ERANet-LAC is a network of the European Union and associated countries and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC).
The network, funded by the EC in the period 2013-2017, supports the implementation of the Joint Initiative for Research and Innovation (JIRI) between the EU member states and associated countries and the CELAC countries. It strengthens the bi-regional partnership for research, technology and innovation through the planning and implementation of concrete joint activities and through the development of an innovative and sustainable framework for future bi-regional activities.
Call 2014:
A first call from the ERANet-LAC consortium for submission of proposals was launched on 16 September 2014. The following areas were included in the call: bioeconomics, biodiversity, health and energy. Thirteen projects were selected. BELSPO is financing the Belgian partners in two of the selected projects on biodiversity: AMAZONFIsh (RBINS) and METHABASE (RBINS).
Call 2015:
On 1 December 2015 the second call was launched, focussing on specific topics in the following areas: biodiversity/climate, bioeconomics, health, energy and ICT.
Both research and innovation activities can be financed in the framework of this call, and both types of activities can involve mobility and networking. In all, 30 national or regional institutions funding research are participating in the ERANet-LAC call. BELSPO and F.R.S-FNRS are the Belgian partners supporting this call, each with its own criteria for admissibility.
As a result of participation in the 'biodiversity/climate' call, BELSPO is financing the CRIB project
AMAZONFISH aims to develop a high quality database for the biodiversity of freshwater fish in the Amazon basin. Making data accessible to the public by integrating the produced maps into the “Global Freshwater Biodiversity Atlas” 
and incorporating raw distribution data into the “Freshwater Biodiversity Data Portal” has high priority. Within the project species diversity, endemism and changes in community structure are analyzed and modeled under different scenarios with the aim of identifying "hot spots" and understanding changes in the distribution areas of fish species. The project is implemented by the RBINS in cooperation with partners from Peru, Colombia, Germany, France (coordinator) and Austria.
METHABASE aims to provide new insights into the knowledge of biodiversity in relation to the methane cycle, in order to better understand the functional role of biodiversity in the context of global changes. The impacts of climate change will be assessed in an original way, combining a functional approach (methane emissions and oxidation activities) and a microbial ecological approach (community composition and diversity), as both components are closely linked. The project is carried out by the RBINS in cooperation with partners from Chile, Uruguay, France (coordinator), Norway (+ Russia and USA).
CRIB (Collective Response from Individual Behavior in Groups and Ecosystems) aims to develop an integrated approach to study the response and robustness of ecosystems in a context of global change. It is carried out by Ghent University (coordinator) in collaboration with partners in Italy, Argentina and Uruguay.
Brigitte Decadt
Federal, Interfederal and International Coordination
