The objective of WP1 is day-to-day management of project Natalion to ensure the implementation of planned activities and deliverables. To achieve this objective, Project Management Board (PMB) and External Advisory Board (EAB) will be established and operative management of the project (submitting reports to the European Commission, monitoring the progress of project implementation, monitoring risks, and taking corrective actions if necessary) will be performed by Project Manager and leader of WP1 Prof. Aigars Jirgensons. PMB will review the progress of implementation of project and discuss it with EAB, Project Manager, and ERA Chair holder every year. Internal monitoring on Natalion compliance with ERA priorities and Gender Equality Plan will be ensured by ERA Chair holder Dr. Stefano Donadio in cooperation with Prof. Aigars Jirgensons and head of Gender Equality Group Dr. Pavel Arsenyan, respectively. Implementation of WP1 will be assisted by all relevant NIRI support units: HR Department, Procurement Department, Financial and Legal Department, Grant Office, IP unit, Technical Department, IT unit, and PR unit.

WP2 has been designed to assemble Natural Products Research (NPR) group personnel and provide the necessary training, infrastructure, and research support. The activities within WP2 include recruitment of the NPR group personnel according to the OTM-R principles, assembly of the necessary research infrastructure within the framework of infrastructure development project No 1.1.1.4/17/I/007, training of the NPR group personnel, and development of pre-award support service to assist ERA Chair holder and NPR group at drafting research project proposals and thereby increase the success rate of NIRI in Horizon Europe programmes. Implementation of WP2 will be performed by ERA Chair holder Dr. Stefano Donadio in close cooperation with NIRI HR Department, Procurement Department, and Project Manager Prof. Aigars Jirgensons and assured by WP2 leader Ms. Ieva Uskure, Head of HR Department at NIRI.

The objective of WP 3 is to establish sustainable scientific activities of the NPR group and to achieve sustainable funding of NPR group from external competitive research projects. To implement WP3, scientific management plan and long-term sustainability plan for the NPR group will be developed. Setting up the research activities will start with a pilot project in collaboration with NAICONS followed by integration of the NPR group with other NIRI units through joint research projects and establishment of external collaboration with other research centers in the Baltic region and beyond. The financial stability of NPR group will be reached by applying to National and ESIF grant calls and Horizon Europe grant calls (both as a partner of a consortium and as a coordinator) as well as engagement in collaboration projects with industry partners. The implementation of WP3 will be assured by NPR group leader in close cooperation with the leader of WP3 Dr. Stefano Donadio and monitored by Project Manager Prof. Aigars Jirgensons.

WP4 has been designed to establish NIRI Innovation Hub and launch its operations as a special purpose facility to transfer NIRI innovations to the market. To reach this objective, NIRI Innovation Hub will be set up and its personnel will be recruited. Furthermore, service package of NIRI Innovation Hub will be designed and implemented. In order to raise awareness of NIRI researchers on the need to maximize socio-economic benefit of their research, NIRI Innovation Hub will design and implement dedicated Training plan on Innovation and IPR to all NIRI employees. NIRI Innovation Hub will also establish and maintain close relationships with internal and external participants of NIRI Innovation ecosystem (researchers of NIRI and other academic institutions, external experts, banks, investment funds, funding agencies, policy makers, business networks, industry, incubators, etc.). The implementation of WP4 will be assured by ERA Chair holder and leader of WP4 Dr. Stefano Donadio and supervised by Project Management Board.

The objectives of WP5 are: 1) to ensure the visibility of project Natalion outcomes, accessibility to the different stakeholder groups, and impact of the project activities; 2) to disseminate and exploit the scientific results of the NPR group in scientific forums; 3) to communicate project activities and results to target audiences. To achieve these objectives, communication with wide audience (research community, industry, policy makers, general public) will be ensured. The communication and dissemination activities will be performed according to the Plan for the Exploitation and Dissemination of the Project (PEDR). To reach wider audience, communication and dissemination materials (newsletters, factsheets, infographics, etc.) will be distributed and update on information will be provided by common means of communication. Both internal (discussions at NIRI conference or workshop) and external (organization of international workshops and conference with a focus on natural products) activities will be performed to present and promote the implementation of project. Implementation of WP5 will be assured by ERA Chair holder Dr. Stefano Donadio in collaboration with NPR group members, Project Manager Prof. Aigars Jirgensons, NIRI PR unit, and leader of WP5 EU Projects Manager Dr. Elina Priede.