Introduction

In this edition of the EULAC ResInfra project newsletter, you will find a summary of the activities carried out during the past 2022, starting with the second EU LAC ResInfra General Assembly, held in July in Montevideo, where important conclusions were obtained about the projections and the future of the project. In addition, there is a full report on the successful final EU LAC ResInfra event that took place as a satellite event of the ICRI 2022 Conference in Brno, Czech Republic.

           General Assembly, July 2022.                                                           EU LAC RESINFRA Final Conference
Montevideo,Uruguay^ndEU LAC RESINFRA 2                                                      ICRI2022, Brno, Czechia

VOICES AND PERSPECTIVES OF OUR PARTNERS

BRAZIL - Prof. Lelio Fellows Filho Head of International Affairs Unit. Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)

When you analyze the current landscape, where do you see potential factors that would become relevant for the future of RIs?

As we were responsible for Work Package 2 activities, we worked on updating the mapping of the CELAC RI ecosystem, and part of the results from various countries shows that for the mapping exercises that have been conducted in both regions on the national and regional levels, there is great variation in mapping methods, processes, scientific areas described and reporting.

I think the results of the mapping of the landscape in Latin-American done by the project showed us that we have an important heterogeneity in LAC, and this has to be considered as a strength and not a weakness.

The way forward is for us to work with this strength. Where do you see the main challenges and options for sustainability? The project sustainability and more importantly the financial sustainability is very important for the near future of the project. We are dealing with these issues in particular, keeping in mind that we need to find ways to finance the next phase of the project. This means possibly having a special relationship with companies, groups, and funding agencies. We believe that the future of the project is very dependent on the possibility of other sources and regiments of financing.

CHILE - Director Juan Luis Soto Head of Equipment and Associative Infrastructure Department, National Agency for Research and Development (ANID)

On the last day of the General Assembly, ANID from Chile also shared their comments and perspectives for the future of the project, as the Work Package 3 leader.

“Based on the report that we developed through the collection of data on funding models and policy instruments in Latin America, we were able to identify a diversity of programmes and different RIs gaps.”

With regards to the sustainability of the project, Juan Luis commented that “although LAC countries have different policies regarding RIs, the idea is to use this diversity as a potential opportunity or strength for the future in order to have different financing and access models.

For Chile, as a country, we see the EU-LAC ResInfra project as a highly necessary project, to be able to contact our colleagues in LAC and also Europe, will allow us to cooperate with each other in a different and improved way, due to the project´s genesis, requires associativity, international collaboration.”

THOUGHTS AND FINAL CONCLUSIONS OF EU LAC RESINFRA COORDINATOR

Inmaculada Figueroa, EU LAC ResInfra Project Coordinator - Deputy Director General for the Internationalisation of Science and Innovation, General Secretariat for Research, Ministry of Science and Innovation

“We can conclude after these 3 days of the General Assembly, the future of collaboration is in our hands. The most important output and work ahead is drafting the sustainability plan and gathering all the information in order to have a strong plan to present to the working group, to make the cooperation EU-LAC sustainable.

I am convinced that RIs are an extraordinary means to strengthen this collaboration with Latin America, RIs are hubs for innovation, are tools necessary for our researchers in order to produce excellence science, they are also hubs for information, for developing scientists, managers and technical personnel, providing strong possibilities for collaboration in science and technology.  This is what we have to do and this is the first step, we have established the basis for future relationships between LAC countries and Europe.”

EU-LAC RESINFRA held its Final Conference as a Satellite event of the ICRI 2022

On October 18, 2022, EU-LAC Resinfra held its Final Conference, a satellite that served as a forum for discussion on the positive impact of research infrastructure projects in Europe, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Hence, highlighting the need to strengthen these infrastructures in the future for interregional cooperation to counter various challenges, and to recognize that projects such as EU-LAC Resinfra are fundamental contributions to consolidating and working in cases where bi-regional cooperation is the focus.

The event began with welcoming remarks by deputy project coordinator Sabina Guaylupo and Claudia Romano from MEC/AUCI Uruguay, who expressed gratitude to the participants who were present physically , as well as those who joined online. The presenters also acknowledged the work of Inmaculada Figueroa, the project coordinator, who was unable to attend  the conference.

After the welcoming ceremony, Dileine Cunha, the representative of CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - Brazil), presented the results obtained in the "RI in LAC Landscape Analysis", which generated a map of research infrastructures in Latin America. This represents an important tool that is in the process of being updated and it groups different data from the research centres spread throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), exposing the areas of greatest specialisation of each institution on that map.

The EU-LAC ResInfra pilots, represented by Rafael Mayo (RICAP), Claudia Alén (INSTRUCT), Maite Irazábal (LifeWatch) and Luca Pezzati, together with Karla Balzuwait (E-RIHS), then presented the EU-LAC ResInfra pilots. The conversation was guided by Kathrin Megerle- DLR (Germany). Each of the pilots presented their work during the development of the project, showing the results and initiatives that have guided their work. The different areas covered by the pilots have been fundamental in extending the range of research centres and infrastructures achieved. For example, the work carried out by INSTRUCT in areas such as advanced research in the field of biology. Also, RICAP has supported Latin American institutions in the improvement and strengthening of computing and server technologies. E-RIHS has supported heritage sciences, particularly in cooperation with different Brazilian institutions. Finally, Lifewatch, which has done important work in nature conservation and promote research infrastructures on issues such as climate change.

One of the remarkable moment of the day was the presentation on the Sustainability Plan of the project by Claudia Romano.It was based on the main results obtained from the general meeting of the project in Montevideo, Uruguay in July 2022, which focused on highlighting the need to generate a plan to strengthen and support collaboration in research infrastructures in Latin America in a permanent, sustained, and stable way that transcends a project and consolidates a network of sustainable research institutions with long-term projections.

To conclude the event for the day, Sabina Guaylupo shared a few words that summarised everything that had taken place at the event and also delivered a message to encourage the continuity of the initiatives and work that EU LAC ResInfra has developed and built for the development of research in multiple areas and interregional cooperation between Europe and Latin America.

EU-LAC ResInfra at ICRI 2022

Every two years since 2012, the International Conference on Research Infrastructures (ICRI) has hosted delegates, researchers and scientists from across the global to discuss topics and share knowledge about research infrastructures. Emerging trends and best practices are addressed by key stakeholders from different research and innovation ecosystems, who actively engage in open discussion panels about the vital role and the sustainability of research infrastructures. Naturally, this conference is particularly interesting for the EU-LAC ResInfra project, as it comes towards its end and takes stock on past activities that will help ensure the sustainability of the European-Latin American research infrastructure network that was built up throughout the project.
 
The 2022 edition of ICRI took place from October 19th to October 21st, 2022, in Brno, Czech Republic at the Hotel Passage.

On the first day, an Opening and Introduction Plenary was moderated by Czech journalist Daniel Stach who greeted ‍Vladimír Balaš (Minister of  Education, Youth and Sports, Czech Republic), Claire Samson, Vice-President,  Programs and Planning, Canada Foundation for Innovation, Imraan Patel (Deputy Director-General: Research Development and Support, South African Department of Science and Innovation), ‍Cathy Foley (Australia's Chief Scientist, Australian Government), Signe Ratso (Acting Director-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission) and – from EU-LAC ResInfra –  Claudia Romano (Manager of the Uruguayan Agency for International Cooperation).

Day 2 featured a series of parallel themes being discussed in separate conference rooms, namely A: “Societal and Economic Benefits and Impact of Research Infrastructures”, B: “Multi-scale Ecosystem of Research Infrastructures”, C: “Research Infrastructures and Sharing Scientific Data Globally” and D: “Transnational Access to Research Infrastructures”. In the early afternoon, Silke Schumacher (Hub Coordinator, Instruct-ERIC) spoke on behalf of one of the four pilots of the EU-LAC ResInfra project. Her presentation was part of theme B, ntitle specific challenges of multinational research infrastructure were addressed, as well as how to maintain synergistic relationships between research infrastructures. Leonel Malacrida (Head of Advanced Bioimaging Unit, Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Uruguay), also presented his research work and experience. Alejandro Buschiazzo (Institut Pasteur Montevideo, Uruguay), who went of one of the Staff Exchanges promoted by the EU-LAC ResInfra project, moderated this discussion. At the same time, Tania Altamirano (Academic Relations Manager at RedCLARA, Nicaragua) was presenting the regional data sharing initiatives in Latin America – providing the specific example of RedCLARA – as part of the discussion on parallel theme C “Research Infrastructure and Sharing Scientific Data Globally”. 

In the late afternoon, parallel theme B engaged in a toolbox session ntitled “Examples of Good Practices for Research Infrastructures Ecosystem Focused on Smaller Scale Facilities”, which featured Rosario Durán (Head of Technological Unit, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay) and Lia Pietrasanta (Associate Professor, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina). Parallel theme D “Transnational Access to Research Infrastructures” was now focusing on the topic of “Research Infrastructures Access for Complex Science Questions – Promoting Global Collaboration and Science Diplomacy”. Claudia Alén Amaro (Senior Programme Manager at the Integrated Structural Biology Infrastructure, Instruct-ERIC, UK) took part in this panel and reiterated the efforts and activities performed by Latin American research infrastructures.
 
Day 3 – the final day of ICRI 2022 – was mainly dedicated to award ceremonies and commemorative signings of memorandums of understanding. The most symbolic momento was the formal signature of the Brno Declaration on Fostering a Global Ecosystem of Research Infrastructures, which was signed by Václav Velčovský (Deputy Minister for the European Union, International Affairs and the EU Cohesion Policy Funds, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic) and Joanna Drake (Deputy Director-General, Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission).
 
In the context of EU-LAC ResInfra, the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Euro-BioImaging and the Institut Pasteur de Montevideo was especially celebrated. Antje Keppler (Biological Hub Director, Euro-BioImaging, Germany) and Carlos Batthyány Dighiero (Executive Director, Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Uruguay) commemoratively marked the start of this German-Uruguayan cooperation.