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Challenge 2c: The European Integration
E.-L. Winnacker, Secretary General of the European Research Council (ERC)
Pan-European infrastructure and their relationship to the scientific community
It is more than a truism that the performance of science requires an appropriate infrastructure. Not only are we in a world-wide competition for scientific excellence and, thus, excellent infrastructure, but, even more important, the nature of science itself is changing. Frontier research today means the study of complex systems, i.e. of systems which represent more than the sum of their parts. Among such emerging systems are the human brain, the expanding universe, the earth or financial markets, and climate, to name just a few. Their study requires interdisciplinary approaches of a novel kind and a corresponding infrastructure. My contribution will describe and explain the consequences of these developments.
A. Wagner, Chairman of the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron (DESY) Directorate
The European Association of National Research Facilities – ERF
ERF, the European Association of National Research Facilities Laboratories (open for international access) was founded in April 2006. Its mission is:
1. to coordinate development of advanced facilities for European research;
2. to develop mechanisms and best practices for the international provision of large-scale research facilities;
3. to act as a source of scientific and technical expert opinion for national and European policy-making, and
4. to facilitate the availability of resources for large-scale research facilities by cooperation and also through the initiation of specific joint initiatives or consortia.
Associates are carrying out research mainly in the physical and materials sciences, providing large scientific research infrastructure, and developing and providing innovative experimental technologies and their applications. ERF laboratories serve more than ten thousand users including those connected directly or indirectly to industry.
L. Laaksonen, Chair of the e‑Infrastructure Reflection Group (e‑IRG)
Supporting a sustainable e‑infrastructure for the ESFRI Roadmap projects
e‑IRG has outlined the landscape for a European e‑infrastructure to support the creation of a strong European Research Area (ERA) through the Roadmap and whitepapers. This is needed to tackle the multidisciplinary research challenges at a global scale. To achieve this goal a concerted effort is needed by ESFRI, its thirty-five projects and e‑IRG. e‑IRG has a strong presence in the national infrastructures through its delegates, thus enabling a powerful collaborative effort on the European level with the strong links to the global research
e‑infrastructures.
Detailed plans are needed for creating a common e‑infrastructure ecosystem based on open standards, exploiting the potential synergies to reduce risks and costs by combining and pooling investments and expertise across the different scientific domains to guarantee quality and availability of resources. The ESFRI projects should define their e‑infrastructure needs in a coherent and collaborative manner to avoid isolated concentrations of e‑infrastructures. The role of e‑IRG in this process is discussed, enabling consistent support for the projects to define their e‑infrastructure needs.
W.G. Stirling, Chair of EIROforum, Director General of ESRF
The EIROforum Partnership and ESFRI
In this talk I shall introduce the member organisations of the EIROforum (CERN, EFDA, EMBL, ESA, ESO, ESRF, ILL) and then describe policies and experience from the EIROforum partners of relevance to ESFRI and the ESFRI Roadmap. In the second part of the talk, I will present the development plans of the EIROforum partners and discuss the impact of the ESFRI Roadmap on these development strategies.
