Flanders and ESFRI Marc LUWEL Hercules Foundation May 2014

Overview Why are EU RIs important Background information 1 st ESFRI evaluation round Flemish participation at 6 ESFRI-projects 2 nd ESFRI evaluation round and funding The road ahead...

Why are EU RIs important ? Access to very expensive and/or decentralised top RIs necessary to remain or become a member of the top league in many disciplines Membership of a consortium facilitates partnership in other consortia (EU-FP, industry,...) Training of Ma and PhD-students

Background No large scale Flemish plan with a roadmap Step by step approach with a learning curve but based on the strengths of Flanders’ R&I landscape Bottom up meets top down Interplay between EU decision making, Flemish science and innovation policy and research management Under difficult financial circumstances ►additional funding

1 st ESFRI evaluation round in Flanders (1) First ESFRI roadmap was published in 2006 Dept. EWI and FWO made in a small survey among universities about potential interest in ESFRI-RIs In 2008 the Flemish Minister of Science and Innovation preselected 8 ESFRI projects based on the outcome of survey and the emerging priorities in Flemish S&T policy to check the available scientific potential to participate

1 st ESFRI evaluation round in Flanders (2) Methodology: –For each project – a Flemish consortium –Proposal for a Flemish participation (explaining added value for Flanders) –Review similar to the scientific evaluation of proposals for large scale RIs under calls form the Hercules Foundation Written review reports Evaluation by Co Hercules-Science, the Hercules Foundation’s evaluation commission but with criteria taking ESFRI context into account Advise to the Flemish Minister

1 st ESFRI evaluation round in Flanders (3) Outcome –Decision by the Flemish Government to participate at 5 projects : ESSurvey (KU Leuven), ICOS (UAntwerpen), LifeWatch (VLIZ), SHARE (UAntwerpen), PRACE (TIER1 - UGent) –+ INSTRUCT (VIB-VUB) –Outstanding Flemish consortia – 3 participate at RI central unit (ESSurvey, ICOS & LifeWatch) + 1 reference lab (INSTRUCT)

Decision at EU level to set up an ESFRI RI ESFRI – member states and associated countries EU regulation on ESFRI (ERIC) – only countries For each ESFRI RI – a consortium of countries –Agrees to fund the construction and exploitation –Creates a legal entity (mostly an ERIC) –(Often possibility to become member at a later stage)

Decision at the Belgian level to participate at an EFRI RI In Belgium all competent authorities agreed on a framework for participating in an ESFRI infrastructure –Only 1 entity ► notification –2 or more entities: collaboration agreement Membership fee Contributions (€ and in-kind) Delegates sitting at the board and advisory committees

Funding 1 st round ESFRI projects Federal Government: membership fees Flanders: –In-kind: ICOS, LifeWatch, INSTRUCT, PRACE –Since 2012: Hercules Foundation gets funding to support participation at ESFRI projects (dedicated funding): Annual grant to ESSurvey, ICOS, LifeWatch and SHARE (in 2014: total 4 mio euro) Objective: long-term contracts (3 to 5 years)

2 nd ESFRI evaluation round In 2011 the Flemish Minister asked the Hercules Foundation and the dept. EWI to set up a 2 nd ESFRI evaluation round Survey among universities and SOCs with 2 questions re RIs on the 2010 update of the ESFRI roadmap: –RIs: Flanders has scientific capacity and interest to participate in their construction and exploitation –RIs: Flemish researchers want access (access fee)

2 nd ESFRI evaluation round – 1 st list (1) 1 st list: 12 RIs For 9 RIs a Flemish PI was identified and asked –to form a Flemish consortium –to draft a proposal for a Flemish participation 8 proposals were submitted (not for ELIXIR) Evaluation similar to 1 st round

2 nd ESFRI evaluation round – 1 st list (2) Advice of the Commission Hercules-Science –All 8 proposals could potentially contribute to ESFRI RI and they were ranked –Different degree of maturity (partly explained by the early stage of preparatory phase at EU level) –Top ranked: INSTRUCT, EMBRC, ANAEE and DARIAH (major review)

2 nd ESFRI evaluation round – 1 st list (3) BBMRI, EATRIS & ECRIN: the Flemish minister asked to postpone the preparation of a proposal till the decision making process re CMI was finalised May 2013 CMI was asked to take the lead in drafting a proposal for a Flemish participation at these 3 projects ► Only for BBMRI a full proposal ► For ELIXIR and ECRIN a roadmap to prepare a proposal Hercules Foundation set up an Ad-hoc panel of experts to give an advice (December 2013)

2 nd ESFRI evaluation round – 1 st list (4) ELIXIR –Since 1 st round increasing awareness of importance of ELIXIR for Flemish research –Interest of other Belgian entities –Hercules Foundation asked VIB to take the lead in drafting a proposal –Proposal submitted April 28, 2014 –Review in progress

2 nd ESFRI evaluation round – 2 nd list 12 ESFRI projects – demand for access on a user fee base Monitoring the creation of the legal entities because information about user fees and access policy (for non-members) in the statutes or documents in annex Important work in progress

Funding 2 nd ESFRI-round (1) A proposal submitted under the 3 rd call for large scale RIs for an ECOTRON (potentially in-kind contribution to ANAEE) (with excellent review but no funding) (UHasselt) ► the Flemish Government provided in 2013 additional funding In 2014 the Flemish Government provided 10 mio € additional funding for RI (a fraction earmarked for ESFRI)

Funding 2 nd ESFRI-round (2) March 19, 2014 the Hercules Foundation Board decided to allocate: –3 mio euro for an upgrade of INSTRUCT-Flanders (project operational) –To prepare the Flemish participation at: EurobioImaging (2.5 mio euro) EMBRC (1 mio euro) DARIAH ( euro) (3 decentralised RIs – investments in Flanders)

Road ahead.... (1) Next Flemish Government: Hercules Foundation will provide an integrated advice on the participation in the period in ESFRI RIs (status of Flemish participation, proposals for additional participations) Input → –Thematic decisions –Allocation of additional funding

Road ahead... (2) Hercules Foundation together with the Europa Platform of Dept. EWI: ► Contact with firms – ESFRI possibilities for high tech companies ► Informing universities, SOCs,... ► Evaluation of the Flemish participation at ESFRI RIs (in lock step with evaluation at EU level)

n.cfm?pg=esfri Thank you

2 nd round – ESFRI RIs - 1 st list INSTRUCT EMBRC ANAEE DARIAH INFRAFRONTIER EUROBIOIMAGING EU-OPENSCREEN CLARIN BBMRI EATRIS * ECRIN * ELIXIR **

2 nd round – ESFRI RIs – 2 nd list ‘user fee’ CESSDA - Council of Europe Social Science Data Archives EURO-ARGO: Global Ocean Observing Infrastructure EMSO - European Multidisciplinary Seafloor Observatory SIOS - The Svalbard Integrated Arctic Earth Observing System ERINHA - European High Security BSL4 Laboratories European XFEL (X-ray Free Electron Laser) EMFL : European Magnetic Field Laboratory EuroFEL (ex-IRUVX-FEL) ELI - Extreme Light Infrastructure SKA - Square Kilometre Array