Workshop to promote international and interdisciplinary integration of SIOS research infrastructure and prioritise investment

SIOS is an international consortium of research institutions that conduct Earth System Science (ESS) research in and around Svalbard. Members of SIOS cooperate to create an integrated observing system for ESS, in which core state-variables are measured over time and made available to all members of the consortium and the wider audience via the SIOS data portal. By sharing data, infrastructure and knowledge, SIOS members seek to optimise the research infrastructure already present and make joint priorities on future investments. SIOS Knowledge Centre (SIOS-KC) is the central hub and coordination unit of SIOS. In 2016, SIOS partners submitted an application to the Research Council of Norway (RCN) for the project Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System - Infrastructure development of the Norwegian node (SIOS-InfraNor) (RiS ID 11222). This project is the first major investment in research infrastructure coordinated by SIOS-KC. The final project was funded with a total of 107 million NOK. SIOS-InfraNor funds a diverse range of 41 items, from new land and marine based instruments to remote sensing products. The infrastructure funded through SIOS-InfraNor will be integrated into the observational network of SIOS and will benefit the entire SIOS community. Data from all the items funded through the project will be available to SIOS members and other users via the SIOS data portal. Access to some of the infrastructure is already offered via the SIOS Access Programme, and more will be included over the course of the project period. The next call for infrastructure funding from RCN is expected in 2020. In order to be in a position to submit an application, SIOS members need to start preparing a prioritised list of new infrastructure needs and upgrades. For the next application, SIOS wishes to increase the focus on international collaboration by including SIOS partners from outside Norway in the planning process. SIOS proposes a workshop to discuss this topic.