Science Facilitation Expert Group

Terms of reference:

• Keep under review the COMNAP Antarctic Roadmap Challenges outcomes in order to advance and promote the needs of the Antarctic research community of today and into the future.

• Screen science community for “big collaborative“ programs (including SOOS, IPICS, RINGS, YOPP, etc.) and advance, within COMNAP, our understanding of the science support needs of those programs and how we may lead facilitation of, and respond to, identified needs.

• Identify areas of logistics support, which can be facilitated jointly by National Antarctic Programs.

• Lookout for and identify projects on the horizon, share that advanced information with COMNAP Members.

• Where any of those projects rely on COMNAP action and support, propose “endorsement” of that project through the COMNAP EXCOM.

• Identify logistics capabilities, which may be used jointly in the future (e.g. availability of tractor trains, station and vessel capacity, field activities in areas that are rarely accessed or are not traditionally accessed during certain times of the year).

• Collect and share examples of past and present collaborative projects including lessons learned.

• Create synergies with other COMNAP Expert Groups, especially the Advancing Critical Technologies and Marine Platforms Expert Groups.