1. The EC Scheme of Transnational Access to Research Infrastructures EU-US BILAT Symposium on Research Infrastructures Roma, 1 October 2010 Elena Righi-Steele European Commission, DG Research

2. Transnational Access (TA) activity l A fundamental part of the Research Infrastructures action over successive Framework Programmes To ensure wider and more efficient access to, and use of, the infrastructures existing in the different MS and AS EU support is awarded to selected research infrastructures for them to provide access to their facilities free of charge to transnational users (covering Access costs and Travel & Subsistence (T&S) expenses) Infrastructure must publicise widely the opportunities being offered and arrange for an independent peer-review of proposals submitted to it based on scientific merit l Implemented through: Individual TA contracts (FP2 to FP6) Integrated Infrastructures Initiatives contracts (FP6 and FP7)

3. Understanding and monitoring the earth's physical, chemical and biological processes SAFIRE - ATR 32 research aircraft (CNRS) Capital investment ~ 20 M, annual operating cost ~ 2 M Access offered: 32 flight hours (11000 / flight hour) EC funding for Access costs: 350.000 over 4 years EC funding for T&S : 65.000 over 4 years # of researchers to benefit: 20# of projects: 4 Transnational Access provisions under FP7 EUFAR Project

4. SOLEIL synchrotron Capital investment: 250 M, annual operating cost ~ 20 M Access offered: 16 275 beam hours (144 / beam-hour) EC funding for Access costs: 590.000 over 30 months EC funding for T&S : 270.000 over 30 months # of researchers to benefit : 340# of projects: 170 Transnational Access provisions under FP7 ELISA Project

5. Evolution of TA activity from FP2 to FP7: Access to an increasing number of facilities in a wider and wider range of scientific domains

6. % Total number of trans-national users over FP6 = 25000 Number of TA users/number of researchers by country Researchers from all European countries benefit under the TA action, in particular researchers from smaller countries

7. 90% of the FP6 users have declared that they would not have been able to carry out their work at the RI without EC support (Source: 5050 filled questionnaires http://www.cordis.lu/infrastructures/questionnaire.htm) Reasons: European researchers consider the TA action to be essential to have access to RIs

8. Where we are in FP7 Evolution from FP2 to FP7 6300 (estimated) 556 6000 248

9. Budget for TA did not grow in FP7 considering available budget and other essential objectives to be addressed

10. Summary Very successful programme with: more than 550 Research Infrastructures supported for TA in FP7 covering all scientific domains (60 I3s) providing access to researchers from all European countries with particular benefit to smaller countries Problems with current level of funding limiting access opportunities Challenge for FP8 to increase the level of support for existing research infrastructures and to optimise its impact Transnational Access to Research Infrastructures