ESFRI
European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI)
ESFRI was launched in April 2002 as a Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (RI) which brings together representatives of EU Member States and Associated States, appointed by Ministers in charge of Research, and one representative of the European Commission. ESFRI’s objective is to identify and to address the scientific needs of research infrastructures in Europe for the next 10-20 years. Its mission is to support a coherent and strategy-led approach to policy-making on new and existing pan-European and global research infrastructures. ESFRI facilitates multilateral initiatives leading to the better use and development of research infrastructures, acting as an incubator for decision-making processes. As such, ESFRI contributes to the implementation of the Lisbon agenda by integrating national policies and providing Europe with the most up-to-date research infrastructures.
Fulfilling a request by the European Council of Research Ministers, an update of the ESFRI Roadmap was published in December 2008 (Update of the European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures). It presents new facilities tackling challenges in Environment, Energy and Health, while at the same time endorsing almost all the previous projects in the first edition, published in 2006 (European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures).
The Update of the Roadmap now identifies 44 infrastructure projects, at various stages of development, in seven key research areas. Within the life sciences four new infrastructures have been identified covering the fields of Imaging, High Security Laboratories, Biological Resource Centres and High through-put screening platforms for small molecules. A more detailed description of the Life Science infrastructures can be found in the BMS Roadmap Working Group Report 2008.
The role of pan-European Research Infrastructures in the regions and their contributions to the European Research Area (ERA) are highlighted in the 2008 Report of the ESFRI Regional Issues Working Group.
Links:
ESFRI - European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures
Research Infrastructures in the Seventh Framework Programme
