Towards a Roadmap for Biodiversity and Ecosystem research in Europe

a. Toward a research infrastructure RoadmapThe European Commission expressed its interest to receive within two months a preliminary Roadmap for research infrastructures supporting research on biodiversity, ecosystem and ecosystem services. The initial conclusions of the workshop as presented in this document provide a basis for a more elaborated document. The involved European infrastructures and their associated Integrated Activities are invited to suggest persons to serve as editors of this roadmap document. Depending on the disciplinary profiles of the suggested persons, it may be necessary to identify expertise from missing areas. The proposed editing team resulting from this consultation is expected to include 6 to maximum 10 persons trusted by the community to expand this this report to a Roadmap within two months, while allowing others to contribute through an on-line forum or other mechanisms. The participants of the workshop will have the opportunity to comment on the proposed team. Depending on time, experts on specific topics may want to meet together to discuss in more detail common priorities to be included in the emerging Roadmap. As for example the working group that discussed e-infrastructure in the workshop agreed to organize another workshop to analyse einfrastructure gaps. b. Structuring the research infrastructure community The editing team above will be invited to also consider how a more permanent structure dealing with updating the common Roadmap for research infrastructures could be established. Initial options as were recommended in the workshop of 19 and 20 March 2013 are presented in paragraph 3.5 of this report. Any further plans might be discussed in an appropriate session of the upcoming INTECOL conference (18-23 August 2013)9 and the planned European Biodiversity Informatics Conference (first week of September 2013).