Read the Updated NEON 5-Year Strategic Plan
February 12, 2025
The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) released its 5-Year Strategic Plan.
As a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Large Research Facility, and operated by Battelle, NEON’s directive is to provide free and open data, samples, and infrastructure to enable the science of others. Our mission is to support researchers and the public to advance understanding of ecological processes and inform the sustainable management of U.S. ecosystems. The development of this plan was steered with these ultimate ideas in mind.
Strategies that steered this new plan include enabling partnerships, education, training, and community engagement; continuing high-quality data collection; optimizing technology and innovation; ensuring that federal agencies, commercial entities, and the public can effectively use NEON resources; and developing the ecological workforce. We are a platform that enables transformative science to inform ecosystem management, conservation, and sustainable development, and we aim to inspire global collaboration across ecological networks.
Only five years into its planned 30-year lifespan, NEON has already made significant contributions in many areas. However, we acknowledge there is more to be done. We are looking forward to expanding the Program's impact on ecological science and bolstering research into the understanding of our planet.
5-Year Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: Enable Science Through Partnerships
Be a respected platform that integrates with the biological research community through collaboration, community-adopted standards, data and sample usage, linked and interoperable data, standardized sampling methods, curriculum content, and research support services.
Goal 2: Maximize Operational Excellence and Availability of High-quality Data
Provide trusted, freely available, high-quality, national-scale, critical data and samples that are easily accessed and made rapidly available for use to enable an informed and predictive understanding of ecological responses to environmental changes.
Goal 3: Harness Evolving Technology to Catalyze Discovery
Enable frontier science needs to provide an optimized, forward-looking technological and observational platform to be used as a catalyst for research and innovation.
Goal 4: Enhance Discoverability, Accessibility, and Usability of NEON Data and Services
Deliver educational and training resources to the next generation of ecologists and environmental scientists to expand the community for effective discoverability and use of NEON data, samples, and technology.
Goal 5: Foster An Engaged Workforce
Foster a culture that attracts, retains, and empowers a talented workforce where perspectives of all members are respected and valued.