The Horizon 2020 Research Infrastructures programme creates opportunities for researchers and scientists to collaborate across disciplines and countries for the betterment of Europe and beyond. They encompass facilities, resources and services that are used by research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields. The principal objective of the action therefore is to endow Europe with world-class research infrastructures which are accessible to all researchers in Europe and beyond and fully exploit their potential for scientific advance and innovation.

Call overview

The 2016/2017 Research Infrastructures work programme is open and consists of five general programmatic areas. The total budget for this work programme is €604.7 million; €294.4 million of this is assigned to 2016 and is spread across the following five programmatic areas:

INFRA-DEV

This programmatic area involves the development of new world-class research infrastructures. The primary objectives of INFRADEV are to facilitate and support the implementation, long-term sustainability and efficient operation of the research infrastructures identified by the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI), as well as other world-class research infrastructures. The call invites the following:

  • Design studies
  • ESFRI projects in the preparatory phase
  • ESFRI projects in the implementation and operation phase

2016/2017 Budget:    €140 million

INFRAIA

INFRAIA aims to open national and regional research infrastructures to all European researchers from both academia and industry and to ensure their optimal use and joint development. It includes opportunities for national and regional research infrastructures to participate in integrated activities such as networking, transnational access and joint research activities. 41 topics have been identified for starting and advanced communities in seven subject domains.

2016/2017 Budget:    €200 million

E-INFRA

e-Infrastructures foster the emergence of e-Science, i.e. new working methods based on the shared use of ICT tools and resources across different disciplines and technology domains. Furthermore, e-infrastructures enable the circulation of knowledge online in Europe and therefore constitute an essential building block for the European Research Area.
EINFRA includes support for:

  • Big data
  • Open access
  • Research data alliance
  • High-performance computing
  • Centres of excellence
  • Network of HPC competence centres for SMEs
  • Provision of core services
  • GEANT
  • Virtual research environments

2016/2017 Budget:    €122 million 

INFRA-SUPP

The aim of INFRASUPP is to foster the innovation potential and to develop the human resources of research infrastructures, especially in areas that suffer from shortages in supply or where new skills and professions need to emerge. The call will also aim to reinforce policy and international cooperation of European research infrastructures.
INFRASUPP covers:

  • Innovation support measures
  • Procurement pilot for scientific instrumentation
  • Strengthening human capital
  • New professions and skills for e-infrastructures
  • Policy measures
  • International cooperation
  • e-infrastructure policy development
  • Network of National Contact Points

2016/2017 Budget:    €22 million 

INFRA-INNOV

INFRAINNOV aims to develop the innovation potential of research infrastructures and to better exploit component instruments, services and knowledge for the implementation and upgrade of research infrastructure.

  • Development of innovation potential
  • Technological infrastructure support
  • Research infrastructure integration
  • Research and industry linkage
  • establish technology roadmaps

2016/2017 Budget:    €30 million

For information from Science Foundation Ireland in relation to EU Research Infrastructures, contact eu-infrastructures@sfi.ie . Alternatively contact: h2020@sfi.ie.