Facilitate innovative research for addressing grand societal challenges We aim to increase the scientific capacity, efficiency, visibility, and attractiveness of the European Research Area, to support management and policy making for a sustainable future. eLTER wants to seamlessly bring together researchers of ecosystem ecology and biodiversity, the critical zone, and socio-ecological systems to address grand societal challenges from a systemic perspective. We are striving to develop and provide innovative research methods, which will be tested and implemented at eLTER’s in-situ facilities distributed throughout Europe.

Design and operate a distributed and highly functional network of eLTER in-situ facilities across Europe Our aim is to integrate existing and newly established eLTER Sites and eLTSER Platforms into a pan-European, distributed research infrastructure supported by user-friendly centralised services. To benefit the individual in situ facilities and their teams through harmonised design and instrumentation, eLTER has secured long-term funding and forged high-level collaborations. eLTER is specifically dedicated to achieving long-term sustainable operations and to collaborating closely with environmental RIs and other initiatives nationally, in Europe and globally.

Create a unique and widely accessible service portfolio The eLTER Service Portal will be the one-stop gateway to all eLTER RI resources, supporting the collection of, and access to, harmonised data from eLTER in situ facilities and access to other services provided both centrally and by in situ facilities. Options for co-developing tools and services via technical and strategic collaboration will be continuously explored with both external and internal users.

Promote collaboration, integration, and a conducive working culture We aspire to achieve high ethical and environmental standards in all that we do. We also strive to establish productive and synergistic relations with related RIs across Europe and globally. will create a collaborative internal working culture through our integrative governance structure, and will advance a transdisciplinary research framework encouraging cooperation between multiple disciplines and knowledge sources. We will also invest in the current and next generation of European scientists and strengthen the diversity of our research community.