February 2009

Research Infrastructures (incl. e-infrastructures) are:

Facilities, resources, and related services usedby the scientific community for Conducting leading-edge research Knowledge transmission, knowledge exchanges

and knowledge preservation Today Research Infrastructures include

Major scientific equipment Scientific collections, archives, structured

information ICT-based infrastructures

Europe has a long-standing tradition of excellence

Growing use of the e-infrastructure:

the case of GÉANT

Some thoughts…

Information is NOT knowledge; knowledge creation involves a complex process… the knowledge triangle within which research infrastructures are key elements

ResearchResearch EducationEducation

InnovatioInnovationn

Research infrastructur

esKnowledg

e «industry

»

European RIs are faced with a wide spectrum of issues

Globally unique to Regionally distributed; Many stakeholders (from ministries to researchers); Lack of funding (public and private) to face increasing

cost / complexity of RIs; Need to improve the efficiency of research services;

Underlying and growing use of e-infrastructures;Integrating datasets and models;

Single countries do not have the critical mass: a need for cooperation;

Opportunities but difficulties of interaction between researchers and other stakeholders (e.g. statisticians?)

The case of Social Sciences &

Humanities

CESSDA & remote access to Official Statistics

DARIAH

SHARE

CLARIN

5 Pro

jects in

development

ESFRI European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures

CESSDA

www.nsd.uib.no/cessda

Council of European Social Science Data Archives

Distributed infrastructure providing efficient data services and facilitating access of researchers to high quality data

CESSDA includes 20 European social sciences data archives; exists since over thirty years; holds some 25,000 data collections

The CESSDA Preparatory Phase aims at enabling the transition of CESSDA from an informal grouping of data archives to a formally constituted European Research Infrastructure (ERI)

Next call for Proposals under FP7 (research)

Open to Integrating Activities (I3), i.e. networking, joint research and transnational access / research services;

Opening Sept 09 (closing early Dec 09) allowing first contracts by second half 2010; EC support for 3 to 4 years; up to 10 M€ funding;

Targeted approach: for example, two topics: European Social Science Data Archives and remote

access to Official Statistics; Experts recommend collaboration between CESSDA & Official Statistics;

Integrating datasets / models for analysis, design, development of economic, social & other policies.

For further information

ESFRI on CORDIS http://cordis.europa.eu/esfri/

FP7 and Capacities Specific Programme http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/

http://cordis.europa.eu/fp7/capacities/

Research Infrastructures on CORDIS (FP6) http://cordis.europa.eu/infrastructures/

Research Infrastructures in Europa http://ec.europa.eu/research/infrastructures