22nd Meeting of the In-Kind Review Committee

Civil construction of ESS is winding down, and the remaining activities focus around the project’s technical scope that is mainly delivered by the In-Kind Partners, who are therefore on the critical path and fundamental for the success of ESS.

The IKRC is one of the advisory committees reporting to the Council. It oversees all In-Kind Contributions (IKC) to ESS, including the corresponding implementation of rules and legal framework for the agreement, and implementation and final accreditation of IKC.

The January meeting of the IKRC took place virtually after an internal re-organisation at ESS. Since 1 January 2021, a new In-Kind Division has been operative at ESS, gathering personnel from the Strategy and Project Directorates. The Division is responsible for all In-Kind activities in strong collaboration with the ESS sub-projects and other ESS functions. Internal and external interactions will flow through the new Division that consists of a very competent team with a lot of experience.

During the meeting, delegates discussed a number of generic issues with ESS, including Value Added Tax – a topic, which was addressed extensively in a deliverable of the BrightnESS project in 2018 titled ERIC Risk and Opportunity Plan.

The BrightnESS² project has a Work Package dedicated to In-Kind Contribution Management. It supports the work of In-Kind Partners through a well-organised network of Field Coordinators, who meet regularly to exchange knowledge and discuss ideas on how to minimise the risks associated with the delivery of IKCs, an issue that has been accentuated by the ongoing pandemic. The next meeting of the Field Coordinators will take place on 11 February 2021.