Foreword By Máire Geoghegan-Quinn European Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science
making this happen. Research infrastructures make a very clear contribution to the EU’s headline policies to boost growth and jobs and tackle society’s biggest challenges. Foremost amongst these policies is Europe 2020, our strategy for smart,
T
sustainable and inclusive growth. Science and Innovation are at its heart. If innovation and top quality research are the life-blood of a vibrant
knowledge economy, then perhaps we can think of research infrastructures as the vital supporting skeleton, ensuring our best brains have the facilities and the means to conduct the best research. If we are going to transform the European Union into an Innovation
Union, we need excellent research, and more of it. Innovation provides real benefits for us as citizens, consumers, and workers. It speeds up and improves the way we develop new products, industrial processes and services. It’s the key not just to more jobs, a better society and quality of life, but it’s also vital to our competitiveness in global markets. Research Infrastructures act as centres of innovation and of knowledge transfer to industry and society at large. The Innovation Union Initiative - one of Europe 2020’s seven
flagships - sets out a strategic approach to boosting innovation and removing the bottlenecks that hinder the best ideas from reaching the market. It also focuses Europe’s efforts – and our co-operation with international partners – on the issues that matter to all of us, like climate change, energy, food security and health. While Europe 2020 and Innovation Union comprise the policy
framework, Horizon 2020 provides the investment in research and innovation to reach their objectives. Launched last December, over the next seven years Horizon 2020 will invest nearly 80 billion euro in excellent research and the very best innovation. We need excellent scientists for excellent science. And excellent
scientists rely on excellent infrastructure for their work. This is why research infrastructures are instrumental in all the priorities defined by Horizon 2020. The programme includes a significantly increased budget of 2.5
billion euro to develop and support research infrastructures, across a broad range of areas such as health and food, the environment, social and cultural innovation, physics and engineering, as well as ICT. I’m excited about Horizon 2020’s action in this area, which will build
on the success of the Seventh Framework Programme’s integrating activities and continue to integrate national research infrastructures and increase access to them. Horizon 2020 will support the implementation and operation of infrastructures on the ESFRI roadmap and other world-class research
infrastructures. Of course, infrastructures mean more than labs and research facilities. Horizon 2020 will also support the development of pan-European datasets such as the European Social Survey that I had the pleasure of launching as a European research infrastructure consortium in London recently. Since Horizon 2020 is a programme for innovation as well as the
research that underpins it, we will also pay special attention to fostering the innovation potential of infrastructures. We’ll reinforce European policy and international cooperation and we’ll be actively looking for synergies between Horizon 2020 and the European Structural and Investment Funds that also emphasise the potential of infrastructures to boost research and innovation. So, Horizon 2020 represents a major step forward. But we’re certainly
not starting from scratch. I’m determined to ensure that Horizon 2020 reinforces and builds on existing actions on research infrastructures that have made a major contribution to the European Research Area – our plan for an open space for research and knowledge in Europe.
The Finnish Research Infrastructure Committee has just published Finland’s first national research infrastructure strategy, setting out a clear vision for research in the country to 2020. Read the full story on pages 44-45
he size and complexities of the challenges we face as a society demand that we all look outward. We have to work together with the very best researchers and innovators, wherever they are in the world. Research infrastructures play a crucial role in
www.projectsmagazine.eu.com
7
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112