Research infrastructures – advanced tools for research

Researchers sometimes require advanced tools in order to conduct their research. We refer to such tools as research infrastructures. Examples include databases, research facilities, biobanks and large-scale computational tools. The Swedish Research Council funds research infrastructures in Sweden and other countries. We do so in order to create the best possible conditions for Swedish research.

Research infrastructures benefit society at large

Access to research infrastructures is often a prerequisite for conducting top-quality innovative research. Typically, a research infrastructure also becomes a venue for creativity, which helps researchers develop their expertise.

Research that is conducted at research faculties such as the MAX IV laboratory and ESS in Lund provide innovations and solutions to various types of challenges facing society. By collaborating with researchers, industry and society can also derive benefits from such research facilities. Furthermore, construction of these facilities usually constitutes large-scale, advanced projects that themselves build up leading expertise in development and design, for example. Such expertise benefits other parts of society as well.

A need for such things as transportation, housing and services also arises around the facilities themselves, which in turn has a positive impact on societal development.

The Swedish Research Council assesses the need for new research infrastructures

Every two years, the Swedish Research Council carries out a needs inventory to assess what needs exist with regard to research infrastructures in Sweden. The purpose of this inventory is to capture proposals for new national needs for research infrastructures. Based on this inventory, we create a long-term plan for meeting the needs of research. The Council for Research Infrastructures (RFI) at the Swedish Research Council is responsible for planning, prioritising and financing research infrastructures.

Our requirements for national and international research infrastructures

We finance research infrastructures of broad national interest that provide the prerequisites for world-leading research. In order to receive a grant, both national and international research infrastructures must meet our requirements. The research infrastructure must

  • enable research of the highest scientific quality
  • be openly accessible primarily to researchers, but also to the business sector, the public sector, and other relevant actors. When access is limited, prioritisation shall be based primarily on scientific excellence
  • create clear national added value
  • have long-term plans for the scientific operation and its development
  • take long-term responsibility for management and control, funding, competence accumulation and development of the operation
  • contribute to societal development, for example by enabling research that addresses issues relating to societal challenges.

Different research infrastructures require different management

We give grants to research infrastructures via our calls, amounting to as much as 50 per cent of the total budget. Large research infrastructures, such as SNIC and MAX IV, may require a greater collaboration effort on funding. Additional partners are then involved.

Sometimes we identify an international research infrastructure that we would like to enable researchers at Swedish HEIs to use. In such cases, we (or the Government) must first negotiate so that we can obtain a Swedish membership. After that, we fund the membership.

For some international research infrastructures, the Government decides to apply for Swedish membership based on a recommendation from us. Afterwards, we serve as the funding body for the membership, using either earmarked funds for the specific research infrastructure or from our own budget for research infrastructures.

We operate our own research infrastructure

We also operate our own national research infrastructure:

  • Sunet is a research infrastructure that operates, maintains and develops the Swedish university data network. Sunet also offers a variety of web services for research IT and education. Read more about sunet.se.
  • Research infrastructures for register-based research: Registerforskning.se and Register Utiliser Tool, RUT, facilitate the use of register data in research. The metadata tool, RUT, is currently under development. Read more about registerforskning.se.

Collaboration within research infrastructure

The Swedish Research Council actively participates in the planning of future European research infrastructure through Sweden's participation in the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures, ESFRI External link..

The Swedish Research Council is a member of a number of international research infrastructures (Cern, EMBL, ESRF and others), which thereby become accessible to researchers in Sweden.

List of research infrastructure that we found

We are also a member of international organisations and networks that coordinate research connected to research infrastructures. Our membership fees to international organisations contribute to the operation and construction of the infrastructure.

We also provide grants in-kind. This means that Swedish higher education institutions and other research institutions develop and supply instruments or equipment to the research infrastructure. To certain international research infrastructures, we contribute a Swedish node.

We are responsible for some major research collaborations where Swedish researchers can participate through joint calls with other countries.

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Contact

Questions about the financing of research infrastructure

infrastruktur@vr.se

08-546 440 34

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