ESFRI Roadmap

ESFRI’s main task is and will remain the identification of strategic priorities for investments in Research Infrastructures of pan-European interest that meet the long-term needs of European research communities and serve European society at large. The ESFRI Roadmap is a key instrument through which the Forum establishes a longterm European strategic planning for the development of RIs.

ESFRI applies the lifecycle approach to the development and implementation of Research Infrastructures, which has proved effective in ensuring the consistency of the ESFRI Roadmap methodology. The lifecycle concept describes the different milestones in the development, implementation and operation of a Research Infrastructure over time, specifying minimal key requirements that must be met at each stage. Application of this concept allows for a coherent assessment of the scientific and organisational maturity of Research Infrastructures across all fields of science²⁷ 27. ESFRI Public Roadmap 2021 Guide
https://www.esfri.eu/sites/default/files/ESFRI_Roadmap2021_Public_Guide_Public.pdf.

ESFRI Roadmap 2021 will conclude the second cycle of these strategic documents. In the first cycle (2006, 2008, 2010) ESFRI focused primarily on identification of new priorities. In the second cycle (2016, 2018, 2021) ESFRI implemented the lifecycle approach and a comprehensive evaluation methodology, identifying additional new priorities, but also following up on the progress of existing ESFRI Projects and identifying the implemented infrastructures as ESFRI Landmarks. The cyclical nature of the Roadmap, combined with a ten-year limit for Projects to stay on the Roadmap before implementation, has proved effective in mobilising the scientific community and the national authorities to build up the institutional capacity for starting operations.

As the European Research Infrastructure landscape becomes more comprehensive, the approach to the ESFRI Roadmap needs to evolve as well, with periodicity spread more evenly throughout the 10year cycle allowing for an even more strategic selection of new priorities. The long-term vision of the ESFRI roadmap also needs to consider the EOSC development.