eLTER EnRich

Bridging Phases Towards the Integrated European Long-Term Ecosystem, critical zone and socio-ecological Research Infrastructure

eLTER EnRich aims at catalysing the eLTER ESFRI process towards a successful conclusion, balancing between the changed framework conditions since 2020 and the vision and role in the European system of Research Infrastructures (RIs) identified by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI).

This role is to enable frontier research for a sound understanding of ecosystem change or adaptation in response to multiple global change pressures, thus providing an essential tool for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and the Green Deal. 

EnRich is implementing a model-based systems engineering approach to better capture the complexity of the distributed RI and to support dynamic decision-making towards a research infrastructure capacity that is well co-ordinated across the involved countries.

The eLTER System Architecture (SA) allows to design a baseline RI with well selected initial key services as a starting point for incremental extensions during the operational phase. Cyberinfrastructure components of highest relevance for the eLTER service portfolio will be driven from the SA and implemented in close collaboration with related projects and RIs. Formalisation efforts will be intensified to achieve sustainable commitment from service hosts and future ERIC members. This will ensure a seamless transition from eLTER projects to eLTER ERIC operations, build capacity in terms of expertise and human resources, and strengthen user involvement in the RI. 

As part of eLTER EnRich, CSC will focus on the establishment of the eLTER cyberinfrastructure. CSC’s role in the establishment is to form and lead an agile development team to aid collaboration between the so far siloed developers and teams functioning under RIs that are currently partners in eLTER PLUS and eLTER PPP projects and constructing the eLTER RI. CSC also participates to landscaping activities to identify potential collaborations in adopting or co-developing components that are relevant for the scientific goals that the future eLTER RI has.