4.5. Relationship to ongoing and planned research initiatives
TOPO-EUROPE is fully embedded in the main streamline of European research, as clearly demonstrated by existing links to related national or EU projects. TOPO-EUROPE significantly augments the current momentum in integrating European Solid-Earth sciences. TOPO-EUROPE benefits from a number of past European-scale research initiatives, including:
- ESF EGT – European GeoTraverse (1982 – 1990)
- ESF EUROPROBE (1992-2001)
- ESF EUCOR-URGENT (Upper Rhine Graben Evolution and Neotectonics) – Environmental Earth system dynamics network (2002-2004)
- ENTEC – Environmental Tectonics EU-FP5 Training and Research Network (2001-2004)
- PALEOSEIS – Evaluation of earthquake potential in regions of low seismic activity in Europe (EU-FP5) (1999-2002)
- SAFE - Slow Active Faults in Europe (EU-FP5 Research Programme) (2000-2003)
ESF support has been crucial in this respect, and has led to the highly successful European GeoTraverse, the ESF EUROPROBE programme, and the ESF EUCOR-URGENT network. TOPO-EUROPE builds directly on the success of these ESF programmes. EU-FP5 networks, such as ENTEC, PALEOSEIS and SAFE were important to promote a closer link between fundamental Solid-Earth sciences and natural hazard studies, setting the stage for environmental tectonics research.
Ongoing European scale initiatives that will upon their completion yield results and expertise highly relevant to TOPO-EUROPE include:
- ESF EUROCORES EUROMARGINS (2002-2005)
- ESF EUROCORES EUROCLIMATE (2004-2007)
- EUROBASIN – Marie Curie doctoral school and fellowship program (2002-2005)
- CRONUS-EU – High-resolution cosmogenic isotopes. EU-FP6 training and research network (2005-2008)
- EU INTERREG III – Microzonation of the Greater Basel area (2004-2007)
- ENGINE - Geothermal energy EU coordinated action (EU-FP6) (2005-2008)
In a number of ESF member states, the TOPO-EUROPE initiative has already triggered an intensified national interdisciplinary dialogue. Examples of national programmes currently under discussion, anticipating the start of the ESF EUROCORES TOPO-EUROPE research projects in early 2008, include a TOPO-NED in the Netherlands and a TOPO-SCANDES in Norway. In Spain a large group of researchers have initiated a national TOPO-IBERIA programme, including the PICASSO project, which will be embedded in TOPO-EUROPE. It is the synergy between these complementary and concentrated national efforts that make a TOPO-EUROPE EUROCORES achievable. TOPO-EUROPE will be part of the core of the ILP research agenda.
TOPO-EUROPE is backed up by a group of strong research institutes. Although a compact field in terms of absolute number of scientists, the Solid-Earth sciences in Europe have received significant exposure, in terms of quality recognisable through the prominent role Earth sciences play in the ratio of national centres of excellence (e.g. Netherlands: 1 out of 6 centres; Norway: 4 out of 12 centres). The strong connections with industry and with future young promising researchers will be promoted through, for example, the close association of the TOPO-EUROPE research agenda and the European top research master on integrated basin studies BASINMASTER, currently under development with support of the European commission and Europe’s energy industry. TOPO-EUROPE will also seek funding for new large-scale infrastructure through the EU 7th framework programme.