Europe´s leading centers for systematics-related research invite scientists based at European institutes to access our collections and facilities with support from in-house researchers and curators. In the frame of SYNTHESYS⁺, a DiSSCo project, 21 partner institutions offer access via 13 national Taxonomic Access Facilities (TAFs).
After continued EC funding during 13 years for SYNTHESYS 1–3, we are delighted to announce that the SYNTHESYS⁺ consortium has secured 10 m€ HORIZON2020 funding in support of Natural History collections. During its three previous incarnations, SYNTHESYS delivered more than 52,000 User Days to more than 4,200 scientists.
In addition to the transnational access, which formed the backbone of SYNTHESYS 1-3, users will for the first time be able to request virtual access to collections in the SYNTHESYS+ programme.
The 4th and final SYNTHESYS+ Transnational Access call has now been closed. All applicants will be informed of the User Scoring Panel decisions during mid-September 2022. All successful visits must take place before the end of June 2023.
The Transnational Access stream of the SYNTHESYS+ project facilitates and allocates funds for visits to collections and research infrastructures (including lab facilities) in a country where the user does not work. Funds allow external scientists to be hosted for a short time at consortium institutions. It is essential that every SYNTHESYS+ visitor to any institution makes contact with a host and that the host agrees to support the research proposal.
All applications will be assessed impartially and using a weighted scoring system. This system will consider the strength of proposed research, supporting statements, whether they address societal challenges, and other grounds of merit. Scoring will be made by a User Selection Panel (USP).
For more information, please see here: https://www.synthesys.info/news-events.html.
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For questions, please contact Margret Steinthorsdottir, synthesys.sweden@nrm.se.
SYNTHESYS invites scientists conducting their research in any country to apply. However, only 20% of NRM's total access funding can be granted to researchers from non-EU or associated countries. Please check the SYNTHESYS+ web site for further details on eligibility.
For further information, please contact:
Margret Steinthorsdottir
SYNTHESYS Project Manager; SE-TAF leader
Naturhistoriska riksmuseet
P.O. Box 50007
104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
Phone: + 46 8 519 540 04
mailto:synthesys.sweden@nrm.se
Follow SYNTHESYS at Facebook
Thirty-two major European Natural History museums, including the Swedish Museum of Natural History (NRM), biodiversity institutions, biodiversity networks and companies form SYNTHESYS⁺, a DiSSCo project http://www.dissco.eu/.
The aim is to create an integrated pan-European research infrastructure, for researchers in the natural sciences in Europe, globally and for the wider community, based on natural history collections. The world’s natural history collections comprise at least 2 billion specimens, of which an estimated 55% reside in Europe. The European collections are thus a major resource representing 80% of the World’s bio- and geo-diversity. SYNTHESYS⁺ offers coordinated access to these unique and extensive collections, state-of-the art analytical facilities and libraries and qualified support from in-house researchers and curators held at the partner institutions. On the SYNTHESYS⁺ main web you can read more about the facilities on offer.
The partner organisations also co-operate in Network activities and Joint Research Activities. The objectives are to coordinate the physical and virtual access to the biodiversity collections, to facilitate and develop the mobilization and utilization of the inherent biodiversity information assembled at the partner organisations and beyond, to harmonize standards and policies for and to provide training in the use of these collections and data.
NRM (SE-TAF) offers access to its extensive and scientifically invaluable zoological, entomological, paleontological and geological collections and advanced analytical facilities. Botanical collections will unfortunately not be accessible during a period of ca 4 years, due to a major renovation of the collection building. SYNTHESYS⁺ access grants are typically for short visits of ca 10 User days (two weeks). You apply here with a proposal that is assessed by a User Selection Panel based on scientific quality. The grants cover research costs, international travel, accommodation, a Per Diem contributing towards living costs, and logistical support while at NRM. Participation in the SYNTHESYS+ program is free of charge.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 823827.
Partner institutions offering access to their facilities
Laboratories at NRM
NRM´s collections
Research at NRM
HORIZON2020 (EUs 8th Framework Programme)
Research Infrastructure in HORIZON2020
Information for visiting scientists in Sweden. EURAXESS Sweden
From 2004 to 2017, the three incarnations of SYNTHESYS so far, more than 4,200 scientists were granted SYNTHESYS support, and they have published over 5,000 research outputs to date.
About our visiting scientists and their exciting research projects