The majority of research infrastructures (RIs) are funded, managed, and operated within national systems. They mostly provide services to national research communities.
As research budgets are limited, and governments and funding agencies need to support increasingly large and complex RIs and RI portfolios, Science Europe and the OECD Global Science Forum joined forces to analyse how to optimise their operation and use within a national context.
Research infrastructures are highly diverse, as are the approaches that national authorities take in funding and governing them within their respective research systems. Because of this, no single model or set of recommendations to optimise their operation and use would suit every country or infrastructure.
Science Europe and the OECD Global Science Forum identified a number of key factors and guiding principles that will help policy makers, decision makers, and infrastructure managers to optimise the use and operation of the infrastructures that they manage. These principles have been brought together in two Guiding Models: one for funders and decision makers, and one for managers.
Two guiding models for the optimisation of the operation and use of national research infrastructures are introduced here. One is aimed at RI funders and decision makers, the other at RI managers. The full policy paper provides detailed version of both models.
Countries seeking to operate an active RI portfolio management programme should incorporate some or all of the following elements in their approach:
Managers of national RIs seeking to optimise the use of their facilities, and the data generated from them, should consider incorporating some or all of the following elements into their management strategies:
Research Infrastructures are essential to foster connectivity, both nationally and internationally. The recommendations set out in this report will help better support them and enhance their efficient use.
— Rosa Menéndez
President of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
Science Europe Vice-President
September 2020
Nationally funded and managed research infrastructures are important an important component in the realisation of the European Research Area (ERA). To fulfil this role, they must be governed, managed, and operated in an efficient and coordinated manner. The Guiding Models developed by Science Europe and the OECD are very useful in this regard.
— Angelika Kalt
Director of the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF)
Science Europe Governing Board Member
September 2020
A joint Expert Group oversaw the activity run by the Science Europe Office and the OECD Global Science Forum Secretariat. Evidence was gathered through two surveys of RI managers and RI funders/decision makers in a selected number of countries and regions to ensure balanced coverage across OECD countries. Two international workshops were also organised. The first workshop was held in London (hosted by STFC, UK) in June 2019, and the second workshop was held in Seoul (hosted by KBSI, Korea) in November 2019.
The full findings and analysis of this joint activity are presented in the report ‘Optimising the Operation and Use of National Research Infrastructures’, published as an OECD Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy Paper. The paper is also available from the OECD iLibrary.
Science Europe and the OECD Global Science Forum teamed up to identify ways to optimise the operation and use of research infrastructures at national level.
Research infrastructures are essential for the progress of science and technologies. While their users are increasingly the international research community, most of them are still funded and managed at national level. National RIs offer unique opportunities for local and regional research and education excellence. As governments and research institutions worldwide seek to optimise their limited resources, this report, which contains very practical guiding models for research infrastructure managers and decision-makers, comes in a timely manner. — Gabriele Fioni
Chairman of the OECD Global Science Forum
September 2020
| Country | Organisation | Acronym | Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | Canada Foundation for Innovation | CFI | Heidi Bandulet |
| China | Ministry of Science and Technology | MOST | Qijiang Zhai |
| France | Ministry for Higher Education and Research | Isabelle Diaz | |
| Germany | German Research Foundation | DFG | Michael Royeck |
| Hungary | Hungarian Academy of Sciences | MTA | Attila Havas |
| Ireland | Health Research Board | HRB | Oonagh Ward |
| Japan | Japan Science and Technology Agency | JST | Toshiki Nagano |
| Korea, Republic of South Korea | National Fusion Research Institute | Myeun Kwon | |
| Korea, Republic of South Korea | National Research Facilities and Equipment Center | NFEC | Yong-Joo Kim |
| Korea, Republic of South Korea | Korea Basic Science Institute | Eun Ju Lee | |
| Netherlands | Ministry of Education, Culture and Science | MinOCW | Jeannette Ridder-Numan |
| Norway | University of Bergen | UiB | Robert Bjerknes |
| South Africa | National Research Infrastructure Platform | NRF | Clifford Nxomani |
| Spain | Spanish National Research Council | CSIC | Joaquín Tintoré Subirana |
| Switzerland | Paul Scherrer Institute | PSI | Stefan Janssen |
| Switzerland | Paul Scherrer Institute | PSI | Mirjam van Daalen |
| Switzerland | Swiss National Science Foundation | SNSF | Jean-Luc Barras |
| United Kingdom | United Kingdom Research & Innovation | UKRI | Catherine Ewart (Chair) |
| United States | National Science Foundation | NSF | Samuel Howerton |
| United States | National Science Foundation | NSF | Robert Smith (Chris) |
| Association of European-level Research Infrastructure Facilities | ERF | Andrew Harrisson | |
| Association of European-level Research Infrastructure Facilities | ERF | Florian Gliksohn | |
| OECD Global Science Forum | OECD-GSF | Frédéric Sgard | |
| OECD Global Science Forum | OECD-GSF | Carthage Smith | |
| OECD Global Science Forum (consultant) | OECD-GSF | Peter Fletcher | |
| Science Europe | SE | Maud Evrard | |
| Science Europe | SE | James Morris | |
| Science Europe (consultant) | SE | Isabel Bolliger |
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2023 proved to be another landmark year for Science Europe: building on the achievements of the previous year and setting the direction for new approaches in vital areas of research policy.
This briefing on the ERA Policy Agenda presents actions and advocacy points from Science Europe on the ERA Actions that it contributes to.
In 2022, Science Europe made significant contributions in various areas, including research culture, research assessment, open science, EU framework programmes, the green and digital transition, and science communication.
Science Europe's 2022 Annual Report highlights the most important achievements of 2022 on Science Europe’s priority topics, including research culture, research assessment, open science, EU framework programmes, the green and digital transition, and science communication.
Science Europe participates in an OECD Expert Group on ‘Very Large Research Infrastructures’ (VLRIs), and as a satellite meeting of the main International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI 2022), the Expert Group met in Brno (Czech Republic) on 17 October to host a workshop dedicated to the topics of VLRI financing, impact, and long-term strategies.
For Science Europe, 2021 was a very important year: the association celebrated its 10th year of existence. Founded in 2011, it has grown into a respected and influential voice in the European research policy debate. Moreover, we published a new Strategy Plan for 2021–2026, which maps our collective objectives and sets a specific yet flexible action framework over the next five years.
Substantial discrepancies exist in European research and innovation capacity. To support capacity-building in European countries with lower R&I performance, Science Europe and its Task Force on Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence are launching a series of activities.
Now in its 6th edition, the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) Roadmap for 2021 includes 41 European Research Infrastructures which have already been implemented (Landmarks), and 22 RI Projects that are in their preparatory phase. This totals an investment of over 20 billion Euros. The 2021 edition includes 11 new research infrastructure projects.
This report provides a summary of the virtual workshop organised by OECD Global Science Forum and Science Europe in May 2021 and set up as a satellite event of the International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI 2021).
