The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) hosted the Future of ESFRI in a New ERA workshop on 31 March - 1 April 2025 at the Masaryk University Campus Library in Brno, Czech Republic. The event served as a key moment for reflecting on ESFRI’s evolving role in the European Research Area (ERA) and discussing its long-term strategic direction.
Since its establishment in 2002, ESFRI had played a pivotal role in shaping Research Infrastructure (RI) policies across EU Member States and Associated Countries, working closely with the European Commission. Over two decades, the research landscape had changed dramatically, requiring new strategic approaches to governance, sustainability, and financing of Research Infrastructures. As ESFRI moved forward, the workshop explored how it could reinforce its position as a key platform for coordination and policymaking in this rapidly evolving landscape.
Key themes included:
The workshop was highly interactive, with small discussion groups encouraging open dialogue and reflection. Delegations had been invited to provide input ahead of the event, ensuring a forward-looking debate that helped define the next phase of ESFRI’s development.
This initiative underscored ESFRI’s commitment to fostering a robust and sustainable European research infrastructure ecosystem that supports scientific excellence, economic competitiveness, and societal growth. The Workshop was restricted to ESFRI delegations only. However, prof. Jana Klánová presented the basic idea and current activities and of EIRENE Research Infrastructure to all the delegates and updated its development. The presentation raised many question and long discussions after the end of the session.
Further details on the outcomes of the discussions became available on the ESFRI website.
The EIRENE IMP project was officially launched during a two-day hybrid kick-off meeting held on 25–26 June 2026 at the Technology Centre Prague. The opening event brought together project partners, representatives of national nodes of the EIRENE RI research infrastructure, and project managers from the beneficiary and the European Commission.
