diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index 38ef4af9d..46c16a297 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -194,19 +194,19 @@ else()
     set( the_default_data_prefix ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR} )
 endif()
 
-set( ECCODES_DEFINITION_SUFF  share/eccodes/definitions )
-set( ECCODES_SAMPLES_SUFF     share/eccodes/samples )
-set( ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF share/eccodes/ifs_samples )
+if( NOT DEFINED ECCODES_DEFINITION_SUFF )
+  set( ECCODES_DEFINITION_SUFF  share/eccodes/definitions )
+endif()
+if( NOT DEFINED ECCODES_SAMPLES_SUFF )
+  set( ECCODES_SAMPLES_SUFF     share/eccodes/samples )
+endif()
+if( NOT DEFINED ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF )
+  set( ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF ifs_samples )
+endif()
 
-if( NOT DEFINED ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH )
-    set( ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH ${the_default_data_prefix}/${ECCODES_DEFINITION_SUFF} )
-endif()
-if( NOT DEFINED ECCODES_SAMPLES_PATH )
-    set( ECCODES_SAMPLES_PATH ${the_default_data_prefix}/${ECCODES_SAMPLES_SUFF} )
-endif()
-if( NOT DEFINED ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH )
-    set( ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH ${the_default_data_prefix}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF} )
-endif()
+set( ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH  ${the_default_data_prefix}/${ECCODES_DEFINITION_SUFF} )
+set( ECCODES_SAMPLES_PATH     ${the_default_data_prefix}/${ECCODES_SAMPLES_SUFF} )
+set( ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH ${the_default_data_prefix}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF} )
 
 ### config header
 
@@ -282,14 +282,14 @@ if( EC_HAVE_FORTRAN )
 endif()
 
 if( NOT PROJECT_NAME STREQUAL CMAKE_PROJECT_NAME )
-    set( ECCODES_DEFINITIONS      ${ECCODES_DEFINITIONS}  PARENT_SCOPE )# includes already TPL definitions
-    set( ECCODES_INCLUDE_DIRS     ${ECCODES_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${ECCODES_EXTRA_INCLUDE_DIRS} PARENT_SCOPE )
-    set( ECCODES_LIBRARIES        ${ECCODES_LIBRARIES}    ${ECCODES_EXTRA_LIBRARIES} ${CMATH_LIBRARIES} PARENT_SCOPE )
-    set( ECCODES_FOUND            TRUE PARENT_SCOPE )
-    set( ECCODES_SAMPLES_PATH     ${ECCODES_SAMPLES_PATH} PARENT_SCOPE )
-    set( ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH ${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH} PARENT_SCOPE )
-    set( ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH  ${ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH} PARENT_SCOPE )
-    set( ECCODES_INSTALL_ECMWF_TOOLS  ${ECCODES_INSTALL_ECMWF_TOOLS} PARENT_SCOPE )
+  set( ECCODES_FOUND            TRUE PARENT_SCOPE )
+  set( ECCODES_DEFINITIONS      ${ECCODES_DEFINITIONS}  PARENT_SCOPE )# includes already TPL definitions
+  set( ECCODES_INCLUDE_DIRS     ${ECCODES_INCLUDE_DIRS} ${ECCODES_EXTRA_INCLUDE_DIRS} PARENT_SCOPE )
+  set( ECCODES_LIBRARIES        ${ECCODES_LIBRARIES}    ${ECCODES_EXTRA_LIBRARIES} ${CMATH_LIBRARIES} PARENT_SCOPE )
+  set( ECCODES_SAMPLES_PATH     ${ECCODES_SAMPLES_PATH} PARENT_SCOPE )
+  set( ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH ${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH} PARENT_SCOPE )
+  set( ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH  ${ECCODES_DEFINITION_PATH} PARENT_SCOPE )
+  set( ECCODES_INSTALL_ECMWF_TOOLS  ${ECCODES_INSTALL_ECMWF_TOOLS} PARENT_SCOPE )
 endif()
 
 # pkg-config
diff --git a/ifs_samples/grib1/CMakeLists.txt b/ifs_samples/grib1/CMakeLists.txt
index 484e3e4d4..b8de44d61 100644
--- a/ifs_samples/grib1/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/ifs_samples/grib1/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ list( APPEND ifs_samples_${_basedir}
 )
 
 install( FILES ${ECCODES_SAMPLES_FILES} ${ifs_samples_${_basedir}}  
-         DESTINATION ${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH}/${_basedir}
+         DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF}/${_basedir}
          PERMISSIONS OWNER_WRITE OWNER_READ GROUP_READ WORLD_READ )
 
 file( COPY ${ifs_samples_${_basedir}}
-      DESTINATION ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/share/${PROJECT_NAME}/ifs_samples/${_basedir} )
+      DESTINATION ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF}/${_basedir} )
diff --git a/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2/CMakeLists.txt b/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2/CMakeLists.txt
index e4e4908f5..8f250df15 100644
--- a/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ list( APPEND ifs_samples_${_basedir}
 )
 
 install( FILES ${ECCODES_SAMPLES_FILES} ${ifs_samples_${_basedir}}  
-         DESTINATION ${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH}/${_basedir}
+         DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF}/${_basedir}
          PERMISSIONS OWNER_WRITE OWNER_READ GROUP_READ WORLD_READ )
 
 file( COPY ${ifs_samples_${_basedir}}
-      DESTINATION ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/share/${PROJECT_NAME}/ifs_samples/${_basedir} )
+      DESTINATION ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF}/${_basedir} )
diff --git a/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2_ieee64/CMakeLists.txt b/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2_ieee64/CMakeLists.txt
index 4d7974a36..df8ec7382 100644
--- a/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2_ieee64/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/ifs_samples/grib1_mlgrib2_ieee64/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -8,8 +8,8 @@ list( APPEND ifs_samples_${_basedir}
 )
 
 install( FILES ${ECCODES_SAMPLES_FILES} ${ifs_samples_${_basedir}}  
-         DESTINATION ${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_PATH}/${_basedir}
+         DESTINATION ${CMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF}/${_basedir}
          PERMISSIONS OWNER_WRITE OWNER_READ GROUP_READ WORLD_READ )
 
 file( COPY ${ifs_samples_${_basedir}}
-      DESTINATION ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/share/${PROJECT_NAME}/ifs_samples/${_basedir} )
+      DESTINATION ${CMAKE_BINARY_DIR}/${ECCODES_IFS_SAMPLES_SUFF}/${_basedir} )