Introduction and scope

European Research Infrastructures play a crucial role in Europe’s ability to produce new knowledge and innovation to help understand and tackle the environmental, societal and economic challenges that we face. Over the past 18 years, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures has helped shape the research landscape in Europe through the identification, development, connectivity and support of new and existing RIs as well as enabling facilities across Europe to cooperate to provide first-class resources for Europe’s researchers to carry out their work.

As an intergovernmental forum, ESFRI acts as the European knowledge hub on RI providing advice to governments on national, European and international investments in scientific facilities. To date, the ESFRI Roadmap has enabled the design and development of 55 strategic RIs, mobilising almost € 20 billion of investments across the EU. To this end, Europe now has one of the most advanced and integrated Research Infrastructure systems in the world, which is a cornerstone in the development of the European Research Area.

Looking to the future, Europe’s citizens are demanding that their investments in science help to bring solutions to the global challenges of the 21st century: the impact of climate change, the harnessing of industrial change and the digital transition, the threat of social inequality and its impact on our democracies – all of which require a new approach and present the opportunity for scientific disciplines to join forces in helping address them. To meet these challenges in an effective manner, the ERA requires clearer prioritisation and better coordination combined with a more cohesive engagement with global opportunities. And so ESFRI welcomes the six priorities of the new European Commission¹ 1. A Union that strives for more – My agenda for Europe. Political guidelines for the next European commission 2019-2024
https://templatearchive.com/eu-political-guidelines/ which target similar overarching objectives as the European Council’s A New Strategic Agenda for 2019-2024² 2. A New Strategic Agenda for 2019-2024
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/39914/a-new-strategic-agenda-2019-2024.pdf. ESFRI fully acknowledges the importance of Research and Innovation as a driver for Europe’s future and underlines the value that RIs can offer, including for issues such as the Green Deal and other societal challenges.

This White Paper is ESFRI’s response to the new challenges lying ahead for Europe. It is ESFRI’s contribution to the ongoing debate on a renewed ERA and extends on the ERA narrative³ 3. ERAC Opinion on the future of the ERA, 23 January 2020
https://era.gv.at/object/document/5133/attach/Opinion_Future_of_ERA_adopted.pdf proposed by the European Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC). In its opinion, ERAC highlights four main priority areas under the headings of directionality, inclusiveness, connectivity and visibility. This White Paper shows how Research Infrastructures contribute to each of these priorities, underlining the pivotal role of RIs for the advancement of European excellence in science. It anchors RIs as pillars of competitive development of the European economy, and not least in addressing global challenges, such as the Sustainable Development Goals. It is a document in which ESFRI reflects on almost twenty years of successful existence and sets out its future development.