Information on Research Infrastructures in FP7 CARE Meeting, Frascati, November 17, 2006 Stefano Fontana, European Commission, DG-RTD

1
Information on Research Infrastructures in
FP7CARE Meeting, Frascati, November 17,
2006Stefano Fontana, European Commission, DG-RTD
2
FP7 2007 - 2013
FP7 budget (M) Source revised FP7 agreed by
Council Parliament in October 2006
3
FP7 What will be new ?

• Evolution, not revolution
• Increase in duration and budget
• New Structure 4 Specific Programmes
• European Research Council
• Joint Technology Initiatives
• New infrastructures and RSFF
• Simplification externalisation of management

4
Specific ProgrammeCapacities
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Definition of Research Infrastructures

• Facilities, resources, and related services
  usedby the scientific community for
• Conducting leading-edge research
• Knowledge transmission, knowledge exchangesand
  knowledge preservation
• Includes
• Major scientific equipment
• Scientific collections, archives and structured
  information
• ICT-based infrastructures
• Entities of a unique nature, used for research

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Research Infrastructures are at the core of
the knowledge Triangle
Research
Education
Research infrastructures
Innovation
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A continuous increase of budget over successive
FPs
30
M / year
300
eRI
New Infrastructures
200
Integrated Initiatives
eRI
Networks / CA
150
RTD Projects
Access
100
eRI
50
0
LIP (FP2)
HCM (FP3)
TMR (FP4)
IHP (FP5)
FP6
FP7
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Some information on Research Infrastructures in
FP6

• Facts and Figures
• Total budget 735 M
• of which 222 for GRID GEANT
• Number of projects 143
• Number of RIs supported 248
• Expected number of users gt20000
• (2004-2010)

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Objectives of the CommunityResearch
Infrastructures action

• Optimising the use and development of the best
  existing research infrastructures in Europe
• Helping to create in all fields of S T new
  research infrastructures of pan-European interest
  needed by the European scientific community
• Supporting programme implementation and policy
  development (e.g. international cooperation)

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FP7 will continue supporting existing Research
Infrastructures

• Integrating Activities to promote the coherent
  use and development of research infrastructures
  in a given field, implemented through
• A bottom-up approach for proposals open to all
  fields of science
• Targeted approach with topics defined in
  cooperation with the FP7 thematic areas
• ICT based e-infrastructures in support of
  scientific research

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FP7 will also increase support to new research
infrastructures

• Design studies to support the conceptual design
  for new facilities or major upgrades, of clear
  European dimension and interest
• through bottom-up calls
• Support to the Construction of new
  infrastructures and major upgrades to existing
  ones
• the list of projects to be supported will be
  based on the work conducted by the European
  Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI
  roadmap)

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FP7 Research Infrastructures in brief
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
ESFRIRoadmap
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
e-infrastructures
Policy Development and Programme Implementation
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Planning of calls and indicative budget
Total operational budget 1630 M Call 12007 Call 22008 Call 32010 Call 42012
Integrating activities   275 x x
e-Infrastructures 89 115 x x
Design studies 35 x
Construction Support to the Preparatory Phase 135 x
Construction Support to the Implementation Phase RSFF (200 M) 100 M RSFF (200 M) 100 M RSFF (200 M) 100 M RSFF (200 M) 100 M
Policy Development and Programme Implementation 25 5 x x
Total per call (M) 284 395
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in summary, an improved FP7 action for
Research Infrastructures

• An increased budget for FP7 (30)
• Better consistency within FP7 (targeted calls)
• Tackling better fragmentation (Integrating
  Activities)
• Catalysing effect towards the construction or
  major upgrade of Research Infrastructures
• A vision for the next 10-20 years fostering
  capacity building and excellence

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Support to existing infrastructures
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
ESFRIRoadmap
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
e-infrastructures
Policy Development and Programme Implementation
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Integrating Activities and e-infrastructures

• To optimise the use and development of existing
  research infrastructures
• Based on the continuation of the successful FP6
  instrument Integrated Infrastructure Initiative
  (I3s)
• Within one single contract
• Networking activities
• Transnational access and/or service activities
• Joint research activities

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Networking Activities

• To foster a culture of co-operation between the
  participants and the scientific communities
  benefiting from the research infrastructures
• Forms of activities
• Towards the users training, studies, feedback,
  coordination
• Towards good practice exchange of personnel and
  visits, standards and quality
• Towards virtual infrastructures Web-sites,
  common softwares, databases, data management
• Technical workshops, forums, working groups and
  studies

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Trans-national Access and/or Service activities

• Provide trans-national access to researchers or
  research teams to one or more infrastructures
  among those operated by the participants
• "Hands on" access
• Remote access sending of samples, sample
  analysis
• Managed by the contractors

• Provide research infrastructures related services
  to the scientific community
• ??Remote access to distributed infrastructures
• Services provided through electronic means Data
  and resources management
• Upgrading communication infrastructure
• Support of Grid infrastructure support of
  middleware component repositories

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Joint Research Activities

• Explore new fundamental technologies or
  techniques underpinning the efficient and joint
  use of the participating research infrastructures
  
• To improve the services provided by the
  infrastructures (in quality and/or quantity)
• Forms of activities
• Prototype development
• Development of methods, protocols, standards
• Development of software, middleware, algorithm
  Database creation, upgrade, curation
• Development and curation of samples

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Integrating Activities
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Objectives of an Integrating Activity project

• Structure better and integrate, on a European
  scale, the way research infrastructures operate
  and develop, in a given class
• By opening and optimising the access to and the
  use of the existing research infrastructures in
  the different Member States and Associated States
• By better structuring and integrating, on a
  European scale, the operation(s) of research
  infrastructures, and by fostering their joint
  development (qualitative and quantitative)

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Participation

• At least 3 independent legal entities established
  in 3 different Member States or Associated
  States. At least 1 of these legal entities must
  operate a research infrastructure providing
  access
• Operators of research infrastructures,
  universities and other public research
  organisations as well as industry, for example
  equipment manufacturers

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Main characteristics of an average Integrating
Activity under FP6

• Average number of contractors 19 of which 7 are
  offering access
• Typical duration of 4 years
• Average EC contribution 10 M
• Management 6
• Networking Activities 15
• Trans-national Access 36
• Joint Research Activities 43
• List of funded projects (FP6) http//cordis.europa
  .eu/infrastructures/projects.htm

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Implementation of the Integrating Activities
under FP7

• Bottom up approach for proposals in all fields of
  science (successful in FP6, to be continued in
  FP7)
• Targeted approach for clearly defined
  infrastructure needs for Europe, coordinated with
  the thematic priorities (new)
• FP7 Call N2 (closing March 2008)

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What is the targeted approach?

• For existing Research Infrastructures
• A list of topics for classes of infrastructures
  to be supported, listed in the work programme
• Topics defined in line with the Cooperation
  Programme
• Revisions of topics list can be amended
• A sufficient basis of RIs to be networked
• Complementary to other FP7 funding schemes used
  in the thematic priorities (Collaborative
  Projects, NoEs)

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Why a targeted approach?

• To help integrating research infrastructures for
  European RD needs, defined in a priority setting
  process
• To create synergies and ensure consistency with
  the Cooperation Programme
• Topics are in line with RD topics under the
  Cooperation Programme
• To stimulate RI actions in specific fields that
  are currently not well covered under our actions

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How will it work?

• Bottom up and targeted approaches will be under
  the same calls
• Same Project type for both approaches
• Integrating activities I3s with Transnational
  Access/Service, Networking, Joint Research
  activities
• Same evaluation procedures (by independent
  experts), criteria, forms

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Possible topics for RIs under the targeted
approach

• About 30 priority topics for RIs in 8 of the
  Cooperation thematic areas
• Health (6)
• Food, Agriculture and Biotechnology (3)
• Information and Communication Technologies (3)
• Nanosciences, Nanotechnologies and Materials (2)
• Energy (5)
• Environment (3)
• Transport (2)
• Socioeconomic Sciences and Humanities (3)

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Synergies that can be expected one Example

• Priority topic for RI To bring together
  existing research infrastructures for servicing
  research on Smart Energy networks
• Link with the Cooperation programme Smart
  Energy networks, Activity Energy 2007.7 .1 7.3
• Typical existing RI relevant to the topic ISET
  Test and certification Centre, D
  CEA/CENEC/LSEC Labs for storage technologies,
  FR KEMA High Power and High Voltage
  Laboratories, NL

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Call for proposals N2 closing early 2008

• For both bottom up and targeted approach
• Indicative budget of 275 M
• 25 to 30 projects to be selected
• Closure March 2008
• Single stage procedure for evaluation
• remote panel evaluation
• Results within 4 months after closure date
• First contracts will come into force before the
  end of 2008

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ICT based e-Infrastructures

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FP7 Research Infrastructures in brief
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
ESFRIRoadmap
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
Policy Development and Programme Implementation
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Objectives

• Promote an ICT-based environment, in which
  all researchers have an easy-to-use controlled
  access to unique or distributed scientific
  facilities, regardless of their type and location
  in the world
• Strengthen collaboration between research centres
  and their researchers in virtual research
  communities, enabling worldwide sustainable
  partnerships in all e-Science fields
• Infrastructure layer more transparent and
  adequately serving cross-disciplinary needs

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Main orientations
Support the further evolution and deployment of
grid and networking infrastructures
Foster creation of a new generation of HPC
facilities in Europe (petaflop scale) Procurement
mechanism
Promote a coordinated and federated approach in
the deployment of data infrastructures
Support emergence of new organisational models
for service provisioning in the domain of grid
and data infrastructures Foster adoption of
e-Infrastructures by user communities Support
resource sharing policy initiatives
(e-IRG) Promote international cooperation
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An evolutionary path
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Call for proposalsN1 launched early 2007

• Topics
• Scientific Digital Repositories (15m)
• Deployment of e-Infrastructures for new
• Scientific Communities (24m)
• 3. e-Science Grid Infrastructures (50m)

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Call for proposalsN1 launched early 2007

• Topics
• Scientific Digital Repositories (15m)
• Deployment of e-Infrastructures for new
• Scientific Communities (24m)
• 3. e-Science Grid Infrastructures (50m)

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Call for proposalsN1 launched early 2007

• Topics
• Scientific Digital Repositories (15m)
• Deployment of e-Infrastructures for new
• Scientific Communities (24m)
• 3. e-Science Grid Infrastructures (50m)

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Call for proposalsN1 launched early 2007

• Topics
• Scientific Digital Repositories (15m)
• Deployment of e-Infrastructures for new
• Scientific Communities (24m)
• 3. e-Science Grid Infrastructures (50m)

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Call for proposalsN2 launched end 2007

• Topics
• GÉANT (95m)
• Scientific Data Infrastructures (20m)

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Call for proposalsN2 launched end 2007

• Topics
• GÉANT (95m)
• Scientific Data Infrastructures (20m)

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Call for proposalsN2 launched end 2007

• Topics
• GÉANT (95m)
• Scientific Data Infrastructures (20m)

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GÉANT (network)

• Pan-European Research Network
• Access to 12 000 km of dark fiber/ unlimited
  capacity
• IPv6 enabled
• 400 active elements
• Hybrid Network Photonics IP
• 3700 institutes
• Global dimension

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GÉANT (global dimension)
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EGEE (grids)

• Scientific communities
• High Energy Physics Biomedics
• Astrophysics Earth
  Sciences
• Computational Chemistry Finance
• Fusion
  Geophysics
• Life Sciences
  Multimedia

• 500 sites in 40 countries
• gt 60 Virtual Organisations
• 24 000 CPUs
• gt 5 PB storage
• gt 10 000 concurrent jobs/day

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DEISA cluster of supercomputers (grids)
21.900 processors and 145 TF in 2006, more than
190 TF in 2007
LINUX SGI
AIX IBM domain
SARA (NL)
LRZ (DE)
IDRIS (FR)
RZG (DE)
High Performance Common Global File System
LINUX Power-PC
ECMWF (UK)
CINECA (IT)
FZJ (DE)
BSC (ES)
CSC (FI)
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Design Studies and Construction of new Research
Infrastructures
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
ESFRIRoadmap
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
e-infrastructures
Policy Development and Programme Implementation
48
FP7 will support the design of new research
infrastructures (or major upgrades)

• Design studies aiming at the conceptual design
  for new infrastructures with clear European
  dimension and interest, not at a detailed design
• Case of e-Infrastructures to foster new
  organisational models in domains of grids data
• EC support likely to be smaller than under FP6,
  i.e. less than 5 M
• bottom-up call
• Useful to feed the ESFRI roadmap process

49
FP7 will support the construction of new
Infrastructures (or major upgrades)

• The list of projects to be supported will be
  based on the work conducted by ESFRI
• A two-stage process
• The preparatory phase to check the commitment of
  the Member States and reach a (draft) agreement
  between Member States and stakeholders for the
  construction
• The implementation phase the actual construction

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The Preparatory phase

• Tasks focusing on
• Strategy development
• Technical work (e.g. final prototypes)
• Governance and logistical work
• Financial arrangements
• Legal issues
• The first call will be restricted to the projects
  identified in the 2006 ESFRI roadmap
• Direct EC (average) contribution around 5 M

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Participation to the Preparatory phase

• Project consortia should involve, as appropriate
  
• Public authorities or funding agencies at
  national and/or regional level
• Research and development agencies
• Operators of research facilities
• Research centres, universities, industry
• The European Commission may act as a facilitator

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The Implementation phase

• Direct Community financial support will be very
  limited
• The European Commission may again act as a
  facilitator
• The challenge an increased use of financial
  engineering

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Financial engineering for new research
infrastructures
European Commission
Stakeholdersincl. EIROs
Member states
Inclusion in Specific RTD Programme(s)
Inclusion in national Programmes
Inclusion in FEDERRELEX strategic plans
Projects
EIB
RSFF
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Risk-Sharing Finance Facility (RSFF)

• An innovative financing instrument, developed
  jointly by the EIB and the Commission to
• Foster increased investment in research by
  improving access to EIB finance, thus helping
  overcome market deficiency
• Generate a leveraging effect so that the volume
  of extra lending is expected to be a multiple 4
  to 6 of the Community and EIB funds allocated to
  the instrument
• Risk-sharing with EIB to allow
• Larger volume of risky lending for research
• Financing of riskier, but creditworthy research
  activities

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Call for proposals N1 closing in spring 2007

• For design studies and preparatory phase
• Indicative budget for design studies 35 M
• 7 to 10 projects to be selected
• Indicative budget for preparatory phase 135 M
• 34 projects
• Closure April 2007
• Single stage procedure for evaluation
• remote panel evaluation, with possible hearings
• Results within 4 months after closure date
• First contracts will come into force before the
  end of 2007

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Support to policy development and programme
implementation
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
ESFRIRoadmap
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
e-infrastructures
Policy Development and Programme Implementation
57
Policy development and Programme implementation

• ERA-NETs for research infrastructures
• Studies, conferences and coordination actions for
  policy development, including international
  cooperation
• Coordination actions to support emerging needs
• Network of National Contact Points (NCP)
• Other Support actions, as appropriate
• Calls 1, 2, 3, 4

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1. ERA-NET for Research Infrastructures

• To step up the cooperation and coordination of
  national and/or regional programmes/activities
  towards their mutual opening and implementation
  of joint activities
• To contribute to the development of the European
  Research Area by improving coherence across
  Europe of such programmes/activities

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1. ERA-NET for Research Infrastructures

• Participants Public authorities and agencies
  responsible for financing or managing research
  infrastructure programmes at national or regional
  level (e.g. ministries, research councils or
  funding agencies)
• Activities may include
• Information exchange
• Definition and preparation of joint activities
• Implementation of joint activities
• Funding of joint transnational activities
• ERA-NET may be specific to a type of research
• infrastructures or more generic

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2. Studies/conferences/coordination actions for
policy development

• To support the work of ESFRI and e-IRG
• To promote international cooperation

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3. Coordination actions to support emerging needs

• For research infrastructures in areas where a
  culture of cooperation is less developed
• Support for Networking activities such as
• Development of common standards,
• Protocols and interoperability
• Benchmarking
• Foresight studies for new instrumentation,
  methods, concepts and/or technologies

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4. Trans-national co-operation among NCPs

• To reinforce the network of National Contact
  Points (NCPs)
• improving the services provided to potential
  applicants
• facilitating access to FP7 calls
• helping to raise the quality of submitted
  proposals

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Call for proposals N1 closing in spring 2007

• For
• ERA-NETs
• Studies, conferences, coordination actions for
  policy development (e-infrastructures)
• NCPs and other Support actions, as appropriate
• Indicative budget of 25 M
• 15 to 20 projects to be selected
• Closure April 2007
• Single stage procedure for evaluation
• remote panel evaluation
• First contracts will come into force before the
  end of 2007

64
Call for proposals N2 closing early 2008

• For
• Studies, conferences, coordination actions for
  policy development (not for e-infrastructures)
• Coordination actions to support emerging needs
• Indicative budget of 5 M
• Around 5 projects to be selected
• Closure March 2008
• Single stage procedure for evaluation
• remote panel evaluation
• First contracts will come into force before the
  end of 2007

65
Funding schemes and evaluation criteria
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Funding schemes
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
e-infrastructures
Policy Development and Programme Implementation

• A combination of Collaborative projects
• and Coordination and support actions (I3s)

67
Funding schemes
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
e-infrastructures
Policy Development and Programme Implementation

• Collaborative projects or Coordination and
• support actions (whenever appropriate)

68
Funding schemes
Existing Infrastructures
New Infrastructures
Design studies
Integrating activities
Construction (preparatory phase construction
phase)
e-infrastructures
Policy Development and Programme Implementation

• Coordination and support actions

69
Evaluation criteria

• Evaluation by independent experts

• ST quality excellence of the overall project
  and of the specific activities
• Impact contribution of the project at the
  European level
• Implementation management, partnership,
  implementation plan and allocation of resources

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An overview of the first two calls An overview of the first two calls Call 1closing April 2007 Call 2closing March 2008
Integrating activities (Bottom-up and targeted) Integrating activities (Bottom-up and targeted)   275 M
E-Infrastructures - Scientific Digital Repositories - Deployment of e-Infrastructures - e-Science Grid infrastructures 89 M
E-Infrastructures - GÉANT - Scientific Data Infrastructures 115 M
Design studies Design studies 35 M
Construction Support to the Preparatory Phase Construction Support to the Preparatory Phase 135 M
Policy Development and Programme Implementation - ERA-NETs Studies, conferences (for e-infrastructures) NCPs and other support actions 25 M
Policy Development and Programme Implementation Studies, conferences (other than for e-infra.) - Coordination actions to support emerging needs 5 M
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Useful links

• FP7 Proposal and Capacities Specific Programme
• http//cordis.europa.eu/fp7/
• http//cordis.europa.eu/fp7/capacities.htm
• Research Infrastructures on CORDIS (FP6)
• http//cordis.europa.eu/infrastructures/
• http//cordis.europa.eu/ist/rn/
• ESFRI (Eur. Strategy Forum for Research
  Infrastr.)
• http//cordis.europa.eu/esfri/home.html
• e-Infrastructures Reflection Group (e-IRG)
• http//www.e-irg.org
• Research Infrastructures in Europa (on-line soon)
• http//ec.europa.eu/research/infrastructures