FCT has updated the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE)

Today, the FCT released the updated publication of the National Roadmap for Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE). The first edition was published in 2014, following the Call its creation, and included 40 infrastructures that received €143.8 million in funding for the period 2017-2021, 69% of which came from structural funds (ERDF).

Research infrastructures are essential elements of the National System of Science, Technology, and Innovation. They include platforms, resources, and services available to the scientific community, offering large-scale equipment and other scientific instruments, collections, archives, and data, computer systems, and communication networks promoting open digital access, with a view to stimulating excellence in research and technological development activities.

The 2020 update of the RNIE provides information on the 16 new infrastructures integrated since April 2019 and systematizes information on all 56 infrastructures that are now part of the Roadmap, including their description, activities, and impact, as well as their links with infrastructures or other organizations at European or global level.

The integration of the 16 new infrastructures into the RNIE was the result of a government initiative, under the "Science Law," DL 63/2019, and taking into account the opinions of the working groups of the 17 FCT 2030 Thematic Research and Innovation Agendas, the international evaluation reports on R&D Units, and hearings of the institutions. The new Roadmap reflects the evolution of the national research and innovation ecosystem, the priorities of the National Reform Plan, and public policies in the field of science and technology, particularly those related to Space, Health, the Atlantic, and Digital Skills. The Roadmap now includes infrastructure in six thematic areas: Energy, Environment, Health and Food, Physical Sciences and Engineering, Social and Cultural Innovation, and Digital Infrastructure.

The Infrastructure Roadmap is also an important tool for the internationalization of Portuguese science. Most of the 56 infrastructures in the Roadmap are associated with the European Roadmap ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) or other European or global initiatives or organizations.

The FCT will continue to monitor the implementation of the National Roadmap's infrastructure, including its impact on research, knowledge transfer, and the internationalization of science in Portugal, through a Monitoring Committee comprising 31 experts from the scientific community, representing the Roadmap's six thematic areas.

The publication is now available for consultation here.