Transnational Access Call
First Pilot Call of INTERACT Association for Access taking place in 2026 is open until 13th June 2025, 16:00 CEST
INTERACT Association aims to support the next generation of scientists by creating opportunities to conduct research and fieldwork at research stations. Therefore, the first pilot Access call of INTERACT Association is dedicated to support Early-Career Researchers, defined as “Undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate level up to 5 years active in science after the latest degree”.
INTERACT Association supports terrestrial research in Arctic, Boreal and Alpine regions. Access is only granted to user groups to conduct research, not for arranging or attending courses, conferences, seminars or workshops. Proposals should be focused on the terrestrial environment; any other kind of research (e.g. marine or atmospheric) should demonstrate strong linkages to the terrestrial realm in order to be granted.
Deadline of the call: 13th June 2025 at 16:00 CEST (UTC+1). INTERACT TAP will close automatically after the deadline.
The first pilot Access call will grant up to 15 000 EUR per proposal, including both access costs and travel and logistic costs. INTERACT Association will grant proposals up to the maximum amount reserved for the call and expects to support up to three research proposals in this first call round.
How to apply
Check your eligibility as an applicant from below.
Register to the INTERACT Transnational Access Platform (TAP). Proposals must be submitted through INTERACT TAP on-line system by the proposal deadline. Late submissions and submissions via any other channel will not be accepted. You can work on several sessions, and submit the application after you have completed the whole form. You can submit only one proposal as User Group Leader per call.
Read the 2025 INTERACT Association Access Call Guidelines for Applicants carefully. The document contains Terms and Conditions of the Access Call, the information to fill in the application properly, including the budgeting and cost specifications, and content and structure of required attachments.
Prepare all necessary documentation to be uploaded in INTERACT TAP. Applicants are requested to provide a Research Plan, the CV of the user group Leader, and Letter(s) of Recommendation in the application, using the following templates (also available in INTERACT TAP Document Library):
There is no template for the Letter(s) of Recommendation. At least one Letter of Recommendation is required.
Contact the station manager(s) of the research station(s) to consider the feasibility of your proposed study at the site. Contacting the station manager is not a requirement but it is strongly recommended. Station managers’ contact can be found on the respective station page on INTERACT GIS.
Submit your project proposal on INTERACT TAP. For technical issues using the platform, please contact the IT support at interact@inkode.it.
In case of additional questions about the call, please contact INTERACT Association Access Coordination: Vanessa Spadetto, vanessa@interactassociation.org
-
CEN Whapmagoostui-Kuujjuarapik, Canada
Greenland Institute of Natural Resources, Greenland
High Altitude Research Gornergrat Station, Switzerland
High Altitude Research Jungfraujoch Station, Switzerland
Hornsund Polish Polar Station, Svalbard
Kevo Subarctic Research Station, Finland
Kilpisjärvi Biological Station, Finland
Kluane Lake Research Station, Canada
Koltur Research Station, Faroe Islands
M&M Kłapa Station, Poland
NIBIO Svanhovd, Norway
Pallas-Sodankylä station, Finland
Polar Station "Petuniabuka", Svalbard
Rif Field Station, Iceland
Sermilik Research Station, Greenland
Sonnblick Observatory, Austria
Station Hintereis, Austria
Sudurnes Science and Learning Center, Iceland
Toolik Field Station, Alaska (USA)
Uapishka Research Station, Canada
Villum Research Station, Greenland
Western Arctic Research Centre, Canada
Zackenberg Research Station, Greenland
Access Modalities
INTERACT Association provides Transnational Access (TA) free of charge to research infrastructures for selected user groups. Transnational access can be either in-person (hands-on) or remote.
In-person access means free of charge, transnational access to research stations for selected user groups. The access includes the use of the station’s facilities, and the logistical, technological and scientific support for researchers using the infrastructure.
Remote Access is a form of Transnational Access in which the user(s) do not visit the infrastructure/installation physically themselves; instead, the users are either provided with reference materials or samples, get access to a high-performance computing facility, or receive the data from the study that the staff of the infrastructure/installation has conducted according to their research plan and protocol.
It is also possible to combine in-person and Remote Access, meaning that users physically visit the station and set up the required field experiments/monitoring, after which study continues by using Remote Access.
Eligibility criteria
Affiliation: The User Group Leader and all users requesting access to the research station(s) must be affiliated to institution(s) based in country(ies) other than the country(ies) where the legal entity(ies) operating the research station(s) are based. Example: User Group Leader and User(s) affiliated to a Swedish institution are not eligible to request access to Swedish research stations.
Call Priority: The 2025 Access call of INTERACT Association is dedicated to support Early-Career Researchers (undergraduate, graduate or postgraduate level up to 5 years active in science after last degree). The User Group Leader of the proposal must be an Early-Career Researcher.
Duration of the period of access to research station(s): The maximum duration of granted access is limited to the units of access offered in INTERACT and must in any case be less than 90 days in the whole duration of INTERACT Association Roadmap for Access Provision 2024-2029 (i.e. until 31st December 2029).
Dissemination: Only user groups that are allowed to disseminate the results they have generated under the INTERACT Association Access are eligible for access.
Data policy: User groups must agree to comply with the INTERACT Association data policy.
Evaluation and Selection process
The evaluation of proposals consists of different phases: Eligibility Check, Scientific Evaluation, Logistic Evaluation and the Feedback and Negotiation Phase.
Eligibility check: Eligibility check of the submitted proposals is performed soon after the call is closed, based on the eligibility criteria above.
Proposal Evaluation: The proposal evaluation consists of two steps: the scientific evaluation and the logistic evaluation. Only proposals ranked as excellent in the scientific evaluation are recommended for the logistic evaluation and implementation.
Scientific evaluation: The scientific evaluation is managed by the INTERACT Association Secretariat, with the support of an Access Board, a panel of international experts both internal and external to the INTERACT Association. Each proposal is assigned to at least two evaluators, which review the proposal following the evaluation criteria described in section 2.3 of the Guidelines for Applicants. The submitted evaluations are reviewed by the Access Board, which submits their scientific evaluation statement and recommends proposals for logistic evaluation based on consensus decision. The recommended proposals move to logistic evaluation.
Logistic evaluation and access decision: The logistic evaluation is performed by the research stations, who evaluate the logistic feasibility of the proposed work, use of equipment, area of operation and timing of access. Station managers provide a short Logistic Evaluation Statement and make the access decision based on the scientific and logistic evaluation results.
The applicants receive the access decisions, including the amount of granted access and travel and logistic costs, together with the scientific and logistic evaluation statements, via INTERACT TAP. Proposals accepted for implementation go through a negotiation phase with possible adjustments according to recommendations by the Access Board or the research station and sign the agreement with INTERACT Association.
The access decisions will be announced in mid-October 2025 via the INTERACT TAP.
Disclaimer
All travel arrangements to INTERACT Association research stations are the responsibility of the applicant. In case of technical or logistical challenges, user groups should first contact the station manager(s). Only in exceptional situations, where local personnel cannot assist, should the INTERACT Association Secretariat be contacted.
INTERACT Association is not liable for any injuries, damages, or losses that may occur during access to its infrastructures. User groups are responsible for organizing their own travel, ensuring they have appropriate travel and health insurance, medical check, and fulfilling all passport, visa, vaccination, and other entry requirements for each destination. It is also the responsibility of the user groups to be aware of safety and security conditions at their respective research sites throughout their travel and stay.
All members of user groups must have sufficient travel and health insurance and be clear on their legal responsibilities through their employers. INTERACT Association does not cover the cost of insurance or any additional expenses arising from unforeseen circumstances such as travel delays, cancellations, customs, shipment, or other logistical issues. INTERACT Association also assumes no legal responsibility for the health and welfare, including emergency and accident situations, of those awarded access to its infrastructures.
By applying for access through INTERACT Association, you confirm that you have read and accepted these terms and agree with our Data Protection Policy.
Complaint Policy
INTERACT Association aims to provide smooth access to research stations, but we recognize that complaints may arise regarding e.g. administrative procedures or access decisions. Complaints should be directed to the INTERACT Association Secretariat, who will investigate and provide feedback within 10 working days. The following are considered not grounds for complaints:
Rejection of proposals following standard procedures;
Access Board composition.
Formal complaints should be submitted by email to the INTERACT Association Secretariat (secretariat@interactassociation.org) for resolution.