The International Conference on Research Infrastructures, (ICRI), was hosted in South Africa in October 2016. ICRI 2016 was co-hosted by the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the European Commission (EC). ICRI has become the platform for stakeholders to engage and interact on many of the critical research infrastructure (RI) related questions. ICRI is recognized as an international forum to encourage debate and discussion and take further the discourse on RI. It brings together a diverse set of roleplayers globally to share experiences, stimulate discussions, address the challenges, seek to further the discourse on RI and to promote global cooperation.
ICRI 2016 brought together experts from across the globe and provided a platform for discussions for the RI community. Speakers were representatives of the global debates on RI as well provided various perspectives. The Conference participants included scientists, RI managers, multilateral institutions, policy makers, politicians, as well as the private sector.
There are currently discussions on RI taking place at various levels, including the Group of Senior Officials and the OECD-Global Science Forum (as well as at international, regional and national levels. ICRI provide a strategic opportunity to serve as a mechanism to further enhance and link these dialogues at various levels.
Increasingly, at a global scale there is acknowledgement of the role of STI in contributing to economic growth as well as to contribute to the multitude of global challenges. RI cut across a multitude of disciplines, ranging from health, bioeconomy, astronomy, ICT, etc and thus have a critical role to play in addressing the current socio-economic challenges that the world faces. RI’s are also attractive from the perspective of the type of science and innovation they perform, from data analysis to capturing the imagination of the public (exploring galaxies), and therefore creates a unique opportunity to attract people into scientific careers. Networking through ICRI, provides critical discussions on the framework conditions necessary for the effective and optimal functioning of RI’s. RI’s range from single site, multiple sites and transcend boundaries of various countries, which makes ICRI absolutely relevant for the type of research and innovation that the scientific community undertakes.
ICRI 2016, for the first time was hosted outside the European continent and attracted a diverse global audience, from both developed and developing countries.
The objectives of the conference were set out as following:
• provide an international forum for the discussion on the development of global research infrastructures;
• facilitate strategic international cooperation between European Research Infrastructures and their International counterparts;
• address the impact of research infrastructures for capacity building
• explore a global infrastructure roadmap
• share best practice and advance knowledge among global players
• facilitate discussion on the setting up of implementation, long-term sustainability and efficient operation of the research infrastructures
• highlight the role of research infrastructures in addressing global challenges
• discuss the role of research infrastructures going into the future, exploring new and emerging areas of focus such as towards e-infrastructures
• highlight the role of research infrastructures within the developing economies, as well as in Africa
• Role of RI in addressing socio-economic challenges
• serve as a platform to stimulate the interest of young people to science
• role of collaboration at RI in building and strengthening science diplomacy
• build on the outcomes of ICRI 2014 and propose concrete steps forward
