Research infrastructure

As research infrastructures (partly FIS abbreviated) such facilities, resources and services are understood to be built specifically for scientific purposes, medium or provided long-term and specific to their proper construction, operation and use of skills are required. Their function is to enable or facilitate research, teaching and the promotion of young talent. They are not used exclusively by individuals or groups, but are in principle open to an international specialist community.

Research infrastructure facilities

The research infrastructure facilities include, for example

• Laboratories ,
• But also large scientific devices
• Archives , databases and collections as well
• Institutions of communication technology and information .

Classification according to location

Research infrastructures can be local

• central, for example the European Organization for Nuclear Research CERN ,
• distributed, for example the European mouse mutant archive EMMA , or
• virtual, for example the European academic data network GÉANT ("Gigabit European Academic Network").

Research infrastructure categories

Four categories of research infrastructure can be distinguished, with numerous hybrid forms and transition areas.

• Large equipment and research platforms
• Information technology and e-infrastructures
• Social infrastructures. These include spatial facilities that bring researchers together for scientific exchange, but also virtual network structures such as B. the Internet platform Researchgate .
• Information infrastructures . Due to their cross-disciplinary relevance, these are of central importance. This includes scientific object-related collections, archives and libraries . This also includes the research data infrastructure , including a. scientific data gathering, data collections and databases.

Funding of research infrastructure measures

Research infrastructure measures generally require a positive scientific appraisal for financial support during construction and operation . ' Large research infrastructure measures' , i.e. those with a financial volume of over 50 million euros for the construction, are, for example, assessed centrally by the Science Council in Germany . The same procedure is followed for the larger projects that are usually financed by international organizations or collectively. The term research infrastructure, which became established shortly after the year 2000, is of particular importance in this research funding , as it means equating other resources and facilities with the classic large-scale scientific equipment. With regard to the setting of priorities, they are therefore subject to a direct comparison of costs and benefits. This should u. a. the position of the social sciences and humanities, which are less cost-intensive by comparison, are improved in funding and comprehensive research infrastructure planning is made possible overall

See also

• research Institute
• Scientific enterprise
• Science policy

literature

• Science Council: Perspectives on the future handling of research infrastructure initiatives. In: Statement on two large-scale devices in basic scientific research: Free-electron laser for soft X-rays (BESSY FEL) and ice-breaking research drill ship (AURORA BOREALIS) (PDF; 1.3 MB). Nuremberg, 2006, p. 40 ff.

Web links

• European Commission: Research Infrastructures website - English
• SuReFOSS.org - Sustainable Research through Free and Open Source Software

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Recommendations for the further development of scientific information infrastructures in Germany by 2020, Berlin 2012. (PDF) In: Wissenschaftsrat.de. Retrieved January 26, 2016 . 
2. ↑ General recommendations on information infrastructures, Berlin 2011. (PDF) In: Wissenschaftsrat.de. Retrieved January 27, 2016 .