Open access to JRC research infrastructures

Abstract

The European Commissions Joint Research Centre gives leading researchers from across Europe and beyond access to its world class facilities and laboratories, enabling state-of-the-art experimental research, collaboration and capacity building with a European dimension. It does so through the program for Open access to JRC research infrastructures. The JRC hosts 56 high-value research infrastructures, most of which are unique at European and international level. Of these, 39 are suitable for opening access to external users in various fields of science: nuclear and radiological, chemistry, biosciences and life sciences, physical sciences and ICT. The main objectives of opening access to JRC research infrastructures are to: a) Establish a fair, clear and transparent procedure for giving access of external users to JRC physical research infrastructures; b) Maximize the use to the full potential of JRC physical research infrastructures in collaboration with researchers and industry. Access of users to JRC research infrastructures contributes to the dissemination of knowledge, improves related methods and skills, provides education and training and fosters collaboration at European level- Granting access within a structured framework maximizes the return on taxpayer funded investment that the JRC has made on its research infrastructures, making them available to external users in view of the limited resources now existing in Europe.