Project supported by: ELI-DC and the future ELI-ERIC: structure, status, current plans and current unknowns Wolfgang Sandner Director General, ELI Delivery Consortium AISBL HEPTech Workshop on Building an ELI-Centric Academia- Industry Ecosystem Prague, April 7, 2014

ELI’s essential characteristics ELI will be  the world’s first international laser research infrastructure, providing unique science and research opportunities for international users “The CERN of laser research”  a distributed research infrastructure based initially on 3 facilities in CZ, HU and RO  the first ESFRI project to be implemented in the new EU Member States  pioneering a novel funding model combining structural funds (ERDF) for the implementation and contributions to an ERIC for the operation

ELI‘s Roadmap ELI-PPESFRI ELI-NP ELI-Beamlines ELI-ALPS joint operation initiation ELI-DC International Association parallel implementation 2008 ELI ELI- ERIC ELI initiation parallel implementation initiation joint operation initiation joint operation initiation joint operation initiation PPMoU ELI- ERIC

Financial structure ELI-DC International Association 2008 PPMoU ELI- ERIC joint operation parallel implementation initiation ~ 6 M€ Prep. Phase ~ 850 M€ total EU Structural Funds (CZ, RO approved / HU applied for) M€ /a ELI-ERIC (pending) ERIC negotiations

Project supported by: Brief overview over science and status of the ELI project in the three host countries

Attosecond Laser Science, will capitalize on new regimes of time resolution (ELI-ALPS, Szeged, HU) High-Energy Beam Facility, responsible for development and application of ultra-short pulses of high-energy particles and radiation (ELI-Beamlines, Prague, CZ) Nuclear Physics Facility with ultra-intense laser and brilliant gamma beams (up to 19 MeV) enabling novel photonuclear studies (ELI-NP, Magurele, RO) Ultra-High-Field Science centred on direct physics of the unprecedented laser field strength (ELI 4, to be decided) New and complementary science, unique research opportunitites ?

Structural Funds approved in Sept Projected completion date: IV 2017 Building under construction Scientific Director appointed, Technical Director tba; staff hiring in progress (~50) Major equipment procured (two 10PW lasers) Tender for Gamma source in progress ELI Nuclear Physics in Romania

Structural Funds expected to be approved in IV 2013 Projected completion date: IV 2017 Building contract to be concluded Scientific Director appointed, staff hiring in progress (~25) Major workpackages contracted to international laboratories Major equipment procurement under preparation (SYLOS, HF) Final Technical Design Report under preparation ELI Attosecond Physics in Hungary

Structural Funds approved in April 2011 Projected completion date: IV 2017 (phasing negotiations in progress) Building under construction Project Delivery Manager (AS) appointed Large local organisation and staff (~200) Major equipment procured/under construction (diode-pumped, 10Hz PW laser L3 / L1) Tender for 10PW laser L4 in progress, Second PW laser L2 in preparation ELI Beamlines in the Czech Republic

ELI is pioneering a novel funding model by combining the use of structural funds (ERDF) for the implementation and formation of an ERIC for the operation Why doing it? How can it ever work? What is the consequence for future ELI strategies and policies?

Why doing it? Structural funds are allocated at the national level through 3 separate processes and grant agreements - ELI construction proceeds faster than through an ERIC! - “lean ELI-ERIC” for later operation only Grant beneficiaries (ELI-Hu, IoP, IFIN-HH) are individually responsible for the implementation of the 3 ELI facilities “lean governance” model for constructing a distributed RI ERDF: introduces additional objectives of socio-economic development for the hosting regions (besides RI objectives) - added value for both the ERA and regional development - return of investment for the host country

How can it work? Any examples? ELI-PPESFRI ELI-NP ELI-Beamlines ELI-ALPS joint operation initiation parallel implementation 2008 ELI ELI- ERIC ELI initiation parallel implementation initiation joint operation initiation joint operation initiation joint operation initiation

1) The biggest remaining challenge: “Selling” the product to an international ERIC Consortium for sponsoring and operating ELI-ERIC after the implementation phase (after 2017)

2) If it works: The governance, strategies and policies of ELI-ERIC during the operational phase will be completely different from those of the construction phase. Apart from basic principles they are yet unknown. Neither predictions nor any commitments can be made at the present stage.

ELI-PPESFRI ELI-NP ELI-Beamlines ELI-ALPS Single unified governance under yet unknown contractual rules initiation ELI-DC International Association National SF contracts plus ELI-DC 2008 ELI ELI- ERIC ELI initiation Consensus Based Initiation & preparation PPMoU ELI- ERIC Three legal lives of a project

Future ELI-ERIC’s basic principles Joint operation of the ELI facilities under a unified legal entity and governance Financially sustainable operation based on contributions from the host countries and other countries One legal entity, ELI-ERIC, governing the operation of all three research centres => finding a new balance between national and international responsibilities, while still observing the legal commitments from ERDF Common policies for operation, access, data management, dissemination, quality control etc Operation as a single user facility, open for international access with world-class research opportunities, highest scientific standards and high-quality scientific output

Why is ELI different from other international research infrastructures in that respect? Remember: ELI is pioneering a novel funding model combining the use of structural funds (ERDF) for the implementation and formation of an ERIC for the operation

Structural funds for a distributed RI A “clash of cultures”? DG Research & Innovation: RIs are “Tools for science” “RIs are a key instrument to look for solutions to many of the problems society is facing today. RIs offer unique research services to users from different countries, attract young people to science, and help to shape scientific communities.” DG Regio: Research excellence per se is no objective for Cohesion Policy, but just a tool for competitiveness and growth “The Structural Funds and the Cohesion Fund are the financial instruments of European Union (EU) regional policy, which is intended to narrow the development disparities among regions and Member States.”

They must be integral part of strategies, not "cathedrals in the desert" & large-scale budget absorbers They must be dentified in an entrepreneurial discovery process, not just desired by academia & researchers Research excellence per se is no objective for Cohesion Policy, but just a tool for competitiveness and growth Key RI should be designed / transformed into crystallisation points for economic change and growth: clusters, technology parks, incubators, firm cooperation Importance of international attractiveness & connectedness: private investors & brain-gain Evaluation, evaluation, evaluation! Research infrastructures in support of RIS3 Katja Reppel CC smart and sustainable growth DG Regional and Urban Policy DG Regio’s political view

Management challenge

during implementation Several layers of responsibilities and interests to protect and combine: Pan-European dimension, scientific excellence and global scientific competitiveness under unified governance – the ESFRI objective versus Legal responsibility of the sites during the implementation plus Emphasis on socio-economic benefits and national development within the hosting countries due to ERDF commitments Political and administrative obstacles: No synchronisation of operational programmes (OP) in different countries Conflict with SF time frames imposed by EC (“cash flow versus quality”?) Non-uniform priorities in the science-economy balance

Risk of a loss of larger international commitment during implementation Need for coordination between implementation teams to prepare joint and high-quality operation and ensure overall scientific coherence Preparation of ERIC negotiations in parallel with implementation Staged approach to ERIC: at some point a clear transition of responsibilities and governance from national authorities towards ERIC has to take place (“disruptive transition”). => Need for an interim structure at the European level to address these challenges and risks: Specific risks and needs

The ELI Delivery Consortium International Association AISBL Legal form: international non-profit association under Belgian law (AISBL), established Juli 2013 and operational since September. Open to all interested countries besides the ELI Host Countries Main missions: Promoting the effective development and visibility of ELI as a single pan-European project Supporting the implementation of the existing and future ELI research centres and their coordinated preparation of operation Preparing and coordinating the establishment of the ELI-ERIC parallel to the implementation process Decentralised organisation with staff “embedded” in the three implementation teams and use of cutting-edge e-infrastructure solutions for virtual collaboration

ELI-DC Organisation

Membership status I / 2014 Members of the ELI-DC AISBL Membership under consideration Expressions of interest

Summary and lessons learned

Structural Funds appear, in principle, to be an excellent funding model for the swift construction of ESFRI RIs, for strengthening the ERA and for fostering synergies between the socio-economic and scientific objectives. In addition, Structural Funds are a well-established funding mechanisms for large-scale projects on both the national and the EC level. Structural Funds

However: High-risk projects such as world-class research infrastructures are a new and different class of Structural Funds "clients" and require substantial (!) adaptation of procedures and cultures - both on the EC and national levels - in order not to fail. Structural Funds

In addition: Concepts for the transition between the construction phase, dominated by national governance and ERDF regulations, and the operation phase, dominated by unified governance under an ERIC agreement, need to be developed. This includes scientific, operational, financial and legal concepts, as well as concepts for academia-industry liaisons. Transition towards ERIC

Conclusion ELI is unique in many respects, particularly pioneering the combination of scientific excellence with socio-economic objectives across national borders. Hence, the development of concepts towards an ELI-centric academia-industry ecosystem is timely and appropriate. On a national level such ecosystems can be implemented immediately. One must observe, however, that the governance of the ELI pillars will be handed over to ELI-ERIC after Any trans-national activity at the ELI-ERIC level, shall it be sustainable beyond 2017, requires integration into the trans-national governance model and, hence, early integration into ELI’s negotiations towards the ELI-ERIC.