Sites and Platforms Coordinators

Image by EFF Photos

The LTER Sites and LTSER Platforms distributed across Europe make up the backbone of the foreseen eLTER Research Infrastructure (RI). Historically, the European LTER process was mainly a  bottom-up initiative, where the focus was on establishing and coordinating national networks. In spite of their crucial roles in this process, the Site and Platform Coordinators (SPCs) have not had a specific forum or platform for communication and exchange or for establishing joint activities (e.g. training) as a peer group across countries.  

The recent inclusion of eLTER in the ESFRI Roadmap (European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures) provides a historical chance for implementing centralized and top-down components of eLTER with organizational support by the Preparatory Phase Project (eLTER PPP).  This urgently calls for efficient information exchange with the SPCs. For this purpose, the new Sites and Platforms Forum (SPF) was established in January 2021.

Besides the general need for better networking, the Sites and Platforms Coordinators do have the opportunity to co-design and co-create their future working environment at the national and European scales, - including the services and tools eLTER should provide. SPCs have a critically important role in the eLTER National Research Infrastructure (NRIs), and their prioritized requirements, experiences and expertise are key in the eLTER ESFRI process.

Map of LTER Europe sites, source: https://deims.org/map/

Upcoming:

• The next SPF meeting will be a two half-days meeting and take place on May 18 & 19, 2021 in the mornings. More information coming!

• A coordination group and more specific work groups for SPF are under construction. If you want to volunteer to be part of these groups or act as convener, please fill in this form. You might want to coordinate your representation in the working groups nationally.

• SPF Concept paper. You are welcome to provide comments on the Concept paper though this form.
  

Useful links:

Letters to SPCs: