At a stakeholder consultation on the European strategy on research and technology infrastructures (RTIs), held at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 31 March 2026, Rapporteur Markku Markkula (CoR Vice-President) convened stakeholders and the European Commission to discuss how to ensure effective implementation of the strategy on the ground.
Representatives of the European Commission and the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT)—Kirsi Haavisto (Head of Unit, Knowledge Valorisation & Technology Infrastructures, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation), Monica Salgado Fernandez (Policy Coordinator, Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs), Fabio Taucer (Adviser, Joint Research Centre), and Ilaria Tagliavini (Head of Operations, EIT)—outlined the policy context and engaged with stakeholders. After that, CESAER gave an invited contribution.
Representing CESAER, Vincent Klein Ikkink (Advisor for Research) contributed as an invited speaker in a panel with contributions from academia and regional alliances. In his intervention, he welcomed the recognition of RTIs as strategic assets and underlined that Europe’s competitiveness relies on world-class infrastructures.
He emphasised that addressing fragmentation requires a purpose- and outcome-driven approach, where the focus is not on how infrastructures are labelled, but on the purpose they serve and the outcomes they deliver. In this context, he called for recognising the continuum between research and technology infrastructures and for moving beyond siloed frameworks.
Vincent particularly stressed that universities of science and technology must be recognised as key ecosystem anchors of the RTI landscape—educating talent, generating knowledge, driving technological development, and hosting world-class infrastructures. He highlighted their central role in regional and industrial ecosystems, working closely with industry, startups, scaleups and research-intensive SMEs, and called for a triple helix approach linking academia, industry and government in RTI governance and planning.
To enable scaling, he highlighted the importance of coordinated access, digital interoperability, and the uptake of FAIR data principles. Finally, he stressed the need for clearer legal and funding conditions, including practical guidance on cost recovery and the distinction between economic and non-economic activities, to ensure the long-term sustainability of infrastructures.
In conclusion, CESAER welcomes both the Commission strategy and the draft opinion by the CoR, stressing that delivering on this ambition requires a purpose- and outcome-driven RTI ecosystem, stronger recognition of universities of science and technology as ecosystem anchors, and clear framework conditions to enable scaling across Europe.
With strong foundations already in place, the priority now is to scale what works and better connect the infrastructure landscape across regions. CESAER stands ready to support this process and contribute to turning the strategy into concrete results on the ground.
More information:
For more information, please contact our Advisor for Research Vincent Klein Ikkink.
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