LifeWatch-ERIC

Research Infrastructure

The e-Infrastructure for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research (LifeWatch ERIC) is a distributed Research Infrastructure that provides digital services and e-resources for the European Research Area on biodiversity and ecosystems.  LifeWatch ERIC represents a significant step forward, empowering users and stakeholders, as we seek to address societal challenges linked to climate change and resource efficiency, food security and agriculture, sustainable development and energy supply, security and health. Agroecology is a key topic for LifeWatch ERIC where we are contributing to support open science policy in Agroecology Research.

Background information

Aim

LifeWatch ERIC aims to accelerate the research efforts of the scientific community by delivering a European state-of-the-art e-Science Research Infrastructure on biodiversity and ecosystem research, specifically LifeWatch ERIC aims to: 

  • provide access to, and support for, key scientific services by applying cutting-edge ICT technology,

  • enable reproducible analytics,

  • co-design and co-create with the user communities and

  • tune with the needs for research that provides key insights for society, in particular science-based policy.

LifeWatch ERIC enters the 2006 ESFRI Roadmap and was established as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) in March 2017. After a preparatory phase (2006 – 2010) and a transition phase (2010 – 2017), LifeWatch was established as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC) by the European Commission, entering its operational phase. In 2024, we are in the second five-year implementation period.

Organizationally, LifeWatch ERIC is a distributed infrastructure composed of eight European Union Member States (Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain). LifeWatch ERIC’s members operate from national nodes, known as Distributed Centres, while its Common Facilities are located in three Member States: Spain (Statutory Seat Office & ICT-Core), Italy (Service Centre) and the Netherlands (Virtual Laboratories and Innovations Centre).

Funding structure

LifeWatch ERIC relies on a multi-level governance model to ensure effective decision-making, smooth management, scientific soundness and transparency of processes. Our main funding sources are ERIC Member States, European and national projects.

Achievements

  • Design of an Open Repository to facilitate access to digital tools and technologies for agroecological farming (https://www.path2dea.eu/)

  • Development of the PATH2DEA Virtual Research Environment to facilitate and streamline key connections related to the specific characteristics of the Digital Agroecology Ecosystem, including internal communication among project partners, visualization showcases, knowledge repository, and networking (digitalagroecology.lifewatch.eu)

  • Provision of large, high profile research services to the scientific to facilitate and enable interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research in agroecology and foster open science and innovation (https://agroserv.eu/)

  • Development of a community of users and stakeholders engagement plan under AgroServ project (https://agroserv.eu/about/organisation-and-contact)

Methods, stakeholder engagements and tools

LifeWatch ERIC uses different approaches for stakeholders’ engagement. As an example, to identify and define the user's requirements and needs we used a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods including questionnaires, interviews, workshops and working sessions. For the co-development of digital tools with the research community, we use standard agile methodologies for software development.

Stakeholder engagement session organized in LifeWatch ERIC premises in Seville, Spain.

Further information

Figure: Organization of LifeWatch ERIC @LifeWatchERIC

Figure: Services provided by LifeWatch ERIC. @LifeWatchERIC

Activities

Some examples of the activities LifeWatch ERIC have performed are:

  • Development of co-designed and co-developed Virtual Research Environments for improving problem-solving capacity for researchers, SMEs and entrepreneurs, and policy making in the field of Agroecology

  • Provision of access to multiple data and service resources in one click

  • Provision of workflows dedicated to specific lines of research with customized data and services

Example of a workflow development for an Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structures (ARMS) programme

  • Facilitation FAIR data management by training and developing of specific tools and plans

Example of a Data FAIRNess training provided by LifeWatch ERIC

  • Facilitation of networking and collaboration through the use of engagement activities and digital platforms

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