Each objective was subject to a different WP, having particular means to approach its subject.
Tools to strengthen the expertise are virtual training, short term staff exchange, short term on-site training, experts’ visits, technical workshop and webinars.
All virtual training sessions, 4 in total, were done in the spring of 2016 using WebEx sessions, were the trainees presented the topics of knowledge transfer to attendees from INOE.
Activities continued with short-term staff exchange, were INOE staff spend 1 month approximately at partner's laboratories, in order to understand and overcome organizational and scientific differences, including different work styles and habits, to capture as much experience as possible from the partnering organizations, by having access to advanced laboratories and research tools. The staff exchange was held in 2016 and 2017, consisting of visits to MPI-M/Hamburg, NOA/Athens, CNR-IMAA/ Potenza and participation to NAWDEX campaign during DLR's airborne campaign. Expertise transfer continued with short-term on-site training, done in November 2016, and November 2017 at MPI-M/Hamburg, and in April 2017 with participation to NOA/Pre-Tech campaign. Follow up were experts visits, with visits from MPI-M, DLR-IPA, CNR-IMAA, and NOA during February 2018. Three technical workshops were organized in total, the first two in parallel with ECARS summer school.
This knowledge transfer process carried out with webinars, for paper preparation and submissions at conferences or at high ranked journals.
During ECARS were organized two summer school: in May - June 2016 in Magurele (HQ of INOE), and in April 2017 by NOA in Crete. Dissemination by participation at conferences and article publication it was dedicated task, the indicators were achieved, by publishing 13 articles in ISI indexed journals for mid-term review, and 35 in total, with a cumulated impact factor of 32 for MTR, and 50.84 at the completion of the project. Networking by participation to international working groups and committees is an activity foreseen continuously, with active involvement in COST Actions, EARLINET, ACTRIS, PANDONIA and promotion of these networks at the national level.
In May-June 2016 it was organized the first technical workshop, hands-on training on good practices in lidar operation. The second training, on of satellite calibration/validation activities was organized in Crete, Greece in April 2017. The first two technical workshops were held in parallel with ECARS summer schools. The third technical workshop was organized in January 2018, in Bucharest, and was focused on data synergy and exploitation.
The improvement of INOE’s research performance index by bridging the scientific gap with world-class institutions and networks was done by participating to summer schools, participation to conferences, publications, participation to expert groups and networks and spreading of knowledge at the national level.
The increase INOE’s international visibility and links within the scientific community and public were done using traditional tools as presentations given to students, stakeholders, and also by maintaining a social media presence; thus, Twitter posts were published on the ECARS Twitter account highlighting achievements done within the project in context with international dissemination.
