Connecting European Science: ESF Joins Horizon Europe Initiatives to Streamline Research Infrastructure Access

Jun 10, 2026

Connecting European Science: ESF Joins Horizon Europe Initiatives to Streamline Research Infrastructure Access

10 June 2026

Photo credits: Access2Access

ESF is pleased to announce it is taking active role in a new coordinated effort funded under the Horizon Europe INFRADEV-05 framework. Launched jointly in Brussels on 3 June 2026, three interconnected initiatives (Access2Access, FUND-RI, and COORDINA-INNOV) aim to optimize how we fund, access and innovate through Europe’s world-class research infrastructures.

Exploring stakeholder needs and expectations

As part of the 20-month Access2Access consortium, which brings together 17 leading European research organisations, ESF is leading the task of mapping stakeholder requirements so that the new scheme is grounded on the actual needs of its users. The focus will be on surveying the divergent expectations among national funders, facility managers, academic scientists, and industrial users, among others, regarding the newly proposed platform.

The ultimate goal of the project is to provide the structural foundation for an intelligent, AI-supported "one-stop shop" discovery tool that allows researchers to seamlessly identify and access optimal facilities across Europe.

A triad for systemic reform

The Brussels kick-off meeting underscored that structural coherence requires addressing the infrastructure lifecycle from multiple angles. The three sister projects will operate concurrently to deliver a unified blueprint for future EU research policy:

Access2Access: Dedicated to creating an integrated, user-centred framework for facility access and digital service discovery.
FUND-RI: Focused on developing sustainable, coherent financial and long-term investment strategies for European infrastructures.
COORDINA-INNOV: Aimed at enhancing co-innovation and strategic collaboration between research infrastructures and industry.

Through its contribution to the Access2Access consortium, ESF looks forward to collaborating with partners across Europe to build a simpler, fairer, and more resilient ecosystem for European Research Infrastructures.