Consolidation of the Research Infrastructure landscape – Individual support for evolution, long term sustainability and emerging needs of pan-European research infrastructures

Project results are expected to contribute to several of the following expected outcomes:

• better structured and strengthened European Research Infrastructure (RI) landscape;
• new services available to a wider user community, including participants in other parts of Horizon Europe, allowing to better tackle scientific and societal challenges;
• increased capacity to address EU policy priorities and/or socio-economic challenges;
• reinforced global competitiveness of the European Research Area;
• reduction of environmental (including climate-related) impacts as well as optimisation of resource and energy consumption integrated through the full life cycle of research infrastructures;
• increased long-term sustainability of European research infrastructures.

This topic targets the consolidation of the EU research infrastructures landscape through the support, together with the countries, that are members of the research infrastructures, to the strengthening, long-term sustainability, reorientation or evolution of ESFRI Landmarks or European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs).

Proposed action should justify the specific objectives and focus on activities that are critical for the sustainability and optimised use of the ESFRI Landmarks or ERICs, such as activities aiming at several of the following objectives:

• enlargement of the membership or broadening of the base of participating countries;
• reinforcing international cooperation;
• revision of business/funding plan;
• development of managerial and technical skills for RI staff;
• structuring and strengthening of national nodes;
• extension of remote and/or virtual access;
• management of research data according to the FAIR principles;
• reorientation or evolution of the RI scope;
• addressing critical aspects raised following an assessment or monitoring exercise, e.g. in the context of ESFRI activities;
• Development, update and or implementation of impact assessment of the RI.

In case of reorientation or evolution of the research infrastructure scope, activities should fill gaps in the research infrastructures landscape^[1], enabling the research infrastructure to address new research or societal challenges and/or serve new user communities, increasing and improving service capacity and/or integrating new resources/facilities.

Due attention must be given to related EU initiatives and priorities and, when relevant, to complementarity and relevance to activities in other parts of Horizon Europe. Proposals should explain any synergies with previous or current EU grants.

Given the funding rate, proposals should ensure a minimum adequate backing by the beneficiaries, who should provide the remaining share for the activities covered by the Grant Agreement and foster the sustainability of the ESFRI Landmark or ERIC.

Specific attention should be given, where relevant, to the greening of technologies and methodologies used by the research infrastructure, to the interaction with industry/SMEs, to the fostering of the innovation potential of the infrastructures, and to their integration into local, regional and global innovation ecosystems.

[1] Although the action aims at individual support to a pan-European research infrastructure, applicants should consider the ESFRI Landscape Analysis and liaise during the action with other relevant ESFRI/ERICs to ensure complementarity.