Synchronization of Priorities, Funding Mechanisms, and Evaluation of Research Infrastructures (RI) of Pan-European Importance – InRoad

News from 11/20/2017
First Regional InRoad Project Workshop
The workshop was organized by the Ústav Fyzikální Chemie J. Heyrovského (HIPC) and took place on 11/08–11/09 in Liblice near Prague. The main objective of the meeting was to discuss case studies related to funding Research Infrastructures (RIs) and developing action plans, with particular emphasis on the role of various funding sources. The aim was to gather insights both from RI managers and from representatives of funding bodies. Discussions addressed the importance of coordinating and securing funding within national processes for building Research Infrastructure Roadmaps, as well as formulating recommendations for future ESIF programming and RI funding after 2020.

The event opened with a presentation of the Czech roadmap for major infrastructures. In his talk, Dr. Lukáš Levák, representing the Ministry of Education, outlined the prioritization and selection criteria for including research infrastructures in the national roadmap, as well as rules for evaluating infrastructures that remain on the roadmap and receive operational funding. Thirty-four participants from fifteen EU Member States took part in four roundtable discussion panels focused on RI funding at various stages of the infrastructure lifecycle and on developing business plans to assess RI operational stability.

In Poland, as in the Czech Republic, the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) are the primary source of funding for constructing and equipping Research Infrastructures. Meanwhile, national contributions to EU-scale initiatives listed on the ESFRI roadmap—such as ELI (Extreme Light Infrastructure) at the Military University of Technology in Warsaw or the European XFEL (European X-Ray Free-Electron Laser) at the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk—are financed by the Ministry of Science and Higher Education.

This was the first in a series of five regional workshops, each focusing on different national contexts. The next workshop will take place in Rome on November 27–28. Subsequent workshops will be held in February (Portugal), March (Germany), and in April 2018 at the Wrocław Research Centre EIT+.

For questions or comments, please contact info@inroad.eu or the Polish project coordinator:
Beata Lubicka
Project Coordinator
email: blubicka@eitplus.pl

News from 07/22/2017
Update of the 2018 European Research Infrastructure Roadmap Underway
The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) announced for the fourth time a call for proposals as part of the update of the 2018 European Research Infrastructure Roadmap (EMIR). ESFRI coordinates key initiatives aimed at developing the world’s most advanced research infrastructure base within the EU—covering fields from the humanities and social sciences, through environmental and physical sciences, to biomedical sciences and e-infrastructures. Proposals for new projects or upgrades of existing ones may be submitted to ESFRI until August 31 of this year.

News from 07/21/2017
Preliminary Results of the InRoad Consultations
From May to June of this year, consultations were conducted among national ESFRI representatives on supporting national Research Infrastructures. The questionnaire addressed decision-making, funding mechanisms, business models, and the degree of linkage to RI roadmap processes in EU Member States and Associated Countries. Preliminary analysis of the results shows:

• 93% of respondents have a national decision-making process for prioritizing and/or funding RIs, and 85% have a national RI roadmap.
• The three main objectives of national roadmaps are: (1) participation in funding international RIs, (2) setting strategic priorities for anticipated funding, and (3) identifying scientific needs and existing gaps.
• 61% of respondents have implemented RI evaluation procedures, and 57% have RI monitoring procedures.
• The three key reasons for international cooperation in the RI domain were identified as: (1) strategic decision-making, (2) evaluation procedures, and (3) lifecycle management from planning to decommissioning. Countries without established RI roadmap processes show greater interest in mapping existing RIs rather than lifecycle management.
• Countries with national R&D roadmaps are most interested in learning about strategic decision-making methods, while interest in cooperation is highest with regard to monitoring and evaluation procedures.