A decisive moment for European social-ecological research: Organizational transformation in eLTER

According to transdisciplinarity and sustainability transformations literature, social-ecological research becomes more actionable when science is conducted collaboratively with diverse stakeholders to design, co-create, and share research. Recently, coinciding with recent program evaluations, eLTER was recognized as an emerging infrastructure for social-ecological research in Europe, and in 2020, received a large H2020 grant to develop its administrative, legal, research, and financial structure. In this study, we analyze how eLTER has used this opportunity to directly respond to program evaluations by formally integrating interdisciplinarity, stakeholder integration, and other program elements into its protocols, to fortify eLTER’s commitment to transdisciplinary science.