Policy Documents

ESFRI Position Paper on Framework Program 10

European Research Infrastructures (RIs) encompass infrastructures for research and innovation that bolster European Union (EU) competitiveness and advance the European Research Area (ERA) by

  • producing excellent research and innovation,
  • driving industrial competitiveness,
  • contributing to job creation, economic growth and (strategic) open autonomy,
  • enhancing the welfare and wellbeing of EU citizens,
  • serve as vital sources of data and expertise that inform policymaking and tackle complex societal challenges.

Moreover, they play a crucial role in supporting collaborative research, are strong magnets for talent, and bolster Europe’s scientific influence and sovereignty. RIs are at the core of the knowledge triangle of research, education and innovation, and therefore play a vital role in advancement of knowledge, the promotion of open science, and the efficiency of the research and innovation environment.

To tap into its full potential RIs must be seen and enhanced as strategic assets in policy making and across borders of sectoral domains to contribute to the European strategic agenda and the full realisation of the European Research Area. Therefore, RIs should be considered not only as a cross-cutting element of the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (FP10) but of the entire EU endeavour.

The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) was established as a central platform for strategic thinking and collaboration in policies on research infrastructures, contributing to Europe's competitiveness in the global scientific landscape. In line with ESFRI´s mandate, we present our view on some of the strategic aspects that FP10 should include.
ESFRI-EOSC Task Force releases opinion paper on FAIR data

 

The ESFRI-EOSC Task Force has published an opinion paper highlighting the importance of FAIR principles in research and innovation. The paper, titled "FAIR Data productivity and advanced digitalization of research: an opinion paper by the ESFRI-EOSC Task Force and Steering Board expert group (E03756)", focuses on Quality-Assessed FAIR-Data (QAFAIRD) productivity, aiming to evaluate and enhance FAIR data practices in Research Infrastructures (RIs) and clusters.

Key objectives of the initiative include assessing current FAIR data productivity levels, identifying bottlenecks, and determining necessary EOSC services for improvement. The paper also explores the impact of AI tools on FAIR data management and research protocols. This publication underscores the Task Force's commitment to promoting transparency, reproducibility, and collaboration across scientific fields through FAIR data practices.

This work is based on the results of the ESFRI-EOSC  Policy Workshop on “FAIR Data Productivity and Advanced Digitalization” that took place on 23-24 January 2024, in Milan, Italy.


The paper is available via Zenodo:
2nd ESFRI Stakeholders Forum Meetup Report

The second edition of the ESFRI Stakeholders Forum Meetup took place in Tenerife, focusing on three topics highly relevant to the various stakeholder communities – Funding, Access, Industry and interaction with Technology Infrastructures (TIs).

Each session started with a panel discussion, followed by group discussions in three groups, where participants addressed relevant questions, also identified in consultation with stakeholders. There were two common questions posed for all three topics:

  • How the next European Commission Work Programme 2025-2027 (HE WP) and the new Framework Programme (FP10) should include them.
  • Any relevant needs regarding Access to RIs that would need to be highlighted in the ESFRI Landscape Analysis report currently in preparation?

This combined expert summary report collates discussions from the various groups on the topics of funding, access and collaboration with industry.
Survey Report on Cooperation of ESFRI Research Infrastructures (Landmarks) with Industry

Cooperation between Research Infrastructures (RIs) and industry stakeholders, encompassing users, collaborators, and component providers, represents a pivotal mission for ESFRI RIs. To gain a comprehensive understanding of these collaborative dynamics and to pinpoint areas where RIs may require further support in fostering industry partnerships, the ESFRI drafting group on Industrial Co-operation was established. This initiative aligns seamlessly with the December 2022 conclusions of the Council of the European Union, a cornerstone in the development of the European Research Area (ERA).

To facilitate the drafting group's mission, an online survey was conducted in December 2022, serving a dual purpose: (1) deepening the comprehension of the scope and scale of collaborative ventures between industry and RIs, and (2) charting the course for future directions and support needed to empower Research Infrastructures in effectively engaging with industry. 
This survey serves as a complementary effort to the 2022 survey of ESFRI Research Infrastructures (Landmarks). It responds to a recommendation from the earlier report to explore the perspectives of industrial partners on cooperation with research infrastructures, making it a focal point of the insights presented in this document.
Cooperation of ESFRI Research Infrastructures (Landmarks) with Industry

The cooperation between Research Infrastructures (RIs) and industry plays a crucial role in achieving scientific excellence and fostering innovation potential. However, the level of cooperation and its challenges remain less defined and monitored. To address this, ESFRI undertook a study on RI cooperation, exploring existing documents and conducting surveys with RIs. The findings highlight the need for policy actions to enhance mutual benefits and overcome barriers such as different mindsets, access rules, and intellectual property rights. Understanding RIs' potential to assist industry and society is vital for optimal resource allocation and successful cooperation. The report emphasizes the importance of strategic analysis and ESFRI's role in defining the space for cooperation between RIs and technology infrastructures (TIs) to increase impact. The recommendations provided serve as a valuable input for advancing the RI-Industry cooperation landscape.
ESFRI Report on Energy and Supply Challenges of Research Infrastructures

In conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic aftermath, Russian aggression on Ukraine has wide-ranging consequences for the EU, including high inflation, an immense energy cost increase, and a shortage of critical resources. All of these have pronounced effects on the sustainability and operations of research infrastructures (RIs), several of which face difficulties in providing continuous service. To address these topics, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has established a dedicated drafting group to look into the energy and supply challenges, also responding to a call by Competitiveness Council to do so.

This report highlights the significant impact of the Russian aggression on Ukraine on the sustainability and operations of research infrastructures (RIs) in the EU. The energy crisis resulting from the Russian aggression poses a severe challenge to the RIs, predominantly analytical RIs, with energy-intensive RIs such as synchrotrons, computing centres, accelerator-driven particle sources, neutron facilities, research reactors, and lasers being the most affected. The shortage of critical resources and materials, such as some gases, rare isotopes, and permanent magnets, also presents a significant challenge to RIs, although they may not be a consequence of the war.

The report presents recommendations to ESFRI, Member States, and the European Commission based on good practices from ESFRI member countries and the discussion within the drafting group to address these challenges and enhance the future resilience of RIs. The recommendations include allocating additional funds and energy price capping for the most energy-intensive RIs, developing response plans that include actions aimed at greening the operations of RIs, considering the needs of the RI communities in the activities linked to the Critical Raw Materials Regulation, and setting up specific measures to support the Ukrainian research community. The report emphasizes the importance of preparing for future crises, increasing the resilience and preparedness of European society to cope with any present and future crisis.
ESFRI Report on the Support of Research Infrastructures to the Ukrainian Research Community

In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) called upon Research Infrastructures (RIs) to establish support measures for the Ukrainian research community. These measures included facilitating access, providing training, and donating scientific equipment. To assess the uptake and impact of this call, ESFRI conducted a survey in October 2023 and the main findings are discussed in this report. 
ESFRI Report on Access to Research Infrastructures and Charter on Access to RIs

There are still challenges to broader and effective access to Research Infrastructures (RIs) as needed by users to tackle scientific and societal challenges and to underpin the new European Research Area (ERA).
The objectives of the ESFRI Drafting Group on Access are to identify these challenges, propose ways to address them and propose orientations for the revision of the European Charter of Access to Research Infrastructures (the ‘Charter’). This work is part of Action 8 of the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024: ‘Strengthen sustainability, accessibility and resilience of research infrastructures in the ERA’.

To this end, the ESFRI Drafting Group on Access implemented in May-June 2023 two parallel surveys: one detailed survey targeting research infrastructures (individual ones or networks with joint access scheme) and one targeting RI stakeholders.The respondents express a large diversity of types of access (physical, remote, virtual), nature of service offered (access to equipment, to data, to collection etc.), including within an RI, often depending on the domain and the nature of the RI (single site or distributed). Among the barriers to broader access, several legal, institutional, and financial aspects were raised as well as technical aspects. The trends related to multidisciplinary efforts, innovation, and green and digital transitions were also discussed. In addition, respondents provided feedback on EU support for transnational and virtual access.

The outcome of the survey is presented in detail in this report. Preliminary recommendations to address access challenges and revise the Charter are tentatively listed and are summarised hereafter.
ESFRI Policy Brief on Assessment of Impact of Research Infrastructures

The Impact Assessment is an important part of the policy-making process, as it helps in evaluating the potential effects of proposed policies on various stakeholders and making informed decisions about whether to adopt, modify, or reject a proposed policy. It also helps to communicate the benefits of any public investment to society. For these reasons, its importance has grown over recent years, and the Research Infrastructure (RI) policy domain is no exception. The topic has been recognised in ESFRI’s White Paper (2020), where the countries were invited, with support from ESFRI and Horizon Europe, to incentivise RIs to monitor their societal and economic value and impact. Furthermore, the ESFRI Strategy working groups have organised two conferences on this topic (2018 and 2020).

Impact assessment is also beneficial for RIs if used to assess and improve the functioning of an RI. It contributes to the strategic planning of an RI, reflecting on internal resource allocation and leading to constant improvement and focussing of services according to the needs of users and other stakeholders. It creates accountability and transparency and hence gives legitimacy, visibility and value to the existence of an RI.

Recently, the Competitiveness Council have asked “ESFRI to look into the approaches by Member States, the Commission, international organisations and RIs to assess scientific, societal and economic impacts of investments in RIs, identify good practices, develop a monitoring framework, test it and elaborate recommendations to national and regional RI stakeholders by the end of 2023”. ESFRI has responded to this request by setting up a drafting group  tasked with preparing the report based on information collected from literature, surveys and consultations with the ESFRI member countries and RIs.

This report highlights the importance of understanding the differences between performance monitoring, which ESFRI started implementing last year, and impact assessment (IA), ex-ante or ex-post, for research infrastructures (RIs). It provides recommendations to stakeholders, policymakers, funders, governments, RIs, ESFRI, and the EC.