The European Commission has adopted a new Charter of Access for Industrial Users to Research and Technology Infrastructures to help companies access Europe’s research facilities more quickly and easily. The voluntary Charter is designed to improve access to advanced laboratories, pilot lines, scientific equipment and testing facilities, enabling businesses to develop, validate and commercialise innovative products faster. The initiative forms part of the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and supports Europe’s broader ambition to strengthen innovation capacity and industrial competitiveness.

The Charter is built around six principles to improve industry access, including (i) increasing the visibility of available services, (ii) improving transparency and quality, (iii) simplifying contractual procedures, (iv) ensuring safe intellectual property management, (v) providing tailored support for companies, (vi) and strengthening cooperation between research infrastructures while improving access to data. The European Commission notes that the initiative will be particularly valuable for SMEs, start-ups and scale-ups, which often face barriers when accessing world-class research and technology facilities. Research and technology infrastructures are now invited to endorse the Charter, while the Commission will support implementation through webinars, outreach activities and an open repository of good practices.

For more information, readers are invited to visit the European Commission website.