Requirements, considerations conditions for EHFA participation in projects and programmes with partners

Background

EHFA, the European Health & Fitness Association, is a not-for-profit organisation representing the interests of the sector in Brussels with the EU, the International Olympic Committee in Lausanne and the World Health Organisation in Geneva. With its objective to get more people, more active, more often, EHFA is a standards setting body of the health and fitness industry in Europe and promotes best practice in instruction and training.

 

EHFA currently represents approx 9,000 fitness and leisure centres and 16 national associations and has members spread across 25 European countries. Membership is open to all stakeholders, public or private, including operators and suppliers, training providers and accreditation institutions.

 

EHFA has operated since 2001 and emerged out of the successful European Network of Fitness Associations that was established in 1996. EHFA is a not-for-profit association, established in Brussels, owned by its Members and working for its Members. EHFA mission is to bring together the health and fitness industry in Europe and forge a collective public affairs effort to represent the interests of the health and fitness industry at the European level:

More People | More Active | More Often

 

Increasingly EHFA is being asked to either lead or to be a partner in projects and programmes and this paper describes the requirements, considerations and conditions that will be applied to any request that is being made. This is to help provide guidance to proposers, and to offer a fair and equitable way that EHFA will take decisions on how to apply its limited resources in projects and programmes.


Requirements, Considerations and Conditions:

The overriding requirement for the work of EHFA is that it supports the mission of

More People | More Active | More Often

Furthermore, the strategic objectives of EHFA must be reflected and supported in any proposal. Currently these are:

  1. Set the European agenda re: physical activity and fitness
  2. Drive for Quality Standards and Certification
  3. Improve the perception of the industry by politicians/media/consumers
  4. Increase participation in health and fitness clubs/centres and positively influence public health and to positively influence public health using the mantra “Fitness is Prevention”
  5. Increase the industry’s influence with EU institutions/Government and to obtain EU funding to help increase participation
  6. Fully document the European fitness industry and drive the need for research
  7. Set up the European Register of Exercise Professionals

If a proposal includes specific technical or standards development or implementation work then it must be clearly in support of the current objectives and aims of the EHFA Standards Council. The Standards Council are supported by Technical Expert Groups in a complex arrangement of priorities that are locked into a programme of development over a period of years.

The main functions of the Standards Council are:

  1. To monitor the developments across and outside the industry to ensure that EHFA’s standards are fit for purpose and up to date
  2. To develop and monitor a work programme for the Technical Expert Group (TEG) in terms of standards development
  3. To ensure the development of the European Register of Exercise Professionals (EREPS) is in line with the standards process
  4. To oversee the EHFA accreditation process and the common assessment strategy

In addition EHFA and the Standards Council have an active policy of supporting and integrating EU policy directions and guidelines which also must be taken into consideration with any proposal. These include the development of a referenced sector framework with the European Qualification Framework, employing the principles of ECVET and the indicators of EQARF.
For these reasons, in projects which include the development of standards, technical work, any aspect of the strategic development of the Fitness Sector Framework, and the implementation of EREPS the expectation will be that EHFA will be the promoter/coordinator/contract holder.

Some further conditions for project proposers who want EHFA as a partner:

  • The source of grant or any other funding must be made clear (e.g. Under which call for proposals)
  • The proposer must declare any interest they have in existing projects or other proposed bids
  • All partners must be declared at the start of an application together with any “reserve” list
  • There must be a full description of the project and its expected outcomes
  • EHFA will require up to 2 weeks from notification for due consideration to be given before deciding whether to accept a proposal
  • From the start the involvement of EHFA must be clear in terms of time commitment, staffing expertise, the grant being made available and match-funding requirements
  • The intellectual property rights of any products or processes arising must be agreed before a project is submitted. It will be the expectation that EHFA will hold any IP arising
  • EHFA is not obliged to undertake any project or programme that it does not consider to being central to its current aims and objectives. The EHFA Executive will appraise and consider any proposal and will make a decision – this will involve the chair of the Standards Council and TEG as necessary
  • EHFA will check that any proposal does not compromise existing grants or work that it is undertaking (e.g. risk of double-funding)
  • Any proposal supported by EHFA should be kept confidential, with the objectives, names, budgets etc left to the proposer to disclose after the decision of the awarding authority

When EHFA is considering making an application:

  • It will advertise the opportunities for partners/supporters through its website and newsletter(s). EHFA is not obliged to accept any application for consideration, and the EHFA Executive Team will decide on the partner mix and the balance required to suit the overall project outcomes
  • Members of EHFA will receive preferential consideration in any proposal it is developing
  • It is not the policy of EHFA to declare its partners in any project or programme until a successful award is made
  • If successful, the full project brief, progress, events etc together with the partner details will be published on its website

The EHFA Executive Team will report to the Board on all projects and programme activities which will also form part of the ongoing quality management and risk assessment processes.

Brussels, 16th March 2010