What is the TNA programme?
Transnational Access (TNA) serves as a critical gateway for researchers, enabling them to tap into advanced Research Infrastructures (RIs) spread in several countries. Within the MICROBES-4-CLIMATE (M4C) project, TNA is instrumental in providing researchers and users free access to state-of-the-art infrastructures, thereby offering the tools, services, and data needed to drive scientific innovation. By leveraging these resources, TNA fuels curiosity-driven interdisciplinary research and promotes groundbreaking discoveries within climate-related research on microbes-plants-soil-environment interactions.
The MICROBES-4-CLIMATE TNA programme is designed to overcome geographical barriers, promote global intersectoral collaboration and significantly accelerate the scientific progress. Through unparalleled support to the researchers, this programme facilitates the access to essential resources and expertise, certifying that high-impact research can be conducted efficiently and effectively.
The key principles of the M4C TNA programme are:
Researchers are granted access to cutting-edge RIs that are equipped with state-of-art technologies and methodologies. These specialised infrastructures enable a multi- or cross-disciplinary approach to climate-related microbial research.
The programme is committed to meeting the specific needs of researchers by providing customised services. This includes providing essential tools, resources, training and technical assistance to ensure that research is conducted at the highest standard, from initial conception through to its concluding analysis.
A robust quality management framework underpins the TNA programme, with strict adherence to high standards. This guarantees that all the research activities are both effective and aligned with international best practices.
Ethical considerations are central to the M4C TNA programme. All research activities adhere strictly to ethical guidelines, ensuring that they are performed responsibly and with respect for IPR. This guarantees that the research outcomes are both ethically sound and legally protected.
Why to apply for a TNA?
The TNA programme provides researchers with free access to cutting-edge services, facilities, and technologies, removing financial and geographical barriers to high-quality research. It offers flexible access options, from in-person to remote access, allowing researchers to work in the most convenient way for them. TNA also promotes interdisciplinary and cross-border collaboration, by interconnecting researchers with global experts. Access to exclusive testing environments contributes to high-quality research and impact, turning TNA into an invaluable tool for scientific advancement.
Microbes-4-Climate funds you access to:
- Access to laboratories (wet and dry), experimental facilities and expertise from specialised support staff
- Travel expenses are covered by the TNA programme
- In-person access
- Access to top-level expertise and platforms, including isolation, identification and characterisation of microbial resources, technologies for soil and plant characterisation, computational infrastructure and tools, as well scientific and/or technical support
- In-person and/or remote access
- Access to a diverse range of microorganisms and data with shipping fees being covered by the TNA programme
- Remote access
M4C offer:
The TNA offer includes workflows of integrated services and joint/cross-RI services, leveraging facilities, resources, data, expertise and know-how in the microbial resources, plant sciences, agriculture and food production, forestry, climate, environment, biodiversity and data science.
Rules to apply for a TNA ?
Guide for a step-by-step TNA application:
1. Users should be active researchers
- PhD students, postdocs and researchers affiliated with academic or research institutions, non-profit organisations, industries or companies and must have a legal affiliation with their home institutions during the access period.
- Users must have full support and validation from their home institution.
- Fast-track access will be facilitated for Ukrainian researchers from government-controlled territories.
2. Transnationality Requirement
- Access requests must be for services located in a country different from that of the user’s institution, unless access is provided by an intergovernmental organisation, such as CABI, a Joint Research Centre (JRC) or an European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC).
3. Elegibility
- The TNA call is open to EU Member States and EU associated countries. Other countries, up to 20% of the total TNA service capacity, may also apply for access.
- Researchers or users associated with project beneficiaries, that are not directly involved in M4C, are eligible to apply for TNA access, however, priority will be given to external users.
- Projects should be written in English and submitted online through the TNA portal.
- Users may use TNA to complement ongoing projects, ensuring no double funding (a statement confirming this may be required).
- Users must complete the ethical questionnaire and assess the responses to predefined questions.
- Users are required to apply for at least 2 services, each from a different RI or M4C beneficiaries, and priority will be given for cross-disciplinary projects: TNA must include a clear relationship between microbes AND the environment (plants, soil, etc.), indicating the expected impact in understanding and/or addressing Climate Change.
- In-person access must be completed within the timeframe of the M4C project.
4. Feasibility
- Users should consult with the facility/service managers, prior to the submission, to ensure the submission of feasible proposals.
- The facility/service managers are responsible for determining and confirming the feasibility of the proposals in terms of technical and logistical aspects, as well as their adherence to the TNA offer.
For eligibility inquiries, contact the Access Officer (accessofficer@microbes4climate.eu). For feasibility assessments and technical questions, reach out to the respective facility/service manager.
TNA proposals will undergo the following selection procedure:
1st Stage
- Submitted proposals will be checked for eligibility by the Access Officer and feasibility by the facility/service managers. Only proposals that meet the eligibility and feasibility criteria will proceed to the evaluation process.
2st Stage
- All eligible/feasible proposals will be evaluated by an independent Experts Board*, through a peer review process. The experts cover multiple scientific fields in Microbes-4-Climate, and will take the scientific merit of the proposals into consideration following the principles of transparency, FAIRness and impartiality.
3st Stage
- Proposals will be ranked based on the scoring provided by the reviewers. Proposals have to pass a minimum threshold to be considered for transnational access. In case there are multiple applications for a facility/service with limited capacity, the proposal with higher scoring will be approved. In case there is equal scoring, a third reviewer may be asked to evaluate the proposal.
4st Stage
- The Project Steering Committee will approve the list of granted proposals by majority vote, based on the reviewers’ assessment and budget availability.
- An evaluation report will be provided for each proposal submitted by an applicant.
Users and facility/service managers can negotiate the specific terms of access and provide a final report after the completion of the access.
*All experts involved in the assessments will be identified and appointed based on their expertise and the topics covered by the applications. To ensure a fair evaluation, experts from the M4C RIs may participate in the evaluation – they must not exceed 50% of the total panel. Special attention will be given to their selection and appointments to avoid potential conflicts of interest.
The selection of TNA proposals must meet the following conditions:
- After the approval of the applications, users and facility/service managers can negotiate the specific terms of access.
- In-person access (visits) must be within the timeframe of the contract between the user and the service provider, and completed within the timeframe of the M4C project.
- Users and facility/service managers have to provide a final report after the completion of the access.
How to apply for a TNA ?
To apply for the TNA programme, users must first register on the platform. Once registered, you will gain access to the private area containing detailed guides and instructions to support your application process.
