The Ecological Continuity Trust, a UK charity established in 2008, aims to support long-term experimental ecology and apply its findings to conservation and sustainable land management. It offers financial support for ongoing experiments, emergency repair funds, and fosters a stakeholder network to promote the significance of long-term ecological experiments (LTEs). The Trust envisions creating a strategic network of LTEs to preserve existing high-quality experiments, ensure their data's longevity, and plan for new long-term facilities.
The Trust's grant program focuses on supporting research projects undertaken on long-term ecological experiments (LTEs) that are registered with the ECT. The grants, which offer up to £3000, are designed to cover various costs including consumables, facilitating exceptional work such as bringing in visiting scientists, student involvement, or enhancing public engagement, and enabling researchers to visit or conduct comparative studies across LTEs. Additionally, the grants support data management efforts such as database development and online archiving, underlining the program's commitment to preserving and utilizing ecological data for sustained impact.