**4. Conclusions**

Time-domain, multi-messenger astronomy is a recognized priority in the next decade (see e.g., Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine's latest decadal survey <sup>1</sup> ), and the role of small-size space missions is considered to be crucial to both discover new transients and fully characterize them throughout the EM spectrum. SVOM will play a major role

in this context. Thanks to its flexibility, the characteristics of the instruments and the observation strategies, it will: (i) Provide a unique sample of GRBs monitored over seven decades in energy and with redshift measurement, that can be used for population studies; (ii) open new discovery windows for GRB science (soft GRBs in the local universe, optical prompt emission, and high-redshift GRBs); (iii) complement current missions that are aging, as Fermi and Swift; and (iv) be a powerful tool to search for and characterize EM counterparts of external triggers. Concerning this last point, SVOM is specifically designed to foster synergies with the large ground-based facilities, and this aspect will be even more vital when the Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), the Vera Rubin Observatory (LSST), or the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will be operational. Missions like SVOM are also necessary to fully exploit the scientific potential of transient astrophysical phenomena discovered via GWs and neutrinos, since these events also require EM observations across the spectrum for identification and further study.

**Author Contributions:** Writing—original draft preparation, M.G.B.; writing—review and editing, B.C. and J.W.; project administration, B.C. and J.W. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** This research received no external funding.

**Institutional Review Board Statement:** Not applicable.

**Informed Consent Statement:** Not applicable.

**Data Availability Statement:** Not applicable.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
