Activities

Activities carried out under this heading will be executed across the whole field of science and technology. They will be implemented in close cooperation with the activities taking place in the thematic areas to ensure that all the actions undertaken at European level in the Community framework respond to the needs for research infrastructures in the areas concerned, including international cooperation. The activities will be the following: Support for existing research infrastructures Integrating activities to structure better, on a European scale, the way research infrastructures operate in a given field and to promote their coherent use and development, in particular through trans-national access, to ensure that European researchers, including researchers from industry and SMEs, may have access to high performing research infrastructures to conduct their research, irrespective of the location of the infrastructure, Strengthening research e-infrastructure by fostering the further development and evolution and global connectivity of high-capacity and high-performance communication and grid infrastructures and reinforcing European computing capabilities, as well as encouraging their adoption by user communities where appropriate, enhancing their global relevance and increasing the level of trust and confidence, building on the achievements of GEANT and Grid infrastructures and based on open standards for interoperability. Support for new research infrastructures Construction of new infrastructures and major upgrades of existing ones focussing mainly on preparatory phases, to promote the emergence of new research facilities, in accordance with the principle of ‘variable geometry’, building primarily upon the work conducted by ESFRI ESFRI was launched in April 2002. ESFRI brings together representatives from the 25 EU Member States, appointed by Ministers in charge of Research, and a representative of the European Commission. The countries associated with Framework Programmes for Research were invited to join in 2004. , Design studies, through a bottom-up approach of calls for proposals, to promote the creation of new research infrastructures by funding exploratory awards and feasibility studies for new infrastructures. Infrastructures projects proposed for funding in this respect will be identified on the basis of a series of criteria including in particular: Inability of existing mechanisms to achieve the objective. Added value of Community financial support. Capacity to offer a service in response to the needs of users from the scientific (academic and industrial) community throughout Europe, including added value to the European Research Area. Scientific excellence. Relevance at international level. Contribution to technological development capacity. Contribution to developing ‘research-based clusters of excellence’. Technological and organisational feasibility. Possibilities for European partnership and strong financial and other commitment of Member States and other major stakeholders, as well as the possible use of EIB loans and Structural Funds. Evaluation of construction and operating costs. As far as the construction of new infrastructures is concerned, the potential for scientific excellence of the convergence regions as well as the outermost regions should be taken into account, whenever appropriate. An efficient coordination of the Community financial instruments, in particular the Seventh Framework Programme and the structural funds, will be ensured.

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Source: EUR-Lex (Cellar) · retrieved 2026-11-04 · Text as adopted (Official Journal); later amendments are not incorporated in this text.