The EU has been working to improve research infrastructures for years. Now, new council conclusions look to reduce fragmentation and improve access

A research infrastructure to advance the use of heavy ions in cancer therapy is ready to move forward. The EU now needs to put momentum behind the project, as part of a commitment to development of the Western Balkans and to bridge the east-west divide in science

Declaration signed in Brno last week aims to create critical mass to join up and support research infrastructures around the world, boosting  science capacity

The rising cost of energy spells scaling back and temporary shut downs for vital research infrastructures, which are now looking for help from governments to pay their bills. ‘We are going to make ourselves heard,’ they say

Research infrastructures are worried about the rising cost of running large scientific experiments and are looking for help with paying sky-high electricity bills. One lab has seen a 60% increase in its tariff this year

Europe’s research labs scrambled to make the best use of their resources and offered remote access for researchers during the pandemic. Some of these changes are set to become a permanent feature

The sophistication, size and costs of research infrastructures are hard for any one country to manage. Whatever Europe’s desire for tech sovereignty, international cooperation is needed to finance and operate them

Romania was to be a founding member of the new consortium, but a long-standing political wrangle over equipment contract and operational autonomy has now prompted the Czech Republic and Hungary to move forward alone

Romanian government scrambles to help mend relations between EU-funded laser research facility in Bucharest and counterparts in Hungary and the Czech Republic

Lockdown means more than half of European research infrastructures are closed, while the rest are running scaled back operations. Now they are looking for new ways to offer access to their beams, lasers and particle accelerators