Summary
Defra Plant Health is looking for experts to apply and join a Plant Health Register of Reviewers. This is a list of pre-approved experts who Defra can call upon to carry out ad-hoc peer review tasks and provide science and technical advice to support Plant Health research.
Applications open 14th August 2024. Sifting will begin on 13th September. We plan to keep this call open to future applicants but reserve the right to close the call for applications at any time beyond 13th September. We will aim to conduct a sift of applications quarterly.
Further information about joining the register and how to apply can be found below. Additional documentation such as the privacy notice and an alternative application form can be found in the annex.
The online application form can be found here
To supplement your application you may also submit a CV and list of relevant publications to phea@defra.gov.uk . Please note this is optional. Please read the guidance below before applying.
Key information
Background to Defra Plant Health
Defra Plant Health has a publicly funded research and evidence programme and is a part of the UK Plant Health Service (PHS).
The Plant Health Evidence and Analysis team in Defra co-ordinates Plant Health R&D activities with other evidence teams and with oversight from the Defra Central Science team. Some of Defra’s Plant Health R&D needs are met by scientists and analysts in the Department. However, the majority of needs are met by a collaborative approach, working with the national and international research community, users, stakeholders and other funders, to identify, support and deliver priority needs.
Defra Plant Health R&D activities cover a broad remit and are aligned with our Plant Health Research and Development plan which outlines 6 key research themes:
- Risk assessment and horizon scanning
- Inspections, diagnostics, and surveillance
- Management of pests and diseases
- Resilience and adaptation
- Plant health behaviours
- Evaluation
Our participation in international processes and bodies requires us to support evidence-based decision-making and setting of rules and standards. Given our broad needs, we support a wide and interdisciplinary portfolio of activities that combine long-term strategic research with more applied, responsive approaches.
The Plant Health Register of Reviewers
The Plant Health Register of Reviewers (RoR) is being created to increase Defra’s access to experts and advice from across the field of Plant Health. The Register of Reviewers is intended to provide an additional, independent assurance function, where our programme would benefit from this to ensure quality, trust and robustness of outputs and therefore maximise the impact on public interests.
Types of work needed
Defra Plant Health is seeking experienced plant health professionals to join the register, from which it can commission short pieces of ad-hoc work, to provide science and technical advice, in the form of peer review. Activities RoR members may be asked to engage with on an ad-hoc basis include:
- To appraise project proposals
- To help inform the design and prioritisation of new research and evidence questions
- To evaluate final reports
Selection criteria
Criteria for selection for members of the Register of Reviewers
Applicants must provide evidence showing how they meet the selection criteria below with reference to the areas of expertise and the roles they have ticked in their application form.
Desired criteria:
- A high level of relevant experience and expertise in the areas you have identified, evidenced by qualifications to postgraduate degree level or equivalent experience; a strong record of achievement at a national or international level, a good publication record and/or strong networks in the field.
- Experience/strength in applying your expertise in the specific Plant Health areas and roles that you have indicated an interest in your application.
- Ability to work and write effectively in English within the areas and roles you have identified.
Eligibility
Members of staff from Defra's Arm length bodies (ALB’s) or existing joint ventures are invited to apply to be reviewers. However, existing terms and conditions between these organisations and Defra will take precedence over anything here.
Application process
The application form
If you are interested in supporting Defra Plant Health and becoming a peer reviewer, you must complete an online application form.
An alternative Microsoft word format Application form is available in the annex. Please email this form to phea@defra.gov.uk
You may wish to send a CV and list of relevant publications to help us assess your experience and expertise, if this is not covered in the application form. We may also request this if sufficient information is not available in the application form. Please send any additional supporting information to phea@defra.gov.uk . You can also use this mailbox for any queries that you have on the application process.
Each application will be acknowledged by e-mail.
Open call
This call opened on 14th August 2024. We will begin sifting applications on 13th September 2024. After this time, we will aim to sift applications on a quarterly basis.
We plan to keep this call open to future applicants but reserve the right to close the call for applications at any time beyond September 13th.
If you have any issues or questions completing the application process, please contact phea@defra.gov.uk
The Decision/Selection process
Your application will be assessed against the selection criteria laid out above, by a team of Defra Plant Health scientists. There will not be interviews for selection to join the register.
All of your information will be processed in line with the Defra Data Protection Policy and the Data Protection Legislation. Each candidate will be considered carefully and the reasons for decisions noted. Feedback will be provided on request. Records are kept in line with the Defra Data Protection Policy.
Once all applications have been assessed, the panel will make recommendations for appointments for those judged to demonstrate the closest match with the published criteria. We will let you know by e-mail whether or not you have been selected. Candidates are requested to confirm acceptance of their appointment.
Next steps
Principles of ongoing management
If you are selected to join the Register, your details, including a summary of your expertise, experience and the forms of input in which you have expressed an interest will be added to the Register and held for a period of 3 years. We will keep and use your application form with any other supporting information to help decide whether to contact you about specific pieces of work. Once you are added to the Register, we will consider you for work which matches your expertise and areas of interest.
Please be aware that opportunities to act as a reviewer will be on an ad hoc basis, dependent on research proposals received and evolving evidence needs. Therefore, you may be contacted infrequently once added to the register. While we are unable to guarantee review work, we will endeavour to offer you anything suitable.
We will aim to review participation on the RoR on an annual basis. If you wish to leave the register or update your contact details/experience within this period, then contact phea@defra.gov.uk.
What happens if you are invited to take on a specific piece of work
We will contact you to discuss any work which we think may be of interest and suited to your skills and expertise, to discuss what is required and assess any potential conflicts of interest.
Conflict of interest
In-line with Defra policy and established good practice for accessing external expertise, members of the Register of Reviewers are required to declare any personal or non-personal interests before taking on a specific piece of work.
Interests which represent a real or potential conflict in respect of general or specific aspects of the work undertaken will be considered and managed accordingly.
Therefore, if you are interested in taking on the specified work, we will ask you to fill out a Declaration of Interest form to identify any potential conflicts of interest that are relevant in the context of the specific task under consideration. We will assess any associated conflicts with the proposed work.
Confidentiality agreement
To act as a peer reviewer, you will need to sign a Confidentiality Agreement prior to receiving a proposal. We will send to you a conflict-of-interest form and confidentiality agreement to sign prior to undertaking the work.
Undertaking review activities
If there is no conflict and if the work is of interest to you, we will discuss and agree the amount of time needed to complete the work and discuss the availability of remuneration for time.
Once we have confirmed the work is to go ahead, we will get final internal approval and then raise a purchase order number for you to use when invoicing after completion of the work.
As part of the review process, we will send the piece of work for review to you, likely either a project proposal, project output or final project report. We will ask you to read the work in full, commenting and highlighting any issues and errors that you observe. We will ask you to fill in the appropriate appraisal form to complete the process.
Time commitment
It is anticipated that work will be short term, one-off review pieces and therefore the time commitment for reviewers is not expected to be too intensive, usually a day at most. Due to the wide range of projects and research areas, inclusion on the Register does not guarantee that you will be called upon to undertake work for Defra Plant Health.
Additional information
Guidance on pay, eligibility and expenses
Pay
We are able to offer a discretionary fee for work carried out by UK-based non civil servants, for which the default rate will be, in line with other Government departments, in the region of:
- £200 per project proposal review (expected time commitment ½ day)
- £400 per report (expected time commitment: 1 day)
Variation to this is subject to discussion and agreement with the Department. The number of days to be worked will also be subject to discussion and agreement with the Department. Please note the fee is discretionary, and may not be applicable to all review work, depending on the circumstances e.g. the number of potential peer reviewers, the amount of work involved, and its sensitivity.
Eligibility
Current members of Defra and its ALBs, and reviewers based outside the UK will not be eligible to be paid for peer review work. However, we welcome applications to join the register and participate in peer review activities.
Payment will be processed once Defra signs off any final outputs. Experts will be required to invoice the Department, using a provided Purchase Order number, based on the agreed cost. Please note to be paid a fee for this work, we may request proof of right to work in the UK. We will be required to carry out an Employment Status Assessment for anyone engaging their services as a personal service contract.
Expenses and subsistence
Due to the nature of the work, we do not envisage that it will be necessary to travel for the role. Therefore, reviewers will not be able to claim expenses for travel and subsistence during the period of work. This is subject to negotiation with the department in the event travel is needed.
Additionally, expenses incurred by candidates during the recruitment process will not be reimbursed, except in exceptional circumstances and only when agreed in advance with the Defra Team.
Equal Opportunities
We welcome applications from suitably qualified people, regardless of race, age, disability, gender, marital status, religion, sexual orientation, transgender and working patterns. Decisions on selection for the Register are based on merit and the principles of independent assessment, openness and transparency of process.
The completion of the Equal opportunities Monitoring Questionnaire is encouraged but is optional. Please note the information will be used for statistical purposes only and it will be presented in the form of totals from which individuals cannot be separately identified. The purpose is to ensure we do not create any barriers in our selection process and to help us implement our equal opportunities policy effectively.
Privacy of reviewers when commissioned
In line with Defra’s policy on openness and transparency, your name will normally appear on the appraisal as a matter of course.
If you request that your name and/or contact details are not to be attributed to your comments, then your name will not appear on the appraisal. An automatic confidentially disclaimer will not count as a confidentiality request. You should explain why you need to keep your details confidential.
We will take your reasons into account if someone asks for this information under freedom of information legislation. But, because of the provisions of the legislation, we cannot promise that we will always be able to keep those details confidential and you need to be aware that we may still be required to disclose your name in response to a request, including under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004, and the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We would, as far as practicable, seek to consult with you if such a request were received.
Complaints
Even the best organisations will sometimes get things wrong. For any complaints, please initially tell the person you have been dealing with. We will try to resolve any problem quickly, explaining what we have done and why.
If you are still dissatisfied and would like to take your complaint further, you should contact service-standards.adjudicator@defra.gov.uk
See our Defra complaints procedure on GOV.UK.
Annexes
Annex A - Privacy Notice
Annex B – Alternative Application form (to be emailed to Phea@defra.gov.uk)