On MERGE annual meeting 2021 some emerging workshop ideas that will be given more priority in MERGE were defined.MERGE money can be applied to arrange a workshop to establish collaboration, when a group is formed it can apply for a MERGE short project to test ideas, this could then lead to a large-scale project and application:

• links between SITES, ICOS, ACTRIS, LPJ-GUESS
• Workshop on exchanging ideas and discuss pros and cons of different models. –
• continuation of the SRA SDG workshop held early March 2022.
• how to share data within MERGE and to the outside world.
• coupling - and more integration of models.
• BVOC 

Application process

The document name should be the same as the workshop title. The document should be a maximum of two A4 pages  and sent to Lina Nikoleris in good time ahead of planned activities, deadline 1st of June 23:59. Funding decisions will be taken by the MERGE board in June.

1. Title (preliminary)
2. Aim of workshop (incl. background).
   Contains MERGE related research, which is well connected to the MERGE Research Areas. Please discuss with the research Area  Leaders – see below!
3. Applicants
   Any member of MERGE can apply for funds for workshops, but the board in particular welcomes proposals related to RA’s and short projects.
4. Deliverables
   What are the expected results of the workshop, for example a paper, a funding application, new collaborations etcetera? A short summary of the Workshop should be reported on MERGE’s homepage and in LUCRIS (if people from Lund participate) once the workshop is completed.
5. Programme (preliminary)
   Open to all MERGE researchers (invitation through the Newsletter and MERGE event calendar). Please consider gender aspects, inter-disciplinary aspects, synthesis, stakeholder and the connection between Lund, Gothenburg, KTH, SMHI, Linneaus and Chalmers when sending in proposals for different activities.
6. Budget (detailed, remember OH)
   The board has decided on a standard grant for a MERGE workshop up to 50 000 SEK (the sum includes OH, contact lina [dot] nikoleris [at] cec [dot] lu [dot] se (Lina Nikoleris) for details), but this can vary depending on workshop content and format.

When applying for a workshop grant in MERGE, the proposal should include information regarding other types of financing that might have been applied for or that exist. Co-funding of workshops for which funding has been sought from other sources is particularly encouraged. 

Research area leaders

RA1: Development, modelling and evaluation of climate-vegetation processes

benjamin [dot] smith [at] nateko [dot] lu [dot] se (Benjamin Smith)
klaus [dot] wyser [at] smhi [dot] se (Klaus Wyser)

RA2: Past variations in climate and vegetation

jesper [dot] sjolte [at] geol [dot] lu [dot] se (Jesper Sjolte)
hansl [at] gvc [dot] gu [dot] se (Hans Linderholm )
marie-jose [dot] gaillard-lemdahl [at] lnu [dot] se (Marie-José Gaillard)

RA3: Vegetation, emissions and particles

hallq [at] chem [dot] gu [dot] se (Mattias Hallquist) 
moa [dot] sporre [at] nuclear [dot] lu [dot] se (Moa Sporre )

RA4: Advanced statistics for model evaluation, simulation set-up and analysis

johan [dot] lindstrom [at] matstat [dot] lu [dot] se (Johan Lindström)