European Synchronisation of Research Infrastructure Policies John Womersley, ESS March 2018

Why “Research Infrastructure Policy?” Don’t need a policy for a bottom-up, peer-reviewed, PI-led research portfolio The priorities can emerge from a selection for excellence But we do need a policy for major investment decisions Only a finite range of possibilities Competing with other major national investments Long term commitment

Three waves of Research Infrastructures First Wave – big science as laboratories e.g. CERN National and international labs for high energy and nuclear physics Second Wave – big science as user facilities e.g. ESRF, ESS, XFEL Refocus national centres to host machines for materials science and structural biology Third Wave – big science as data e.g. Climate science, bioinformatics, social science Federate and network centres as national nodes of a distributed RI

Research Infrastructure Roadmaps A roadmap is a strategy for investment Sets priorities Which means saying no to some good ideas Should only contain good science But can’t contain all the good science Competing with other major public investments - not purely a statement of the research community’s priorities

Three levels of roadmaps Science community roadmaps - zero budget Demonstrate/generate alignment of community European roadmaps – few % of budget Ensure only one pan-European initiative in each major research area National roadmaps – 95% of the budget Define strategy for major national spending decisions

Business Plans If the roadmap is a strategy for investment … then a business plan is the case for that investment How will the investment be managed? What difference will the investment make? Scientifically, socioeconomically, politically… Tangible deliverable e.g. scientific paper Result of change e.g. new product or service Measureable impact e.g. jobs created or cost avoided

National Research Infrastructure Policy reflects national priorities Research strengths e.g. UK in radio astronomy National industrial strengths and priorities e.g. pharmaceutical industry Geography and history e.g. Arctic vs. Mediterranean, forestry, tropical diseases And even politics public investment decisions should reflect society’s priorities as expressed through a democratic system

Alignment not synchronisation Science questions may be universal, but national research priorities and strengths are not Not everyone can afford to participate in everything Each European project needs a leader and not everyone can be a leader in everything Strength in diversity – a stronger, more durable consensus will emerge from independent processes But helpful if national roadmaps are aligned in goals and intent Synchronised Aligned

Sustainability Sustainability is not a performance metric – it is a state of mind A research infrastructure or a research field has sustainable support when there is good consensus between management, funders and users over its continuing relevance, quality and value for money How can we build that consensus? Note - environmental sustainability is a separate, important issue

Building a consensus towards sustainability Think broadly across the research field rather than in individual silos: an ecosystem of research infrastructures Example: neutron scattering facilities European facility (ILL) plus several national facilities serving a European user base (ISIS, PSI, MLZ…) Major new investment (ESS) Decommissioning of older reactor sources Neutron instrument-days 2014 2034

We should aim to manage this ecosystem of research infrastructures coherently Remain at the scientific cutting edge Coordinate investments to ensure complementarity and avoid duplication where large public investments are needed Ensure broader access to the facilities and help steer experiments to the most appropriate New access mechanisms Outreach to new research communities and European countries Outreach outside Europe Broaden impact and demonstrate relevance of the whole system Engage key stakeholders and the public

We should aim to manage this ecosystem of research infrastructures coherently Research Infrastructure Policy is then not just about selecting new projects, but must also Consider users and data Properly plan for operations funding, both for new infrastructures and existing ones Plan to decommission older facilities once their scientific productivity passes its peak – alignment of policy is critical here Include both European facilities and national facilities of European relevance

Summary We need to make national and international scale investments in shared research capability These investments need to be made strategically We do not need strict synchronisation of policy – but we do need alignment RI policy should not just select new projects, but manage the whole research infrastructure ecosystem only time to scratch the surface here – lots more to discuss!

Thank you! @johnwomersley @essneutron ESS is 42% complete Accelerator operations start in 2019 User Programme starts in 2023 Thank you! @johnwomersley @essneutron

Why do governments invest in science? shift in emphasis since the end of the Cold War Normative values Market values Prosperity Cultural value Innovation Science for peace Jobs Education Public outreach Openness International Collaboration Startup companies Democracy Spinoffs Science drives economic growth Makes the country worth defending Scientists more comfortable here Closer to their own self-image Makes fewer demands on them Political actors more comfortable here “It’s the economy, stupid…” This is where the funding is

What do we mean by Research Infrastructures? National and international scale investments in shared research capability that go beyond what any single institution (or even nation) can support Dramatically increase scientific reach Address research questions of long duration requiring pooled effort Promote collaboration, interdisciplinarity, interaction with industry