New EU forum on research infrastructures gets underway
The inaugural meeting of an EU forum to help develop new European research infrastructures took place in Brussels on 25 April. The 'European strategy forum on research infrastructures' aims to provide a multidisciplinary EU forum to monitor demand from the scientific community for major installations such as supercomputers, databases and large-scale scientific installations. The forum, set up by the Member States at the initiative of the Commission, will also help develop new research infrastructures by acting as an incubator for European or multinational projects. It is made up of representatives of the 15 Member States, appointed by the Research Ministers, and directly responsible for science in their own countries. Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin said: 'The creation of this forum marks a new step in the construction of the European research area. As essential tools at the service of the scientific community, research infrastructures are at the heart of tomorrow's scientific and technological developments. These infrastructures are a meeting point for researchers from the various European countries, whether they have an academic or an industrial background, and a natural focus for cooperation and exchanges.' Europe has a successful track record in taking a collective approach to planning, constructing and operating major infrastructures such as the European synchotron radiation facility in Grenoble, France, and the European southern observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. The new forum aims to promote a coherent European science policy in the area of research infrastructures and give new impetus to the increasingly complex decision-making process involved in maintaining existing installations and creating new ones.