eLTER PLUS TA/RA Scheme 2024 now open: Get free access to a selection of eEurope sites
Our H2020 project eLTER PLUS offers free-of-charge opportunities to perform your desired research making use of a selection of LTER-Europe sites handpicked for the purpose of small to medium scale ecological and socio-ecological projects.
Types of access offered:
Transnational Access (TA) - this option secures in-person, physical, hands-on work by users at one or more of the LTER sites involved in the scheme.
Remote Access (RA) – gives an option for protocols regarding measurements, data collection, and possibly experiments to be defined by users and performed on their behalf by site staff.
For their proposals, eLTER PLUS encourages users to combine TA- and RA-related project work where they can test hands-on and refine a protocol they’ve developed at one site and then have the same protocol performed at other sites remotely.
Financial support
The eLTER PLUS TA/ RA scheme offers free of charge access to the site(s) and all the services provided by them.
For site visits within the scheme (TA), users will also receive reimbursement of travel expenses to, from and within the site. Private or rental car travel will be supported if travel by public transport is not possible.
If possible, on-site accommodation and/or on-site meals will be offered at no cost to the user. If not, the costs of reasonable accommodation in the vicinity of the site will be reimbursed and costs for food as well (see subsistence rates).
Users’ personnel costs will not be covered.
Selection criteria
The selection criteria will mainly consider:
- Scientific excellence of the work proposed
- The involvement of promising young scientists at the start of their career
- Feasibility of the proposed application in accordance with the site manager
- Formal eligibility in line with European Commission H2020 access regulations.
A selection and review panel will carefully evaluate the proposals received in order to enable transparent, fair and impartial reviews of applications.
Question-driven research
For its TA/RA scheme, eLTER PLUS has predefined a set of research-questions within the following thematic categories:
- Drivers, trends and states of biodiversity
- Carbon and nitrogen cycling in ecosystems
- Water stress in ecosystems
- Socio-ecology
Proposers may address one or more of our recommended research questions within this framework.
Likewise, users are encouraged to define their own research questions to demonstrate further options to utilise the eLTER Research Infrastructure.
All the details (sites available, how to apply, etc.) here. The sites which are not available for the present call (too much success previously) are appearing in grey. You can apply only for sites out of your country (France for us).