In this topic the integration of the gender dimension (sex and gender analysis) in research and innovation content is not a mandatory requirement.

The topic targets the following areas related to scientific challenges and EU priorities. Proposals are expected to address one of the areas and must explicitly state which area they address:

Area 1: research infrastructure services for advanced biotechnology and biomanufacturing

The advances in life sciences, supported by digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI), and the potential of solutions based on biology to solve societal issues, make biotechnology and biomanufacturing very promising technological areas. They can help the EU to modernise its agriculture, forestry, energy, food and feed sectors and industry. In addition, these technologies can contribute to a more competitive and resilient EU, that provides better healthcare to its citizens, and succeeds in its green and digital transitions.

To further leverage research and boost innovation, a more productive use of relevant research infrastructures must be facilitated with specific attention to accelerating the use of the Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Synthetic Biology Accelerator (EU IBISBA) as a trusted digital repository and service network for the sector.

Building on past integration of access to facilities and services, research infrastructures in the field are invited to reach a higher and more interdisciplinary level of integration to offer access, through a single entry point, to a coherent and complementary set of services, customising and combining them when necessary, to support academic and industrial research teams in support notably of the actions and priorities set out in the Commission Communication “Building the future with nature: Boosting Biotechnology and Biomanufacturing in the EU”.

Users should benefit from the harmonisation of standards, share of best practices and development of working standards promoted by the access providers, ensuring reproducibility and interoperability and accelerating the translation of knowledge into innovation. Users should also benefit from most recent efforts towards digitalisation of research infrastructures services and access to bioprocess data.

Proposals could consider the inclusion of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) research infrastructure (Nanobiotechnology laboratory and Environmental biotechnology laboratory) in their research portfolio for the characterization of advanced biotechnology products and systems and its expertise at the interface between innovation, regulatory sciences and policy. In that respect, the JRC will consider collaborating with any successful proposal and this collaboration, when relevant, should be established after the proposal’s approval.

Area 2: research infrastructures services for access to novel radionuclides and facilities

Proposals should carry out all of the following activities:

• Build on the work carried out by the PRISMAP project in establishing a network of world-leading European facilities, including nuclear reactors, accelerators and radiochemical laboratories, offering a broad catalogue of radionuclides for medical research. The network must offer researchers access to radionuclides and to the complementary biomedical facilities.
• Offer services for:
  • the production and delivery of high purity radionuclides;
  • associated research in biomedical facilities;
  • supporting translational research and preclinical research techniques, either self-service or fully performed as a service.
• Investigating towards the development of upscaling of the production of these novel radionuclides, in the form of novel production technology, new purification methods, and proof-of-concept investigations showing the development of new treatments from test bench to patient care.
• Monitoring and engagement with other initiatives supporting the EU SAMIRA[7] action plan, in particular as regards the supply of novel (stable or radio-) isotopes and the development of innovative production methods, based on existing or new facilities.
• Proposals could consider the inclusion of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) research infrastructure PAMEC (Properties of Actinide Materials under Extreme Conditions) and FMR (Fuel for Material Research) in Karlsruhe, Germany, in their research infrastructure portfolio. The infrastructure is used and available for research into novel therapeutic medical radionuclides, including alternative production paths based on radionuclide such as but not limited to technetium, uranium or thorium targets, as well as the development of novel compounds for the treatment of various tumors by radioligand therapy. In this regard, the JRC will consider collaborating with any successful proposal in these areas and this collaboration, when relevant and upon availability of the radionuclide, should be established after feasibility study by local contact and the proposal’s approval.

Area 3: research infrastructure services to improve the understanding and prediction of future climate changes and their impact.

Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and achieving climate neutrality by 2050 in the EU require strengthening and continuously updating the underpinning scientific evidence base. This includes improving the knowledge of the Earth system, its recent evolution and future responses under different global emissions pathways and socio-economic scenarios while establishing stronger linkages with integrated assessment and impact modelling communities. State-of-the-art Earth’s climate system models are essential for advanced understanding and capability to analyse the recent past and predict the future evolution of the coupled Earth system, at global to regional or more local scales, and across timescales.

Projects should provide access to a wide portfolio of world-class and complementary services in the field of Earth climate system modelling, such as models, software, high-performance computing resources, and data to enable efficient production, evaluation, and exploitation of model simulations, as well as rapid and reliable exchange of knowledge across multiple projects, models, and modelling communities in Europe and globally, and also with policymakers, planners, and climate services. Proposals should ensure appropriate links with relevant European and international initiatives such as projects supported under Horizon Europe Cluster 5 Destination 1 “Climate sciences and responses for the transformation towards climate neutrality”, the EU Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change, and Destination Earth.

Proposals could consider the inclusion of the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) research infrastructure (Marine Optical laboratory – MARlab) in their research infrastructure portfolio for supporting Earth Observations of the aquatic environment through highly accurate bio-optical in situ reference measurements and modelling, as well as its expertise at the interface between the research activities and regulatory aspects. In this regard, the JRC will consider collaborating with any successful proposal.

Area 4: research infrastructures services for New Aviation Fuels and Combustion Technologies

With the ratification of the ReFuelEU Aviation initiative, the extensive use of sustainable fuels in European aviation will become legally binding. The development of a competitive European industry for the production of sustainable fuels requires, on the one hand, the consideration of a large number of sustainable raw materials as a starting point for the production process but also the introduction of alternative energy sources (especially liquid hydrogen). Due to the extremely high safety requirements, comprehensive test series in the development and investigation of the effects of these fuels on the various system elements of air traffic (this includes aircraft systems, refuelling vehicles, pipeline systems and much more) are of great importance for subsequent certification, as the foundation for a market uptake of sustainable aviation fuels.

To enlarge the array of sustainable feedstocks and applications and push further the use of new aviation fuels and combustion technologies for finding effective solutions to emerging socio-economic needs, researchers and innovators need the most advanced research and testing facilities.

The research infrastructures in the field including those relevant for adaption and expansion of existing test combustion capabilities to use new fuels for future propulsion systems, referee-test rigs for the assessment of the potential and characteristics of sustainable aviation fuels in respect to safety and reliability and test rigs that support the approval and qualification of SAF candidates entering ASTM D4054 (Tier 2.5) should build on past integration of access to their facilities in previous Framework Programmes and reach an higher and more interdisciplinary level of integration to offer access, through a single entry point, to a coherent and complementary set of services, customising and combining them when necessary, to support academic and industrial research teams.

Proposals could consider, for their inclusion in the service portfolio, relevant services and expertise offered by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).