VALIDATION QUALITY SUPPORT WORK BY THE EUROPEAN UNION (EU) 4TH FRAMEWORK CONVERGE TRANSPORT TELEMATICS PROJECT

This paper discusses the role of the CONVERGE Validation Quality Support Project in improving the quality of validation in 60 projects extending over ten application areas in the European Union (EU) Fourth Framework Transport Telematics Applications Programme covering roads, rail, water and air transport. An explanation is provided for the decision by the European Commission (EC) to try to improve the quality of validation in the Fourth Framework and the steps taken to achieve this objective. The CONVERGE Validation Quality Project is one of these steps. The main objectives of the CONVERGE Validation Quality Project are to review the draft validation plans that projects are obliged to submit at Start-Up + 6 months, to provide advice and support on preparation of draft validation plans, and to provide guidelines. The main task is the review of project draft validation plans this Summer with the objective of reporting on their quality to the EC in advance of the Annual Technical Audit of Projects in October 1996. In connection with this task, CONVERGE has nominated evaluation experts to individual projects and disseminated a "Checklist for Preparing a Draft Validation Plan". This Checklist guides projects in defining their applications, expected impacts, indicators, assessment objectives and validation methods (experimental design). It promotes the use of standard tables in order to provide consistency between projects and application areas in the way they prepare draft validation plans and consistency of review of these draft validation plans by CONVERGE evaluation experts. CONVERGE has also provided more detailed guidelines on assessment as a complement to the Checklist. These guidelines reflect the considerable experience of the CONVERGE Validation Quality Team in earlier EU Programmes. On the basis of its review of draft validation plans, CONVERGE Validation Quality will recommend to the EC need for change in emphasis of sector level objectives. It will also make recommendations for comparative assessment between projects, in order to enhance the European added-value of the Fourth Framework Transport.

Language

  • English

Media Info

  • Pagination: n.p.

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Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00741409
  • Record Type: Publication
  • Files: TRIS
  • Created Date: Aug 19 1997 12:00AM