In the culmination of a busy spring and summer, eLTER has recently completed a crucial milestone to becoming an ERIC, namely the submission of the Step-1 Application to the European Commission. eLTER’s Step-1 Application was submitted on 24th July 2025 via the German Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) and the Permanent Representation of Germany to the EU in Brussels – a crucial milestone in eLTER’s journey to becoming an ERIC. The European Commission is currently reviewing the application and may request modifications. Once these are addressed, the final request for the establishment of the eLTER ERIC, signed by all future members and observers (Step-2 application) can be submitted - hopefully early in 2026. The corresponding decision by the European Commission will be published in the Official Journal of the EU .
eLTER wishes to thank the German BMFTR for facilitating the submission, its Interim Council members for their engaged and thoughtful support of the process, and all its countless supporters in eLTER’s current and future member countries and networks. We look forward to receiving the Commission’s feedback and to tackling the next steps towards a speedy establishment of the eLTER ERIC.