RAMIRI 2 · Realising and Managing International Research Infrastructures 2

This project builds on the work previously done for the first RAMIRI project. It responds to a number of developments in European research infrastructure (RI) management, including the ESFRI Roadmap, the ESFRI regional issues working group, the ECRI conferences and the European Research Area (ERA) Board. The principal aims of this proposal are to train a group of new RI-managers (with a particular emphasis on managers from the new member states) in a number of key practical areas relevant to establishing and managing RIs of pan-European and international importance, including both single-sited and distributed infrastructures in both the physical/natural and social sciences. Topics covered will include: determining socio-economic impact, site-selection, legal and governance issues, financing, project planning and construction, recruiting specialised staff, and strategic planning (upgrades, partnerships, technology transfer). These learning areas will be delivered by expert speakers coordinated by a programme committee across 2 learning programmes over 24 months. Each programme will consist of two workshops held in a different location: Amsterdam, Prague and twice in Trieste. Elettra Sincrotrone Trieste will coordinate the overall project and work closely with its partners: Adam Mickiewicz University, Imperial College London, Institute of Physics and University of Amsterdam. The workshops will also include a site visit or more detailed case study relevant to each location. Participants will be selected on the basis of suitability through an application process. A mid-term review meeting will be held in Poznan to coincide with the Polish Presidency of the EU in late 2011. Following the end of the programmes, the learning materials and case presentations will be incorporated into a revised ‘RAMIRI’ handbook which thematises and summarises key issues in RI-management.