New publication on research and technology infrastructures
What researchers are saying about the key challenges the research infrastructures face? Why tackling them matters for keeping Europe an attractive place to do science? The answers to these questions are contained in the latest Commission publication focused on research and technology infrastructures. The Quarterly R&I Literature Review is aimed at policy-makers, research and innovation professionals, analysts, and stakeholders involved in European R&I policy, summarising recent academic research on topics relevant to research and innovation policy. The review looks at what researchers are saying about the key challenges.
Strategic Approach
The Quarterly R&I Literature Review 2025/Q3&4 begins by highlighting the EU’s 2025 Strategy on Research and Technology Infrastructures, which aims to make Europe a global hub for cutting-edge science. The strategy pushes for better access to facilities, stronger links between countries, and long-term investment planning. It supports the broader goal of Choose Europe for Science, encouraging talent and industry to stay in Europe by offering world-class scientific environments.
Overcoming Fragmentation
Several studies show that Europe has gradually moved from a patchwork of national infrastructures to a more coordinated landscape. Tools such as the ESFRI roadmap, framework programme funding, and the ERIC legal status help countries plan together and avoid duplication. They also make it easier to build extremely expensive facilities that no single country could afford alone.
However, these infrastructures remain complex to manage. They often involve multiple governments, large budgets, and long construction periods—situations that demand specialised governance rather than standard research management.
How Infrastructure Design Shapes Performance
One study maps the “morphology” of large infrastructures—how they are organised, funded, governed, and geographically distributed. It identifies seven typical models. Each model comes with benefits and trade-offs:
- Centralised sites may create strong scientific clusters but require heavy investment.
- Distributed networks increase inclusiveness but struggle with coordination.
- Mixed public–private models strengthen innovation but raise concerns about long-term stability.
The key message: structure matters, and management choices deeply influence scientific outcomes.
Collaboration and Knowledge Creation
A significant part of the review shows how RTIs foster intense collaboration. Facilities like synchrotrons, supercomputing centres, or observatories naturally bring together scientists from many countries and fields.
Studies reveal that teams combining facility staff with external users generate more original and disruptive research than user-only teams. Mega-infrastructures act as true knowledge hubs, supporting large co-authorship networks and increased interdisciplinarity.
New economic models also suggest that papers produced within large collaborations—such as those from CERN—may be worth hundreds or thousands of times more than traditional estimates, reflecting the high collective effort and impact behind them.
Social and Economic Value
Traditional evaluation methods often fail to capture the real benefits of high-tech infrastructures. A new framework presented in the report shows how to measure intangible effects such as knowledge spillovers, public-good benefits, and technological learning. A case study on Earth Observation highlights how these infrastructures support disaster management, climate monitoring, and public policy in ways not easily measured by markets.
Core Facilities in Universities
Finally, the report highlights the growing importance of Core Facilities as shared scientific service centres. A “Core Facility Manifesto” provides guidance for universities on how to organise, staff, and finance these units so they can support interdisciplinary research effectively.
Source: European Commission: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, Dotti, N. F., Al-Ajlani, H., Benoit, F., Cavicchi, B. et al., Research and technology infrastructures, Publications Office of the European Union, 2025, https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2777/1001482
