PoE is a scientific consultancy body of specialists that contribute with their expertise in particular topics relevant to the IP regarding social inclusion and cohesion, assessing the scientific relevance of the ongoing results and providing input for policy recommendations. The panel of experts is invited to act as such in specially designated occasions in regards to the implementation plan and the projects’ core objectives. They also review and evaluate final documents when needed and make concrete recommendations on the basis of their own expertise and practice.
How is it elected?
PoE is composed by 10 renowned experts and scholars in the field and key policy players. Each partner institution nominated possible candidates to be part of the Panel of Experts. All the nominees’ members are:
- Renowned experts and scholars in the field and key policy players.
- Experts in the areas covered by the project.
The Knowledge Management Committee was in charge of receiving all the candidacies from partner institutions and organized the selection process. The KMC members select the most appropriate candidates, according to the following criteria:
a. Excellence in their academic/ political career.
c. Balance between scholars and policy-makers was considered.
d. Gender, age, cultural background and country of origin was taken into consideration in the selection process in order to have a representative and diverse Panel of Experts.
Members
MEETINGS
1st Panel of Experts Meeting. 29th of September 2007
The 1st Panel of Experts Meeting took place on September 29th 2007 in Barcelona (Spain) to work as a consultancy body for the first year of the project. The meeting consisted on a presentation of the results of the project and a fruitful discussion and reflection by the experts who provided policy recommendations contributing to the public consultation on schools for the 21st century by the European Commission. The members of the Panel of Experts contributed with their expertise to the findings of the first year results and proposed contributions in response to the public consultation.
The second Panel of Experts meeting for the Includ-ed project took place on the 13th of June 2009 in Barcelona Science Park. Various members of the Panel and of the general coordination team attended this meeting. The first results from Projects 1 and 2 were presented in the aforementioned meeting, and the local and international impact these results are obtaining at both scientific and political levels in the different social areas was also described at the same time. Another of the aspects which was discussed was the importance of achieving results which are transferable to all European Union contexts. This objective was linked to one of the main aims of the research: to identify specific practices that can contribute to greater social cohesion and to overcoming the exclusion which vulnerable groups face in the different areas of society. Finally, the benefits of using the critical communicative methodology in these transferable results processes were also highlighted in this meeting. Along these lines, the importance of professionals and stakeholders being involved in the daily life of neighbourhoods in which these actions are being carried out was pointed out.
3rd Panel of Experts meeting took place on November 14th 2011
The 3rd Panel of Experts meeting took place on November 14th 2011 in Barcelona (Spain). The main results of Cluster 2, dealing with successful actions which connect educational inclusion with inclusion in other areas of society, and Cluster 3, about successful forms of family and community participation in schools which contribute to school success and social cohesion, were presented. Also, the social and political impact achieved as a result of the First INCLUD-ED Conference was highlighted, mentioning some of the concrete actions developed and some political recommendations obtained during these years of the INCLUD-ED project.
In the meeting, the main results achieved were discussed and a debate was held about how to transform the scientific evidences obtained into effective policies, aiming at maximizing the impact of the Final INCLUD-ED Conference. The Experts –some of whom have advised the project development throughout five years, and others were new incorporations– provided insight from their own areas of expertise. Overall the Panel of Experts valued very positively the scientific evidences collected about successful mixed interventions and successful forms of family and community participation in schools. They emphasized the importance of making these scientific evidences available to policy makers both at the European and country levels and to teachers and other professionals in each country, in order to guarantee a scientific based policy making which contribute to doing more for social cohesion with fewer resources.
