Preparatory Phase of new ESFRI projects and early phase support to ESFRI high strategic potential areas

Topic description

Specific Challenge:

The ESFRI roadmap, updated periodically, identifies the needs of the European scientific community in terms of research infrastructures. However, inclusion in the ESFRI roadmap does not guarantee that these needed infrastructures will be built. Before proceeding with the construction and/or implementation of the identified infrastructures, many preliminary decisions need to be taken with respect to issues such as the identification of funders, the financial plan for sustainability, the governance by involved stakeholders, the site and legal form of the managing organisation (and of the research infrastructure, if different), the architecture and the service policies. The aim of this activity is to provide catalytic and leveraging support for the preparatory phase of ESFRI projects, and to new initiatives in areas of high strategic potential, leading to the construction of new research infrastructures or major upgrades of existing ones.

Following the updates of the ESFRI Roadmap^[1], support under this work programme will be provided to:

(a) Preparatory Phase for new research infrastructure projects which enter the ESFRI Roadmap in 2018 (Coordination and Support actions)

The preparatory phase aims to bring the project for the new or upgraded research infrastructure identified in the ESFRI Roadmap to the level of legal, financial, and, where applicable, technical maturity required for implementing it.

Proposal consortia should involve all the stakeholders necessary to move the project forward, to take the decisions, and to make the financial commitments, before construction can start (including, but not limited to, national/regional ministries/governments, research councils or funding agencies from the countries that have already declared their commitment in the application to ESFRI). Appropriate contacts with ministries and decision-makers should be continuously reinforced, thus further strengthening the consortia. Operators of research facilities, research centres, universities, and industry may also be involved whenever appropriate. Technical work should be carried out when necessary to complete the final technical design, providing a sound technical base for establishing a cost baseline and detailed financial planning. The financial needs of the project should be mapped out to the extent necessary for funding agencies to establish their own medium- and long-term financial planning. Societal and economic benefits of the infrastructure should be analysed to carry out a Cost-benefit analysis^[2].

The preparation of the legal and financial agreements (including site, governance, internal rules, financing of the new research infrastructures) is one of the main activities and deliverables and should be finalised before the end of the project (e.g., through the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding).

The detailed list of activities that can be included in a preparatory phase proposal is given in part A of the section “Specific features for Research Infrastructures”. Proposals should explain any synergies and complementarities with previous or current EU grants.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 4 million would allow this challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

(b) Support to Early Phase for research infrastructure initiatives in high strategic potential areas of research identified in the ESFRI Roadmap 2018 (Research and Innovation Actions)

This support aims to foster the development of pan-European research infrastructures in areas demonstrating particularly high strategic potential for the European Research Area, as identified in the ESFRI Roadmap 2018.

To this extent activities will include the needed scientific, technical and conceptual work: e.g. the drafting of the new research infrastructure architecture, including the role of the central coordination and the different nodes; the planning of research services to be provided at international level as well as user strategy and access policy; plans to coherently integrate the new infrastructure into the European landscape of related facilities; the estimated budget for construction and operation; plans for an international governance structure, specification of ICT and e-Infrastructure needs. Proposals should explain any synergies and complementarities with previous or current EU grants.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 2 million would allow this specific challenge to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

All proposals:

• A landscape of first-class sustainable RIs and services, open to researchers, industry, and other interested groups such as policy makers and the public, is progressively established, which will impact on the acceleration of scientific discovery as well as on innovation and competitiveness.
• The technical work carried out under this topic will contribute to strengthening the technological development capacity and effectiveness as well as the scientific performance, efficiency and attractiveness of the European Research Area.
• Synergies and complementarity between the new and existing research infrastructures are developed, thus contributing to the development of a consistent European research infrastructures ecosystem.

(a) Preparatory Phase (Coordination and Support actions)

• The decision making processes leading to the construction and/or implementation of the research infrastructures identified in the ESFRI Roadmap is triggered.
• Funding bodies are able to take funding decisions and to conclude the legal agreements necessary for the construction of new research infrastructures.

(b) Support to Early Phase (Research and Innovation actions)

• Policy bodies at the national, European and international level have a sound decision basis to establish long-term plans and roadmaps for new research infrastructures of pan-European or global interest.
• New research infrastructure initiatives in areas of high strategic potential for the European Research Area are further developed and brought to maturity.

This topic will not be continued in 2020.

Clean Energy
Socio-economic science and humanities

[1]http://ec.europa.eu/research/infrastructures/index.cfm?pg=esfri

[2]See for instance Guide to Cost-Benefit Analysis of Investment Projects for Cohesion Policy 2014-2020

(http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/en/information/publications/guides/2014/guide-to-cost-benefit-analysis-of-investment-projects-for-cohesion-policy-2014-2020)