA to third parties (ie, audiences outside EUnetHTA), EUnetHTA members are requested to always indicate the relevant EUnetHTA Work Package as the source of information and use “Work in progress” in their communication. When communicating preliminary results or developments in EUnetHTA, non-EUnetHTA members should be asked to acknowledge the relevant EUnetHTA Work Package and also to use the "Work in progress" label.

The Lead Partner of the relevant Work Package should be informed by the EUnetHTA members of such communications.

2. EUnetHTA members are requested to inform and seek consent from the relevant Work Package Lead Partner and inform the EUnetHTA Secretariat if they are planning to take the new knowledge (concepts, products, tools, models, etc) developed within the EUnetHTA JA into other projects or research activities. Acknowledgement of the EUnetHTA JA and relevant Work Package should always be given.

3. In its turn, the Lead Partner of the Work Package should inform and seek consent from the members of their respective Work Packages and inform the EUnetHTA Secretariat if they are planning to take the new knowledge (concepts, products, tools, models, etc) developed within the EUnetHTA project into other projects or research activities. Acknowledgement of the EUnetHTA project and relevant Work Package should always be given.

b) Acting "on behalf of EUnetHTA" - Background:

Some EUnetHTA members are invited to participate in new projects and initiatives "on behalf of EUnetHTA". Links to the EUnetHTA JA and exchange of information between the projects are mentioned as very valuable.

It is most likely that other EUnetHTA members are or will be developing contacts and be involved in new initiatives relevant to EUnetHTA where they will be requested to “represent EUnetHTA”, “act on behalf of EUnetHTA”, “provide a link to EUnetHTA”.

Therefore the Execuitve Committee has developed and suggested the principles - or “rules of engagement” – when a EUnetHTA member is participating in other activities/initiatives/projects/ etc. relevant to EUnetHTA.

General Principles:

1. In cases when a EUnetHTA member is requested to participate in various projects “on behalf of EUnetHTA”, its role and responsibility as “EUnetHTA representative” would be limited to

• informing the EUnetHTA Secretariat of such involvements,
• providing information to EUnetHTA (through the EUnetHTA Secretariat) on the developments in the new project that the EUnetHTA member considers relevant and important for EUnetHTA,
• providing information about the developments within EUnetHTA

2. The EUnetHTA member cannot express views and take positions on issues “on behalf of EUnetHTA” unless a clear consent of the EUnetHTA Executive Committee is sought and received by the EUnetHTA member in advance.

3. The views and statements expressed by the EUnetHTA member without the prior consent of the EUnetHTA Executive Committee are the sole responsibilities of this EUnetHTA member and do not reflect the views of EUnetHTA. EUnetHTA assumes no liability for the contents of such views or statements.