EU-Wide Advantages & Opportunities for Call HORIZON-INFRA-2025-01-TECH-02

Implementing Research Infrastructure Technology Roadmaps

1. Access to the World’s Largest Integrated Research & Innovation Market

• 450+ million consumers & 23 million companies: Piloting novel RI (research-infrastructure) components inside the Single Market instantly exposes suppliers to a critical mass of end-users (universities, industry clusters, hospitals, synchrotrons, data centres, etc.).

• Pan-European procurement leverage: Consortia can aggregate demand of multiple ESFRI Landmarks (e.g. ESRF, ESS, SKAO) to negotiate better prices, secure rare raw materials and de-risk industrial up-scaling.

• Free circulation of goods & services lowers transaction costs for cross-border testing, calibration and installation of prototypes.

2. Built-In Cross-Border Collaboration

• Mandatory participation of ≥2 ESFRI Landmarks/ERICs guarantees a multi-country partnership from day one.

• Researchers gain real-time access to complementary facilities (e.g. combining neutron sources in SE with X-ray FELs in DE/IT) – impossible at national scale.

• Industrial co-creation: SMEs from one Member State can co-design with RIs in another, shortening innovation cycles and fostering pan-EU supply chains.

3. Alignment with Flagship EU Policies

• Green Deal: Topic explicitly requests resource-efficient, low-carbon solutions → eligibility for additional green public procurement and Innovation Fund synergies.

• Digital Europe & AI Acts: Digital twins, ML-enhanced control systems and data workflows developed for RIs can feed into DestinE and Europe’s HPC/AI policy stack.

• Strategic Autonomy: Call targets components “currently not available in Europe”, directly supporting the EU Chips Act, Raw Materials Act and Industrial Strategy.

4. Regulatory Harmonisation Advantages

• One GDPR & one CE-marking framework simplify cross-border data flows and certification of RI instrumentation.

• Eurocodes and EU environmental standards allow unified life-cycle assessments, easing eco-design of high-energy accelerators, telescopes or cryogenic systems.

5. Unique Innovation Ecosystem Assets

• 25+ ESFRI Landmarks, 21 ERICs, 3 000+ Technology Infrastructures – an unrivalled testbed density enabling rapid TRL3→7 progression.

• Access to the European Innovation Council (EIC) Business Acceleration Services for spin-offs emerging from RI technology breakthroughs.

• Digital & data layer: EOSC, GEANT, EuroHPC supercomputers offer ready-made cyber-infrastructure for simulation, control and big-data analytics.

6. Funding & Programme Synergies

• Cascade funding: Topic authorises >€60 k grants to third parties → ideal for engaging dozens of specialised SMEs or start-ups.

• Pre-Commercial Procurement (PCP): Up to 100 % EC funding for multi-phase competitive prototyping, aligning with national PCP frameworks (e.g. DE BMBF, ES CDTI).

• Complementary streams:

• EIC Transition (TRL5-6), EIB InnovFin Science, Cohesion Policy (ERDF) for pilot lines,

• Digital Europe Programme cybersecurity & AI calls,

• Defence Fund for dual-use sensor/quantum tech spill-overs.

7. Scale & Impact Potential

• Network effect: A single successful component (e.g. high-gradient SRF cavity, adaptive optics module, zero-carbon cooling system) can be rolled out across dozens of EU RIs, multiplying environmental and economic impact.

• Market creation: Joint EU demand can anchor entirely new value chains (e.g. EU-made gallium-free RF transistors, ultra-pure niobium, mirror substrates).

• Global visibility: European standardisation of RI tech positions EU firms as reference suppliers for international mega-projects (Square Kilometre Array, ITER, ELT, etc.).

8. Actionable Opportunities for Applicants

1. Leverage ESFRI Roadmaps: Choose technology gaps already prioritised by ≥2 ESFRI/ERICs to maximise evaluation score on "community need" and avoid overlap with INFRAINNOV results.

2. Industrial commitment letters: Secure endorsements from suppliers in at least three MS/AC to showcase geographic spread and TRL-to-market credibility.

3. Embed Green KPIs: Quantify CO₂, water or critical-raw-material savings to align with Taxonomy & Fit-for-55; opens doors to additional green finance.

4. Plan cascade calls targeting niche SMEs (e.g. ultra-fast timing ASICs, additive-manufactured Nb3Sn conductors).

5. Exploit PCP route where off-the-shelf solutions do not exist – spreads risk and satisfies evaluators’ demand for multiple prototypes.

6. Synchronise with Cohesion funds: Map participating regions’ Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) to co-finance pilot production lines post-grant.

7. Data-sharing blueprint: Align with EOSC interoperability frameworks to boost FAIR data compliance and score high on "Excellence" and "Impact".

9. Strategic Value of Acting at EU Level

• Economies of scale in both R&D and manufacturing cannot be replicated by any single Member State.

• Risk-sharing across countries reduces individual RI budget exposure while accelerating collective technology readiness.

• Policy coherence: EU-level coordination prevents duplication, concentrates scarce expertise and sustains Europe’s competitive edge against US and Asia.

• Long-term integration into regional innovation ecosystems catalyses new clusters (photonics in PL/CZ, quantum sensors in NL/AT, green cryogenics in FR/SE).

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By exploiting these EU-wide advantages, consortia can turn technology-roadmap implementation into a springboard for European technological sovereignty, industrial leadership and sustainable growth.