The Portuguese Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (PTNMR) network was created in 2005 with the support of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) in the frame of a national program (2003-2007) for acquisition and upgrading of scientific equipment. The main purpose is to endow the Portuguese research community with state-of-the art NMR equipment and to establish a national NMR hub to provide services in a spirit of partnership between all participating institutions. One of the objectives of the PTNMR is to promote collaboration between the several poles of the network, and to save funds by coordinating the re-equipment among all participating institutions, avoiding also undesirable duplication of equipment.
After the installation period (2007) the first two years of operation of the PTNMR (2008 and 2009) had no specific funding program. By the end of 2009, PTNMR activities were formally reported to FCT for evaluation. This evaluation considered scientific, operational and financial aspects such as: spectrometer usage, network activities (e.g. workshops, courses and other training activities), impact in post-graduate training (e.g. number of PhDs and post-docs), impact in research activity (e.g. number of research projects supported), and other scientific production indicators (e.g. publications, communications in conferences, etc) and operational costs (human resources and maintenance).
The PTNMR network is organized and managed according to a policy agreed between all NMR partners (NMR units) and the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). The Network Rules document establishes the network mission and management, the type of services offered to the community, the rules and conditions for access to the network services and the duties and responsibilities of the users and the network institutions.
The PTNMR management structure consists of a General Network Coordinator, a Management Committee, a local Manager per unit, an International Advisory Board and a Project Evaluation Panel.
General Network Coordinator
Management Committee - chaired by the General PTNMR Network Coordinator, approves the annual financial budget and is responsible for the operation of the whole PTNMR network; coordinates the development of all NMR units keeping in mind the high levels of services offered to the Portuguese scientific community, and takes actions to implement the necessary improvements. The Management Committee must establish the rules for access to the Network facilities and coordinate the general activities so that a cost effective network is achieved. This Committee reviews annually the structure of user fees, the budget of each NMR unit, the proposed courses/seminars/conferences and submits reports to be compiled onto the Annual Report of the PTNMR network. The Management committee 2010-2012:
NMR Unit Manager - The NMR unit manager is responsible for the day-to-day operations in each partner institution. The manager is the liaison between the users and the Management Committee providing assistance, support and training to users and reporting directly to the PTNMR Coordinator. It is also the duty of the NMR unit manager to maintain a dedicated webpage of the Unit including a public updated calendar of spectrometer use and a list of equipment and services.
International Advisory Board - recognized experts of the international NMR community appointed by the Management Committee - provides comments, suggestions and recommendations on the efficiency of the operations, on the basis of report evaluation.
Project Evaluators Panel - Is responsible for the evaluation of project proposals for spectrometer use. Evaluates the proposals concerning scientific merit and adequacy of requested NMR time. The Management board is responsible for the designation of the specialists in the panel.