Specific Challenge:

High-quality, accessible research infrastructures are at the heart of the knowledge triangle of research, education and innovation. They enable tens of thousands of researchers in academia and industry to develop innovative ideas, products and services that foster European competitiveness and help tackle societal challenges facing our continent. However, ensuring the availability of state-of-the-art facilities requires multi-billion Euro long-term investments across the European Research Area. In the context of implementing the ERA Roadmap, the focus of this action is to set the conditions for effective investment and optimise the use of research infrastructures of European interest.

In line with the strategy for EU international cooperation in research and innovation (COM(2012)497), international cooperation for research infrastructures is needed with a number of key partners located in third countries/regions seen as strategic both for the development, exploitation and management of world-class research infrastructures and for ensuring the necessary complementarities on the international scene required to address research challenges with a global dimension by optimising the use of the available resources.

Scope:

Proposals will address one of the following sub-topics:

Research and Innovation actions for the 2019 deadline

The purpose of this sub-topic is to support the further structuring of the cooperation with the Russian Federation in the Research Infrastructure domain.

Proposals will have to demonstrate the involvement of relevant entities on both European and Russian side and will cover the following 3 dimensions:

i. Building on the strategic recommendations deriving from the CREMLIN project, support the strengthening of the complementarity between Russian Mega Science initiatives and their European counterparts. Proposals will specifically address:

• Joint development and acquisition of specific instrumentation to be used by the European and Russian Infrastructures. This activity will specifically target the NICA and PIK initiatives and their European counterparts.
• Joint conceptual and technical design of Russian Infrastructures of European interest. This activity will particularly target the SSRS-4 initiative and its European counterparts.
• Joint development of future technologies required for Research Infrastructures' instrumentation;

ii. Contribute to overcoming the barriers that prevent European scientists from accessing Russian Research Infrastructures of European interest. The project will support Russian Facilities in setting-up the appropriate access conditions and cover the travel and subsistence costs that European researchers would sustain in accessing the facilities. In this context, the project will have to also take into account the list of Research Infrastructures open to International collaboration produced by the Russian Federation and the European Charter for Access to research infrastructures.

iii. The proposal will develop a staff exchange programme and thematic courses and workshops (e.g. summer schools), aimed at fostering exchanges of best practices on management practices, access procedures and scientific collaboration between infrastructure Staff and Scientists belonging to both the Russian Federation and European Union.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 25 million would allow this activity to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Coordination and support actions for the 2019 deadline

Actions under this sub-topic, in line with the EU-CELAC SOM^[2]strategic approach^[3], will concretely build on the outputs of the newly established EU-CELAC Research Infrastructure Working Group, and will:

1. support the identification of priorities for regional and bi-regional cooperation based on the respective strategic road-mapping exercises;
2. foster the exchange of best practices between the EU and CELAC on issues of common strategic relevance such as regional road-mapping processes, research infrastructure management, RI staff development.
3. support the identification of a limited number of Research Infrastructures of bi-regional interest on which the project will have to conduct pilot cooperation demonstrators comprising:

• The organisation of dedicated workshops and meetings between the EU and CELAC involved communities (research infrastructures, ministries, funding agencies). This can also be supported by bi-regional staff exchange activities, dedicated thematic training programmes (e.g. summer schools);
• The development of specific roadmaps for cooperation for each of the pilot thematic dimensions and the initial implementation of identified actions, such as supporting reciprocal access to Research Infrastructures in the two regions by covering travel and subsistence costs;
• The regular reporting to the EU-CELAC RI WG on the progress, for which an advisory board should be set up.

Under this sub-topic, legal entities established in Brazil and Mexico are eligible for funding from the Union.

The Commission considers that proposals requesting a contribution from the EU of up to EUR 1.5 million would allow this activity to be addressed appropriately. Nonetheless, this does not preclude submission and selection of proposals requesting other amounts.

Expected Impact:

Research and Innovation actions for the 2019 deadline

• strengthen the structured cooperation between European and Russian Research Infrastructures;
• promote the harmonisation of procedures and framework conditions for access;
• develop the framework conditions to improve access of European Scientists to Russian Research Infrastructures;
• promote the participation of Russian researchers in EU projects.

Coordination and Support actions for the 2019 deadline

• strengthen the development of a consistent cooperation agenda with CELAC;
• develop the international outreach of the European research infrastructures' ecosystem;
• foster a global research area vision and the development of global research infrastructures;
• contribute to capacity building and research infrastructures human capital development in targeted/relevant regions;
• enhance the role of the Union in multilateral fora;