ESFRI Report: Funding of Research Infrastructures

European Research Infrastructures (RIs), crucial for the European Research Area, have seen strategic planning by ESFRI and national roadmaps development across EU Member States. The ESFRI 2021 roadmap highlights the diversity and expansion of RIs, with 63 identified entities. 

The report compiles responses from 54 RIs across 19 Member States issued by ESFRI in 2023, addressing the call for detailed, country-specific information. It uncovers significant funding mechanism disparities between distributed and single-sited RIs, highlighting a broader challenge: a pervasive lack of detailed knowledge concerning funding sources and the calculation of access costs, despite the evident necessity for greater funding transparency and effectiveness. This report not only recounts the survey's findings but also connects these insights with putative actionable recommendations and emphasizes the necessity for collaborative effort and follow-up work to foster sustainable, efficient funding models for European RIs. 

Crucially important is the role of both national roadmaps and the ESFRI roadmap for developing both a national and European RI strategy, underpinned by evaluation, coherence and corresponding funding allocations.