The Horizon EU-funded TETTRIs project is halfway through its journey and is prepared to face the Interim Review Meeting that will take place on the 25th of July. Colombe Warin, the Project Officer of the European Commission, will be leading the reviewing process – ensuring the public contribution is duly used.
On the occasion of TETTRIs 18 months anniversary, here’s an update of activities to date.
TETTRIs officially launched on December 1, 2022, with a kick-off meeting in Brussels at the end of January 2023. We are pleased to say this community project is proceeding as planned. There have been no deviations in schedule or budget, and there is a strong commitment from all partners. Moreover, TETTRIs’ presence on social media and its participation in various events and meetings have significantly increased awareness of the project (and taxonomy at large, we hope).
KEY ACCOMPLISHMENTS
One of the standout achievements in TETTRIs’ first 18 months was the organization of the first Taxonomy Recognition Day, which took place on May 23, 2024, coinciding with Carl Linnaeus’s birthday. This event is set to become a tradition, with the second edition scheduled for 2025 and a third for 2026. The day of meetings and events emphasizes the fundamental role of taxonomy in biodiversity preservation, aiming to convey this message directly to the media and policymakers to maximize impact. This initiative, involving 16 partners across 10 countries, reached hundreds of decision-makers, journalists, scientists, students, and citizens, delivering a compelling message: Taxonomy is crucial for biodiversity protection and must be recognized and funded to improve our resilience to biodiversity loss. We hope to replicate this success annually, even after the conclusion of TETTRIs, with new ideas and engagement strategies.
Other notable actions include organising the All-hands meeting at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels in January 2024, where representatives from all 17 TETTRIs partners gathered to strategize on achieving the project’s ambitious goals. Here is a summary of the three-day event: Day 1 – Day 2 – Day 3.
Additionally, the Natural History Museum of Vienna hosted the first and second stakeholder labs in May and November 2023 at Deck50. These in-person events aimed to bridge the gap between research and contemporary economic and industrial issues. They brought together taxonomy experts, TETTRIs Consortium members, and business representatives to explore the integration of taxonomy into industrial practices. Panel discussions from the second stakeholder lab are available on the Official Youtube channel.
Community Engagement and third-part projects
Community engagement is a defining characteristic of TETTRIs. Consequently, almost one-third of TETTRIs’ €6 million budget (€1.8 million) was allocated to 12 external projects known as 3rd Party Projects. These projects aim to facilitate open access to collection data, design and test innovative artificial intelligence and molecular tools, evaluate training frameworks, and engage citizen scientists in monitoring biodiversity hotspots. Most of the projects began at the start of this year, with two more launching in the upcoming months. To get an overview of the projects, browse this page!
Technical Progress
On the technical front, the project continues to meet expectations. Pillar 1 (knowledge) and Pillar 2 (systems) work packages have launched their tasks, reaching key milestones and creating meaningful deliverables.
Among these accomplishments, could be highlighted the launch of the first Policy Brief on the power of reference collections for biodiversity monitoring. This document is intended to go directly into the hands of the decision-makers, inviting them to pur resources and efforts on taxonomy.
Following one of its main objectives, which is to maintain and dignify the profession of taxonomist, TETTRIs is preparing a collection of training resources on taxonomy and lists of trainers.
It should also be noted the implementation of a new infrastructure for merging European taxonomic checklists and the development of the Taxonomic Resolution Engine, a comprehensive taxonomy database. Furthermore, in April, TETTRIs held a workshop at the European Citizen Science Association (ECSA) 2024 conference in Vienna. Attended by both experienced researchers and younger professionals, the sessions focused on how best to engage the public in taxonomy-related activities. The findings will be summarized in a report that will contribute to TETTRIs’ goal of involving citizens in taxonomy and creating the Taxonomic Knowledge Transfer Forum.
