Research infrastructure services to enable R&I addressing main challenges and EU priorities

The main goal is to provide access to advanced research infrastructure services to help address major scientific challenges and support EU priorities. The opportunity focuses on enhancing and optimizing existing services, developing new ones, and ensuring long-term sustainability. Key areas include advanced biotechnology and biomanufacturing, novel radionuclides and biomedical facilities, and resources for climate change research. Activities target EU Member States, Associated Countries, and select non-EU countries that provide access to their infrastructures. The aim is to foster breakthrough research and cross-disciplinary collaboration in these critical fields.

• Projects must include access provision activities for research infrastructures.
• At least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC must be a beneficiary, or, for distributed ERICs, a legal entity hosting ERIC facilities with an official declaration of support.
• Third-country infrastructures may participate if they offer complementary or more advanced services than those in the EU or Associated Countries.
• Proposals must include an outreach and engagement plan targeting research communities and relevant industries, especially in Widening countries and SMEs.
• Proposals must comply with the European Charter for Access, data management, and interoperability guidelines, and connect to the European Open Science Cloud where relevant.
• The main focus should be on access provision, with improvements and optimizations allowed if they ensure sustainability.
• Proposals must not exceed 100 pages.

Example projects:

• A project offering European researchers access to advanced biotech labs for developing sustainable agriculture solutions.
• A collaboration providing access to radionuclide facilities for medical research teams to develop new cancer treatments.
• An initiative allowing climate scientists from different countries to use high-performance computing resources for improved climate modeling.

• Unit costs for trans-national access to research infrastructures
• Unit costs for virtual access to research infrastructures
• Resources for access provision activities
• Costs for improving and optimizing offered services
• Expenses for developing new research infrastructure services
• Costs related to ensuring long-term sustainability of services

Restrictions: All expenses must relate directly to access provision, service improvement, or sustainability. Only costs defined as eligible by the Horizon Europe Model Grant Agreement are allowed.

• Budget for this Call: 20,000,000€
• Number of Grants attributed: 4
• Budget per grant: 5,000,000€

• Applicants must be from eligible countries (EU Member States, Associated Countries, or specified non-EU countries providing access to their infrastructures).
• Proposals must include access provision activities for research infrastructures.
• At least one ESFRI Landmark or ERIC must be a beneficiary, or a hosting legal entity with an official declaration for distributed ERICs.
• Proposals must list services/installations available for trans-national or virtual access.
• An outreach and engagement plan targeting key research communities and industries, including SMEs and Widening countries, is required.
• Proposals must align with the European Charter for Access, and address data management and interoperability, connecting to the European Open Science Cloud where relevant.
• Proposals must not exceed 100 pages.