Academic CentreeLTER PPP, “eLTER Preparatory Phase Project”
eLTER PPP, “eLTER Preparatory Phase Project”
Leading partner - UFZ, Germany
Consortium - 27 partners from 24 states
Budget: 4 millioni €
Duration: 60 mēneši Februāris 2020 - Janvāris 2025)
Representative of LU - prof. Dr. biol. Viesturs Melecis
The Preparatory Phase Project for the eLTER Research Infrastructure (eLTER PPP) is a HORIZON 2020 funded Coordination and Support Action for the detailed specification and high level decision making towards the level of legal, financial and technical maturity required for eLTER RI´s implementation. Therein, eLTER PPP will closely interact with eLTER PLUS to secure the highest relevance of eLTER RI services for the related research communities and other eLTER RI user groups.
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Core objective: eLTER PPP will coordinate the detailed specification and decision making processes towards the eLTER RI implementation and legal entity at the European and related national levels (eLTER ESFRI process).
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Main themes of the eLTER PPP are listed below:
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Design and operation
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Organisation and funding
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Strategies and impact
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Consultation and harmonisation across organisational levels
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eLTER PLUS “European long-term ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological systems research infrastructure PLUS”
eLTER PLUS “European long-term ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological systems research infrastructure PLUS”
Grant agreement ID: 871128, Funded under H2020-EU.1.4.1.2.
Start date 1 February 2020 End date31 January 2025
Overall budget € 10 065 009,44 EU contribution € 9 999 989,75
Coordinated by HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO
LU coordinator prof, DR biol. Viesturs Melecis,
LU budget € 40 358,75
Long-term ecosystem research is essential to improve our knowledge of the structure and functions of ecosystems and their long-term responses to environmental, societal and economic drivers. Networking, joint research activities, and transnational, remote and virtual access are the three main pillars of the EU-funded eLTER PLUS project that will address biodiversity loss, biogeochemical controls of ecosystem functions, the climate-water-food nexus and socio-ecological systems. By engaging current and new users and developing the operations of cross- and transdisciplinary research, as well as strengthening community and service building, the project will expand on the research capacities.
Progress in understanding, managing and securing current and future ecosystem functions and services is challenged by fragmented and dispersed ecosystem research, operated using narrow disciplinary perspectives that prevent a holistic understanding of complex eco- and socio-ecological systems. The primary objective of eLTER PLUS is to open and expand the research capacities and impact of eLTER by engaging current and new users and developing the operations of cross- and transdisciplinary research, exemplified in eLTER Site and Platform design and the RI’s Standard Observation framework. eLTER PLUS will execute a performance test of the emerging RI and assess and strengthen its operations in real time. It will further advance community building and provisioning of services as pursued by the H2020-funded eLTER INFRAIA Starting Community project and related projects. Its focus is on making intensive use of 35 selected sites and platforms in terrestrial, freshwater and coastal ecosystems, combined with observational data from an additional 50 sites, for studying ecosystem and socio-ecological responses to globally-relevant environmental challenges in terms of ecosystem integrity and ecosystem services. Its Whole-Systems approach will derive meaningful scientific and policy-relevant information via co-designed, transdisciplinary research in collaboration with diverse stakeholders at local, regional and EU-scales. Concerted actions also focus on collaboration with peer RIs to maximize synergies, increase efficiencies and catalyze holistic understanding of ecosystem function, and on development of virtual laboratories where in-situ site data are linked with other data sources, e.g. Copernicus.
eLTER and Advanced ELTER
LTER - Long-Term Ecosystem Research
Projects
1. eLTER "European Long-Term Ecosystem and Socio-Ecological Research Infrastructure"
Grant agreement ID: 654359 Funded under H2020-EU.1.4.1.2.
1 June 2015 - 31 October 2019
Overall budget € 4 999 138, EU contribution € 4 999 138
Coordinated by UMWELTBUNDESAMT GESELLSCHAFT MIT BESCHRANKTER HAFTUNG (UBA GMBH) Austria
LU coordinator prof., Dr. biol. Viesturs Melecis
A collective effort is needed to create the environmental research infrastructure for answering pressing questions in a world of rapid social, economic and environmental change.
The overall aim of the eLTER project is to advance the European network of Long-Term Ecosystem Research sites and socio-ecological research platforms to provide highest quality services for multiple use of a distributed research infrastructure.
eLTER´s major objectives and methods are to:
(1) identify user needs for the research infrastructure in relation to major societal challenges through consultations with scientific, policy and business stakeholders and horizon scanning;
(2) streamline the design of a cost-efficient pan-European network, able to address multiple ecosystem research issues, in collaboration with related global and European research infrastructures, e.g. LifeWatch;
(3) develop the organisational framework for data integration and enable virtual access to the LTER data by enabling data publishing through distributed Data Nodes and by providing access to data on key research challenges through a Data Integration Platform;
(4) foster the societal relevance, usability and multiple use of information, data and services through new partnerships with the providers of remotely sensed data, analytical services and scenario testing models, and via the adoption of new measurement technologies.
The LTER-Europe network and the European Critical Zone community will collaborate to achieve these goals. 162 sites in 22 countries will provide data on long-term trends in environmental change, some reaching back 100 years. Test cases using these data will address a range of environmental and social issues to push innovation in network level services and steer conceptual developments.
The envisaged “LTER Infrastructure” will enable European-scale investigation of major ecosystems and socio-ecological systems, and support knowledge-based decision making at multiple levels.
2. Advance-LTER "Advancing the European Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological Research Infrastructure towards ESFRI”
Grant agreement ID: 739558 Funded under H2020-EU.1.4.1.1.
1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017
Coordinated by HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FUR UMWELTFORSCHUNG GMBH - UFZ
Overall budget € 899 820,01 EU contribution € 899 820
LU coordinator prof., Dr. biol. Viesturs Melecis
Advance_eLTER marked a crucial step in building the Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, Critical Zone & Socio-Ecological Research Infrastructure (eLTER RI). The research infrastructure aims to provide highest quality data and services, complementing and extending that provided by existing European and global environmental RIs.
The project (Jan-Dec 2017) conducted important conceptual work and preparatory steps towards enabling European-scale investigation of the “Critical Zone”, major ecosystems and socio-ecological systems, targeted at supporting knowledge-based decision making concerning ecosystem services and biodiversity.
Following the eLTER ESFRI proposal submitted by Germany in March 2015, eLTER was designated an ‘Emerging’ ESFRI RI. The reviewers noted the 'high' to 'very high' scientific value and necessity of eLTER. The objectives of Advance_eLTER were firmly anchored to the strategic long-term goals of the eLTER RI, but focussed on the challenges identified by the ESFRI review.
Advance_eLTER cooperated closely with other LTER-related processes and projects, leading to a second eLTER RI proposal that was submitted to ESFRI in August 2017. As a result, eLTER RI is on the ESFRI 2018 Roadmap.