The requests are selected based on the following criteria:
- They are relevant to the European scale
- They are relevant to ongoing or future policy process
- They are relevant to biodiversity and/or ecosystem services
- New knowledge is not required to answer the request; instead, there is the need to synthesise existing knowledge or identify research priorities
- Consortia of requesters (representing different countries and/or various sectors–policy, NGOs/society, research) are encouraged
- Eklipse encourages requester(s) to refine their question with their organisation or colleagues’ help to ensure the question’s policy relevance
- Topics should be broad or complex enough that they cannot easily be addressed by a single specialist
For example, Eklipse received a request from its second call to synthesize knowledge on the effect of low-carbon energy policy on biodiversity and ecosystem services beyond the EU boundaries. This request’s background is based on the role of renewable energy sources in supporting a fossil fuel-free future and is controversial due to the associated pressures on landscapes, biodiversity, and ecosystems in Europe and beyond. The policy relevance of the request is built on the 2019 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR) and in the needs of the scientists mandated to draft the GSDR 2019 to seek a better understanding of the telecoupling effects of the EU’s low carbon energy policy on biodiversity and ecosystem services in countries globally.