Periodic Reporting for period 2 - eLTER PPP (eLTER Preparatory Phase Project)
Reporting period: 2021-08-01 to 2023-01-31
eLTER RI is a distributed pan-European Research Infrastructure covering ~20 countries. The current plan is that the core of the RI is formalised and operational around 2026-2027. eLTER RI has been built on the basis of existing national investments over several decades in the context of dedicated networks and ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological research projects. More than 165 Research Performing Organisations support the eLTER RI Science Case through a signed MoU, and 20 countries have formally provided political support to establishment of eLTER RI.
The eLTER RI intends to create scientifically sound information required in response to grand societal challenges, while working as a distributed RI in the most cost-efficient way. It will continuously enhance its services and in-situ facilities to meet the needs of stakeholders as to emerging research challenges. Thereby, it will brin g Europe to a globally leading role in ecosystem sciences.
eLTER PPP has been establishing the vision and mission, strategic collaboration schemes and impact analysis of the RI; plan, consolidate with shareholders and start to implement the governance structures, coordinate a smooth transition from preparation into operations by establishing a legal entity, and by clearly identifying risks and risk reduction measures; prepare the cost benefit analysis, full Cost Book of the RI, and the financial plans for the mid-term and long-term perspective, and consolidate them with the shareholders; conclude the requirements of the RI to be met by the Central Services, identify the host for the Head Office, and the scope and decision making processes for hosting other central service components; finalise the technical specifications of eLTER RI concerning National Research Infrastructure design, eLTER Standard Observations and site categories, and establish a site labelling process; and develop and set up communication, dissemination and marketing structures or seamless continuation in eLTER RI, and engaging the eLTER scientific user community and other user groups beyond the project life time.
The eLTER RI intends to create scientifically sound information required in response to grand societal challenges, while working as a distributed RI in the most cost-efficient way. It will continuously enhance its services and in-situ facilities to meet the needs of stakeholders as to emerging research challenges. Thereby, it will brin g Europe to a globally leading role in ecosystem sciences.
eLTER PPP has been establishing the vision and mission, strategic collaboration schemes and impact analysis of the RI; plan, consolidate with shareholders and start to implement the governance structures, coordinate a smooth transition from preparation into operations by establishing a legal entity, and by clearly identifying risks and risk reduction measures; prepare the cost benefit analysis, full Cost Book of the RI, and the financial plans for the mid-term and long-term perspective, and consolidate them with the shareholders; conclude the requirements of the RI to be met by the Central Services, identify the host for the Head Office, and the scope and decision making processes for hosting other central service components; finalise the technical specifications of eLTER RI concerning National Research Infrastructure design, eLTER Standard Observations and site categories, and establish a site labelling process; and develop and set up communication, dissemination and marketing structures or seamless continuation in eLTER RI, and engaging the eLTER scientific user community and other user groups beyond the project life time.
eLTER´s Whole System Approach and ambition to cover major European environmental and socio-ecological gradients requires excellent geopolitical coverage. User communities from 26 national LTER networks engage in the eLTER ESFRI process.
eLTER PPP has establishment its shareholder representation, the eLTER Interim Council which has held four meetings, and which has approved a range of essential conceptual documents: The RI eLTER strategic plan with a clear vision and mission; the eLTER Central Services host selection process that defines the call procedures to assign the eLTER RI services to particular providers; the core elements of the eLTER ERIC statutes that define the basis for the detailed eLTER RI legal setup; the approach and principles of the eLTER service portfolio development process including the concept of priority Service Bundles; the general eLTER Service Portfolio with a focus on the eLTER Head Office and data management; the strategic goals of the eLTER Integrated Governance that guide the definition of the structural elements of the eLTER RI; the criteria for eLTER site and platform categorisation including mandatory criteria; and the eLTER ethical guidelines that address conduct regarding scientific, administrative and community activities.
eLTER PPP has also made progress towards further objectives: The eLTER Standard Observations are one of the components decisive for the RI costs and RI acceptability for site and platform operators. The eLTER RI financial aspects include the eLTER Costs and Benefit Analysis, the overall eLTER Financial Principles and the future eLTER RI Funding Model and Sustainability Criteria. Options to assess socio-economic impact are being defined through selecting indicators and developing a prototype assessment framework. Likewise, the eLTER Risk inventory and risk registry were established to address unforeseen events in a structured manner. The ongoing development of the eLTER service portfolio is based on a conceptual approach in full compliance with EOSC (European Open Science Cloud), and it considers the outcomes of the eLTER stakeholder analysis which grouped about 40 stakeholder groups in seven categories. The eLTER human resources strategy is being designed to support the future personnel of the eLTER RI.
Collaboration with other pertinent organisations Europe-wide and also internationally has progressed through a range of informal and formal collaboration agreements. Not least, eLTER PPP has established communication, dissemination, and marketing structures to engage the eLTER scientific user community and other user groups.
eLTER PPP has establishment its shareholder representation, the eLTER Interim Council which has held four meetings, and which has approved a range of essential conceptual documents: The RI eLTER strategic plan with a clear vision and mission; the eLTER Central Services host selection process that defines the call procedures to assign the eLTER RI services to particular providers; the core elements of the eLTER ERIC statutes that define the basis for the detailed eLTER RI legal setup; the approach and principles of the eLTER service portfolio development process including the concept of priority Service Bundles; the general eLTER Service Portfolio with a focus on the eLTER Head Office and data management; the strategic goals of the eLTER Integrated Governance that guide the definition of the structural elements of the eLTER RI; the criteria for eLTER site and platform categorisation including mandatory criteria; and the eLTER ethical guidelines that address conduct regarding scientific, administrative and community activities.
eLTER PPP has also made progress towards further objectives: The eLTER Standard Observations are one of the components decisive for the RI costs and RI acceptability for site and platform operators. The eLTER RI financial aspects include the eLTER Costs and Benefit Analysis, the overall eLTER Financial Principles and the future eLTER RI Funding Model and Sustainability Criteria. Options to assess socio-economic impact are being defined through selecting indicators and developing a prototype assessment framework. Likewise, the eLTER Risk inventory and risk registry were established to address unforeseen events in a structured manner. The ongoing development of the eLTER service portfolio is based on a conceptual approach in full compliance with EOSC (European Open Science Cloud), and it considers the outcomes of the eLTER stakeholder analysis which grouped about 40 stakeholder groups in seven categories. The eLTER human resources strategy is being designed to support the future personnel of the eLTER RI.
Collaboration with other pertinent organisations Europe-wide and also internationally has progressed through a range of informal and formal collaboration agreements. Not least, eLTER PPP has established communication, dissemination, and marketing structures to engage the eLTER scientific user community and other user groups.
eLTER PPP furthers the operational, technical and strategic development at the existing LTER Sites and LTSER Platforms in Europe to meet the current challenges of global change with holistic, systemic observations and analysis of environmental trends. Harmonised methods and research approaches are applied, access to data is facilitated and seven stakeholder categories, from internal stakeholders to research to decision makers, receive increasing levels of support.
eLTER PPP will pave the way for the eLTER Research Infrastructure to begin operation. The project addresses the necessary legal, financial and technical issues. This implies reconciling the interests of currently over 165 institutions from 28 countries that support the scientific concept as infrastructure users. Around 250 sites will be selected and a Standard Observation programme be developed. In order to ensure a comprehensive and systematic coverage of the most important European terrestrial, freshwater and transitional waters habitats and social-ecological zones, larger multidisciplinary infrastructure platforms and smaller research sites will form the network and will provide data via a central portal.
With the establishment of the provisional Head Office at the UFZ in Leipzig, a central interface was created between environmental data providers, site operators and their users: Strategic questions will be clarified, international networking will be promoted and a service portal will be set up to provide central access to the research sites and a wide range of relevant information. In addition, several Topic Centres hosted by institutions in different European countries will start taking responsibility for the many scientific, technical and organisational details required to operate the complex, distributed infrastructure. These include questions of data synthesis, data modelling, technology and knowledge transfer and networking among researchers from different sites.
Specific activities are securing sustainability beyond the projects runtime and reducing the known risk in RI developments named “Valley of death”, the time after Preparatory Phase Projects in cases when the ERIC contract was not signed before. In the light of this matter, the consortium is requesting an extension of the project runtime to make up for delays resulting from the COVID pandemic.
eLTER PPP will pave the way for the eLTER Research Infrastructure to begin operation. The project addresses the necessary legal, financial and technical issues. This implies reconciling the interests of currently over 165 institutions from 28 countries that support the scientific concept as infrastructure users. Around 250 sites will be selected and a Standard Observation programme be developed. In order to ensure a comprehensive and systematic coverage of the most important European terrestrial, freshwater and transitional waters habitats and social-ecological zones, larger multidisciplinary infrastructure platforms and smaller research sites will form the network and will provide data via a central portal.
With the establishment of the provisional Head Office at the UFZ in Leipzig, a central interface was created between environmental data providers, site operators and their users: Strategic questions will be clarified, international networking will be promoted and a service portal will be set up to provide central access to the research sites and a wide range of relevant information. In addition, several Topic Centres hosted by institutions in different European countries will start taking responsibility for the many scientific, technical and organisational details required to operate the complex, distributed infrastructure. These include questions of data synthesis, data modelling, technology and knowledge transfer and networking among researchers from different sites.
Specific activities are securing sustainability beyond the projects runtime and reducing the known risk in RI developments named “Valley of death”, the time after Preparatory Phase Projects in cases when the ERIC contract was not signed before. In the light of this matter, the consortium is requesting an extension of the project runtime to make up for delays resulting from the COVID pandemic.