One of the goals of European Commission Research Infrastructure projects like ISIDORe, and Sonar-Global within it, is to encourage mobility and interaction between scientists in different European countries. The infrastructure-rich countries (e.g., France, Germany, Italy, Spain) are also rich in research capacity. Allowing these public health experts to request resources from providers in their own country would not promote diversification, and instead could intensify inequalities between infrastructure-rich and less rich countries.
If your workplace is in the same country as the provider of the Sonar-Global service you want, you have two choices:
A User-group is comprised of multiple Sonar-Global users, where a majority of the members are located in any combination of countries other than the provider of the Sonar-Global product. A User-group member located in a non-provider country orders the product, and shares it with the other members.
This is consistent with European Commission rules, because the process leads to interaction among experts in different countries. It is consistent with Sonar-Global rules, because the product was requested by the User-group, so sharing of the product among User-group members is not redistribution to an outside third party. Redistribution to a party other than the requesting user or User-group would require permission.
If you work in the same country as the provider of the Sonar-Global product, and there is no similar product made in a different country from yours, then you:
Example: You work at an institute in France, and you need a Sonar-Global service made in France. You identify at least two other scientists located in any European or eligible country except France (for example, one in Portugal and one in Bulgaria), and form a User-group with them. The Bulgarian or Portuguese expert places the order, and decides where the service should be performed.
Eligible countries to form User-groups: Eligibility to form User-groups: Researchers working in any country worldwide.
Our goal is to make the user-group process simple and transparent. By mastering the User-group mechanism, you will have access to the entire range of Sonar-Global products. In addition, we also hope that the User-groups generate true trans-national scientific collaboration. By forming User-groups with scientists in non-infrastructure rich countries, you will be contributing to Sonar-Global and European Commission goals of scientific mobility, interaction and capacity strengthening in the field of vector biology.
Please contact us if you have questions [ Email: sonarglobal.project@gmail.com].
