Western Balkans

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.

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News archive - European Research Infastructures

The European Strategy Forum on Research Infastructures (ESFRI) has published a Roadmap document identifying 35 large-scale infastructure projects for future investment. For researchers from the Western Balkan countries, these projects are of relevance sofar as "Any country is free to join the European research infrastructure projects and any scientist can access them, once they are operational."

Open access is a key condition identifying European research infrastructures, all scientists, not only those from financially contributing countries are able to access the infrastructure, as it is also not envisaged that all Member States will financially contribute to all projects. If scientists from the Western Balkan countries want to use them, they can but have to contribute to the costs of their researchers. Already currently, any foreign researcher can access nearly any national or European research infrastructure and vice-versa.

The Roadmap correspnds to an analysis of the needs for the next 10 years, the findings are organised according to 7 topics:

Social Sciences and Humanities
Environmental Sciences
Energy
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Materials Sciences
Astronomy, Astrophysics, Nuclear and Particle Physics
Computation and Data Treatment

The whole report is also accessible via the document service /doc/490.html

Sources:
European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI): European Roadmap for Research Infrastructures. Report 2006. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2006.

Wood, John: Interview with ESFRI Chairman to Euractiv: "Interview: 'Open access key condition for EU research infrastructure'", published on October 20, 2006.