Periodic Reporting for period 2 - EU-PolarNet 2 (Co-ordinating and Co-designing the European Polar Research Area)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2022-04-01 al 2023-09-30
The overall objective of EU-PolarNet 2 is to provide a platform to further develop the coordination of Polar research actions in Europe and with overseas partners. By involving all relevant stake- and rightsholders it will support the development of transdisciplinary and transnational Polar research actions. These will contribute new knowledge to the international protocols to which the EC has committed, and enable EU-PolarNet 2 to provide evidence-based advice with impact on policymaking. To ensure that such an important platform is sustained after the end of EU-PolarNet 2, the project will work towards creating a permanent European Polar Coordination Office (EPCO).
One focus of the second and third project year was the work towards an “identification report of critical future research needs in the Polar Regions”. The process for this research prioritisation included launching three Calls for Services for pre-studies. Three workshops were held with stake- and rightsholders from indigenous communities, the maritime industry and Antarctic and Southern Ocean stakeholders, in order to incorporate the information gathered in these workshops into the process of setting research priorities. Furthermore, EU-PolarNet 2 engaged with Polar operators and funders and identified pilot studies to demonstrate how bi- or multilateral cooperation can provide more efficient resource use and add value in European Polar research. Lastly, the Polar Expert Group, the EU Polar Cluster, the EU-PolarNet 2 consortium were consulted for research topics of high priority.
For its legacy, EU-PolarNet 2 has developed terms of reference for the EPCO, a mission statement and governance structure, as well as proposals for funding models.
The project is entirely structured to initiate and support cooperation between European and International Polar researchers (WP1), stake- and rightholders (WP2), funding organisations (WP4) and decision-makers (WP5) and observing capacities (WP6) as transnational cooperation and coordination of research efforts are decisively important in tackling major societal challenges such as climate change. Furthermore, the networking and strategic coordination of national Polar funding agencies (WP4) will establish synergies between them, creating leverage and the critical mass needed for joint support of the Polar research actions which EU-PolarNet 2 will prioritise (WP3).
EU-PolarNet 2 produced the following two results in its first year, which are expected to strongly impact European research coordination and research prioritisation: A Catalogue of national Polar programmes and other large-scale programmes (WP1), an update of the stakeholder map developed in EU-PolarNet 1 (WP2) and a Directory of European Polar Research funding programmes (WP4).
One of the main cooperation tools developed and launched during the first two project years is the Catalyst Platform that shall improve the information flow within the European Polar community. The Catalyst Platform accommodates a continuous information exchange and an interactive room as a discussion forum for the Polar community to identify synergies and develop partnerships within Europe.
For its legacy, EU-PolarNet 2 has developed terms of reference for the European Polar Coordination Office, which will sustain the coordination platform after the project ends. A mission statement and governance structure, as well as proposals for funding models have been developed within the first three years of the project. This will be complemented with the identification of a host and an initial work plan for the European Polar Coordination Office.