MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE

Management structure of VLIR-Network-Vietnam Programme

Due to working with the network system, we are with five partners in Vietnam and some institutions in Belgium. Specially, the main activities of the programme are educational task, so in the structure management we need to have a representative of ministry involved. Therefore, the local management structure consists of the following units:

Local Network Steering Committee

In order to help the programme to implement as designed, a Local Network Steering Committee has been organized. It is composed of:

• Local Network Coordinator at CTU
• Representative of all partner universities
• Representative of Ministry of Education and Training (MOET)
• Program manager

The Local Network Steering Committee meets at least once a year for annual evaluation of the programme activities, in close coordination with the Flemish Steering Committee. The main roles of The Local Network Steering Committee are:

• Design, planning and overall coordination of the implementation of the activity programme
• Opportunity to review accomplishments and engage in joint planning
• Progress monitoring in terms of quality, synergy and financial expenditure
• Forum for exchange, reflection and the generation of new ideas and/or problem solving
• Focus on strategic challenges/issues with overall programmatic and policy implications

Local Network Management Unit

In order to manage and closely monitor the Network program on a day to day basis, a Local Network Steering Committee is composed of:

• Local Network Coordinator
• Representative of  Can Tho University departments and  School involved: (Finance, international relation, General administration and Planning, Research Affairs and Graduate School)
• Program manager
• Project leaders
• Include university representatives (1 staff for each partner in the network programme)

The Local Network Management Unit (LNMU) meets quarterly (Video Conference meeting with the partners in the network) to guarantee a smooth implementation of the  Network  Program, especially giving prompt decisions to routinely emerging issues during the program execution, in close coordination with the Local Network Steering Committee and the Flemish Steering Committee.

Local Network Coordinator (LNC)

The main duties and responsibilities of the Local Network Coordinator are:

• He is the core person in the Network partnership, responsible to VLIR-UOS and partner universities
• Provides overall leadership, coordination, management, monitoring and reporting
• Is in charge of policy issues and concerns
• Leads the Local Network Steering Committee meetings, facilitates making decisions and team building among local project leaders at all stages of program design and implementation
• Represents the management and acts as spokesperson on behalf of the partner university
• Supervises and instructs project leaders and program managers

Programme Manager

The Programme Manager has the following duties and functions:

• Assists the Local Network Coordinator in successfully achieving his tasks and duties
• Manages the financial part of the Local Network Programme
• Provides administrative and other services to VLIR-UOS Network Programme Participants
• Ensures communication and reporting within the VLIR- Network Programme, regularly contacts and works out with the partner universities in the network for communication and implementation work. Within each Vietnamese partner university, management unit also formed with the so-called sub-coordinators who are officially invited as members of LNSC (Local Network Steering Committee), are the head.
• Provides administrative assistance at the Local Network Steering Committee and the Local Network Management Unit meetings
• Facilitates administrative arrangements for local and visiting project team members
• Manages the purchasing of goods
• Develop and maintain VLIR-UOS Network Programme data bases
• Manages the Programme Support Unit (PSU)

The PM will also work as Administrator under the support of local PSU. His duties and functions are:

• All line management duties including running the Program Support Unit
• Facilitating transport and accommodation for International visitors and draw up scripts for such visits in consultation with the project leaders
• Facilitate mobility of Vietnam Network scholars and other staff
• Provide accurate financial overviews of project expenditures for every steering committee or management meeting and relay on these matters on regular basis
• Regularly alert the Project leaders on their financial balance
• Expedite local and international purchases
• Is responsible for the financial and accounting of the program fund
• Employment of staff as required in consultation with the local program manager
• Logistic coordination of all the projects (e.g. deployment of vehicles)
• Reports all financial matters to the Vietnamese and Flemish coordinators, as well as to CTU Financial Officer and to ICOS in Belgium
• Ensure proper and timely processing of financial transactions
• Ensure timely preparation and submission of financial reports to the internal/external auditor and steering committee for eventual submission to VLIR-UOS
• Produces and presents the financial quarterly report to the ICOS in Ghent, as agreed in the time schedule
• Produces and presents the financial quarterly report to the steering committee in consultation with the Flemish financial officer and program manager
• Records routine financial transactions
• Keeps the financial balance updated of each project per budget line
• Follows up the bill settlement process and procedures
• Prepares financial documents, vouchers, and other relevant documents for external auditors
• Reconciles the local and hard currency account
• Controls records of the inventory and updates
• Charges and controls mileage fund
• Controls and follows up the budget
• Maintenance and improvement of the program’s webpage of VLIR VN Network Biosciences on Food established and managed by PSU and placed on the CTU website (http://vlirnetwork.ctu.edu.vn/).
• Puts all reports, presentations and other information that is useful to the partners enrolled in the programme on the website
• Other involved works can be created during programme implementation, these cases are coordinated by the Program Manager and the Local Coordinator

Local Project Leader

Each project has a leader, appointed by VLIR-UOS and in coordination with the Flemish and Vietnamese Coordinators.

The responsibilities of the Local Project Leader are:

• Develops an annual plan for the project in consultation with members, other project leaders and Flemish project advisors: narrative report, planning budget, operational and mobility planning

• Manages the project: content, administration, consumable and non-consumable items and finance (based on the report of the program office)
• Produces quarterly technical reports and presents the progress, problems encountered and future plans during execution at the quarterly Local network Management Unit meetings.
• Produce an annual technical (achievement) report in consultation with local project members and Flemish project leader
• Submits a copy of the annual and quarter report to the respective college to enhance program ownership
• Develops team spirit within the project for proper execution of plans
• Articulates between other program projects
• Participates in the activities and decisions of the steering committee
• Follows up the project activities
• Actively communicate the activities and results of the project and interact constructively with related structures of the University
• Checks the information on website (complete, correct, …?)
• Sends quarterly an overview of the costs made by the project together with all the invoices for that period to PM
• Completes the list of project members each AP year

Project members

These are all the researchers, lecturers, staff who are enrolled in the activities of the project.
Project members are responsible for effective implementation of the research project under the guidance of the Project Leader.

Office secretary and cashier

Office secretary and cashier have the following  duties and responsibilities (is recruited and paid a monthly salary from E2):

• Provide efficient secretarial service and establishes a simple and knowledgeable office management
• System (filing, documenting, photocopying etc.)
• Drafts letters, makes appointments, identifies priorities and advises the manager to act timely
• Efficiently communicates with all major stakeholders from the program central structure through e-mail, fax and/telephone
• Arranges appointments for meetings with the project leaders
• Assist the program accountant in recording model-ID
• Reserves and runs small petty cash for petty expenses
• Buys tickets and sends copies of flight schedules to North after consultation with the UGent ICOS (the travel  arrangements and lodging budgets are managed by UGent. However, the travel budget will be paid in Vietnam and the lodging is paid in UGent.)
• Edits and formats reports
• Arranging vehicle deployment

Communication flow

Many people are involved in the Network project. To reach all the people with the necessary information, we are using a communication flow. The main information between Belgium and Vietnam will go through the PM. For each Vietnamese institution, there will be one person responsible for PSU, for P1 and for P2.

Can Tho University - CTU

Local coordinator: CTU Rector, Prof. Dr. Ha Thanh Toan (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

PM: Le Van Khoa (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P1: Vu Ngoc Ut (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P2: Tong Thi Anh Ngoc (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

PSU members:

Luu Hoang Dung (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Le Thi Thuy Trang (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Lim Ngoc Han (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Le Thi Xuan An (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Cao Thanh Tuan (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Hue University - HU

LNSC member: President of HU, Prof. Dr. Le Anh Phuong (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

PSU member: Nguyen Xuan Huy (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P1: Nguyen Duy Quynh Tram (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P2: Nguyen Van Hue (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Hanoi University of Agriculture - VNUA

LNSC member: Vice president of VNUA, Prof. Dr. Pham Van Cuong (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

PSU member: Tran Thi Dinh (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P1: Kim Van Van (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P2: Tran Thi Dinh (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Nha Trang University - NTU

LNSC member: Rector of NTU, Prof. Dr. Trang Si Trung (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)  

PSU member: Khong Trung Thang (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P1: Pham Quoc Hung (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

P2: Mai Thi Tuyet Nga (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Research Institute for Aquaculture Nr. 2

LNSC member: Director, Dr. Nguyen Thanh Tung (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)  

PSU member and P1: Le Hong Phuoc (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

FINANCIAL SYSTEM

In order to manage and use the funds effectively in the university, the local financial and administrative management system is set up as follows:

Flow chart of financial management of Can Tho University

• All the information involved in the VLIR Vietnam Network Biosciences on Food programme, will be sent to the Board of the University, the project (for project leader and secretary) and the supporting departments by PSU-CTU through: (1) e-mail, (2) hard copy and (3) through the VLIR-Network website of CTU. Under urgent conditions, phone call or VC meeting will be used.
• A local Network Steering Committee meeting will be organised once a year for annual evaluation before an annual activity report (AAR) has to be submitted. However, other special meetings (with different working groups) will also be arranged if it is necessary (e.g.: during Flemish programme leader mission, to solve any problem during implementation, or any request from the local programme leader and PSU-CTU).
• PM will work out and check AFR periodically with a supportive staff of PSU from Department of Finance, based on VLIR-UOS guidelines, regulations and agreements already made between two coordination universities.
• A specific Bank account will be opened and used for the programme. If it is necessary, the external auditing expert from the company in Can Tho city can be contracted to work for checking the Vietnamese invoices/receipts. However, if it is the case, all the costs involved will be paid from VLIR.
• For the imported goods, CTU will try to ask for tax exemption.
• Coordination costs will be used at both sides under autonomy rule.