Skip to main content

FCT updated the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE)

FCT today made available the updated publication of the National Roadmap of Research Infrastructures of Strategic Interest (RNIE). The first edition had been published in 2014, following the Call for its creation and included 40 infrastructures that received funding of 143.8 million euros for the period 2017-2021, 69% of which came from structural funds (ERDF).

Research infrastructures are essential elements of the National System of Science, Technology and Innovation. They include platforms, resources and services available to the scientific community, offering large-scale equipment and other scientific instruments, collections, archives and data, computer systems and communication networks fostering digital open access, with a view to stimulating excellence in research and technological development activities.

The 2020 update of the RNIE makes known the 16 new infrastructures integrated since April 2019 and systematizes the information on all 56 infrastructures that are now part of the Roadmap, including their description, activities and impact, as well as their connections with Infrastructures or other organizations of European or global scope.

The integration of the 16 new infrastructures in RNIE was the result of a government initiative, under the "Science Law", DL 63/2019, and taking into account the opinions of the working groups of the FCT Thematic Agendas for Research and Innovation 2030, the international evaluation reports to the R&D Units and hearings of the institutions. The new Roadmap reflects the evolution of the national research and innovation ecosystem, the priorities of the National Reform Plan and the public policies in the field of science and technology, namely those related to Space, Health, Atlantic and Digital Skills. The Roadmap now includes infrastructures in six thematic areas: Energy, Environment, Health and Food, Physical Sciences and Engineering, Social and Cultural Innovation, and Digital Infrastructures.

The Infrastructures Roadmap is also an important instrument for the internationalization of Portuguese science. Most of the 56 infrastructures in the Roadmap are associated with the European Roadmap ESFRI (European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures) or other European or global initiatives or organizations.

FCT will continue to monitor the implementation of the infrastructures of the National Roadmap, including its impact on research, knowledge transfer and internationalization of science carried out in Portugal, through a Monitoring Committee with 31 experts from the scientific community, representative of the six thematic domains of the Roadmap.

The publication is now available for consultation here.