This category explores the overall science and in particular the scientific motivation of the project, which is the first and most important deter-minant for the possible impacts. Information about the type of research infrastructure (RI), the scientific relevance of such RIs, the key scientific domains and industrial sectors for its use, the scientific motivation for constructing a new RI and the potential scientific opportunities are mainly gathered through qualitative (descriptive) indicators.
Indicators:
RI.1.1: Type of facility and scientific relevance RI.1.2: Key scientific fields for use / application
RI.1.3: Scientific motivation for the new facility and new scientific opportunities offered
RI.1.1: Type of facility and scientific relevance Relevance:
The indicator describes the type of research infrastructure and the significance of the research infrastructure for scientific R&D activities.
These factors directly determine the possible impacts, which may be expected from the facility.
Compilation:
• Identify and report the type of research infrastructure, its type of siting and its geographic relevance (see below).
• Report the significance of such research infrastructures for scien-tific R&D activities in general.
• Types of RIs: e.g. synchrotron, GRID, archive, telescope, bio-bank, research vessel, historical collection, supercomputer, etc.
• Types of siting: single-sited, distributed, virtual
• Geographic relevance: European (global), national, regional Definitions and explanations:
Research Infrastructure (RI): RIs are essential or unique facilities, re-sources, services, or tools used by the scientific community in order to conduct research in any field of science or technology.
Single-sited RIs provide a facility, resource, or service at a single site.
Distributed RIs consist of a network of facilities, resources, or services in different sites that is managed in a co-ordinated way.
Virtual RIs make a service electronically available to their users.
RIs of European (global) relevance have a clear European (global)
di-• Attraction of international staff, PhD students and guest scien-tists from various countries
• Internationally recognised centres of excellence in their domain, providing rare or unique services and research opportunities at the cutting edge as documented by highly cited papers and pub-lications in high impact journals authored or co-authored by their users and their own R&D staff.
• All others are considered as RIs of national or regional relevance.
Data sources and collection methods:
• Analysis of documents such as the project proposal, annual re-ports etc.
• Interviews with scientific experts, e.g. those involved in preparing the project proposal, RI scientists / manager (if already operating) Data analysis methods:
• Descriptive content analysis References:
None
RI.1.2: Key scientific fields for use Relevance:
The indicator describes the most important scientific fields interested in using the new research infrastructure. The specific fields affect the types of impacts, which may be expected from the facility.
Compilation:
• Identify and report the most important scientific fields interested in using the new research infrastructure. This may be done by coarse or more detailed scientific areas that suit the particular case. The use of more detailed, case specific domains can facilitate the under-standing of possible impacts.
• If detailed information is not available, specify at least one key do-main, e.g. using the categories of the European Portal on Research Infrastructures Database.
Definitions and explanations:
EU Database Scheme: Humanities and behavioural sciences; socio-economic sciences; environmental, marine, and earth sciences; energy;
life sciences; physics and astronomy; material sciences, chemistry and nanotechnologies; engineering; information and communication tech-nologies, mathematics.
Examples for coarse categories: material science, life sciences, chemis-try, astrophysics, social sciences, archaeology, history, arts, etc.
Examples for detailed classes: chemical reaction dynamics, biomaterials, cancer research, byzantine research, seismic monitoring and risk miti-gation, climate history research, disease epidemiology and control, etc.
Main scientific domains: Most important scientific and technological
the same type. An RI can serve several scientific domains.
Since scientific domains are seldom well-defined, research can be multi-disciplinary, and new application fields can emerge, RIAM does not propose a specific classification scheme or a unified definition of scientific and technological areas.
Data sources and collection methods:
• Analysis of documents such as the project proposal, annual re-ports etc.
• Interviews with scientific experts, e.g. those involved in the preparation of the project proposal, scientific managers of the RI (if already operating)
• Secondary data analysis from reference facilities (e.g. SE impact reports, annual reports, publication databases)
• Observations of comparable laboratories as reference facilities e.g. through expert interviews of scientists from such facilities Data analysis methods:
• Descriptive content analysis References:
European Portal on Research Infrastructures Database, on http://www.riportal.eu/public/index.cfm?fuseaction=ri.search#
RI.1.3: Scientific motivation for the new facility and new scientific opportunities offered Relevance:
The indicator describes the scientific motivation for constructing the new research infrastructure and the most important new scientific op-portunities offered. Both aspects are strongly related to the possible scientific impacts and thus the benefits for the user community and other affected stakeholders.
Compilation:
• Identify and report descriptively the scientific motivation for con-structing the new research infrastructure.
• Identify and report descriptively the most important new scientific opportunities offered by the planned research infrastructure.
Definitions and explanations:
None
Data sources and collection methods:
• Analysis of documents such as the project proposal, annual reports
• Interviews with scientific experts, in particular those involved in etc.
the preparation of the project proposal, scientists from the RI (if already operating) or comparable facilities (e.g. scientific manager) Data analysis methods:
• Descriptive content analysis