Below you will find definitions for different types of infrastructure, helping you determine which ones can be included in the Research Infrastructure Catalogue. If you are unsure whether something should be listed, contact research@uarctic.org.
Aquaculture site: a site for cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments for research purposes
Botanical garden: a place where plants are cultivated for scientific, educational and ornamental purposes, often including a library, a herbarium and greenhouses
Experimental/manipulation site: a site for cultivation of terrestrial plants in natural or controlled environments for research purposes
Field site: a site for conducting research fieldwork with no permanent buildings
Laboratory: a facility/infrastructure that provides controlled conditions in which scientific or technological research, experiments, measurements and analyses can be performed (e.g. certified analytical, diagnostic or media laboratory)
Library: a collection of manuscripts, publications, and other materials for reading, viewing, listening, study or reference of Arctic relevance
Monitoring site: a field site where long-term research observations are carried out, either by automated equipment (e.g. ICOS tower, weather station) or by researchers or support staff
Museum: an institution/infrastructure devoted to the procurement, care, study and display of objects of lasting interest or value with Arctic relevance
Observatory: a place or building that is equipped and used for making observations of astronomical, meteorological or other natural phenomena
On-line collection or database: an on-line collection or database of metadata, data or publications containing information of Arctic relevance
Research centre/institute: an establishment endowed for doing research that may specialize in basic research or be oriented to applied research. Although the terms often imply to natural sciences or medical research, many research centres/institutes focus on e.g. social sciences, other scientific disciplines, or multidisciplinary research
Research station: an establishment with buildings for scientific research where experiments are carried out and studies of practical application are made
Research vessel: a ship or boat designed and/or equipped to carry out research at sea or inland water. Research vessels carry out a number of roles, some of which can be combined into a single vessel but others requiring a dedicated vessel. Often constructed around an icebreaker hull, allowing them to operate in polar waters
Zoological garden: a place where animals are kept for scientific or educational purposes
Sources: Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Dictionary.com, The Free Dictionary, Wikipedia
