Mapping and service finder for Technology Infrastructures (CSA)

Expected Outcome

• Improved visibility and access to technology infrastructures via an interactive portal (open source, free to access, easy to update) of technology infrastructures across Europe;
• Improved understanding of the European landscape of technology infrastructures, including existing facilities and their services supporting the development of strategic technologies by industrial users;
• Boosted innovation and market potential by providing an interactive portal where industrial users, especially SMEs, startups and scaleups, can search and find services relevant for their innovation and product development.

Scope

For many innovative startups, finding and accessing highly specific research and technology infrastructures services is a major hurdle. Information about the available services is limited, especially on infrastructures located beyond their local ecosystems.

Proposals are expected to create an inventory of existing and ongoing mapping of technology infrastructure and technology infrastructure services in Europe and to consolidate the knowledge into an interactive portal that will serve as technology infrastructure service finder.

Furthermore, based on this inventory and other existing evidence-gathering and policy analysis, the proposals should use a comprehensive taxonomy of the technology infrastructures landscape. The portal, in line with regional smart specializations and existing ecosystems, should help assess which new technology infrastructure needs to be built to ensure long-term Europe’s competitiveness and sovereignty.

Proposals should set out to establish an interactive portal including an interactive finder for technology infrastructure services in the EU. The finder should be aligned with other ongoing activities such as EIB TechEU, EIB Advisory services and other relevant tools identified during the inventory stage. The interactive finder should facilitate the cooperation between technology infrastructure operators with industry (including SMEs, startups and scaleups) and other relevant stakeholders and propose services from a demand driven perspective. It should lead to increased opportunities for startups and scaleups for development, testing, up-scaling and deployment of new technologies.

The developed platform should be based on open-sources technologies, allowing interoperability with parallel initiatives and self-sustainability on long-term, and propose a suitable opensource application interface (API) or develop an open-source API that will allow flow of information between technology infrastructure service providers. The CSA could support the maintenance of the platform for at least 5 years.

Proposals should include also communication actions aimed at increasing the visibility and uptake of the finder and of technology infrastructures across the EU as well as activities to facilitate dialogue and networking among stakeholders. This should include promoting the uptake of the platform.

Furthermore, the proposal should develop a model to make the platform self-sustainable on the long-term, through, but not only limited to, proper governance, financing and other relevant aspects.

Proposals should also aim at enhancing transnational and multisite collaboration among Technology Infrastructures and their users, fostering the building of technology infrastructures ecosystems, the sharing of experience, resources, best practices service development and service offer, feedback from users, staff exchange and networking. Proposals may also benefit, especially for communication and dissemination activities, from sharing best practices and taking stock of what other relevant projects are developing in the field of Technology Infrastructures.