The European Research Infrastructures of the ESFRI Roadmap in Biological and Medical Sciences: status and perspectives

Abstract

Introduction. Since 2002, the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures  identified  the  needs  for  Research  Infrastructures  (RIs)  in  Europe  in  priority  fields  of  scientific research and drafted a strategic document, the ESFRI Roadmap, defining the  specific RIs essential to foster European research and economy. The Biological and Medical Sciences RIs (BMS RIs) were developed thanks to the active participation of many  institutions  in  different  European  member  states  associated  to  address  the  emerging  needs in biomedicine and, among these, the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS),  in virtue of its role in public health and research, has been specifically involved in the  national development and implementation of three RIs: the Biobanking and Biomolecu-lar Resources Research Infrastructure (BBMRI), the European Advanced Translational  Research Infrastructure in Medicine (EATRIS) and the European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network (ECRIN).
Aim.  This  article  outlines  the  design  and  development  of  these  RIs  up  to  the  recent  achievement of the ERIC status, their importance in the Horizon 2020 programme and  their societal and economic potential impact, with special attention to their development  and significance in Italy. Conclusions.  The  ISS  plays  a  unique  role  in  fostering  a  coordinated  participation  of  excellence Italian institutes/facilities to different European biomedical RIs, thus contributing to health innovation, healthcare optimization, and healthcare cost containment.