White paper for access to distributed Research infrastructures

The purpose of this White Paper is to present recommendations on the most appropriate models, mechanisms, and best practices to establish optimal conditions for implementing access programmes for distributed research infrastructures. It is the result of a long process of consultation and collaboration among the three Pilot projects funded under H2020 INFRAIA-03-2020 - Pilot for a new model of Integrating Activities, all launched in 2021. From the very beginning, the projects set up a series of joint meetings (12) to address common issues, including annual project meetings, cross-attendance at each project’s events, and targeted sessions to discuss recommendations from the projects’ outcomes. These exchanges fostered an environment for sharing and comparing of experiences, across the three Pilots that cover different scientific communities and research infrastructures (RIs), with varying levels of maturity in governance and legal recognition: ATMO-ACCESS (Solutions for Sustainable Access to Atmospheric Research Facilities) brings together three established and mature RIs (ACTRIS ERIC, ICOS ERIC, IAGOS-AISBL) in the atmospheric domain, recognised as landmarks on the ESFRI roadmap, and benefiting from an advanced level of organizational and legal integration. NEP (NFFA-Europe Pilot) is an advanced nanoscience research infrastructure that is being evaluated for inclusion in the 2026-ESFRI Roadmap. Operating since 2016, it offers coordinated access through a Single Entry Point to a variety of facilities, from large RIs to unique academic laboratories, supporting multiapproach user projects. ORP (Opticon RadioNet Pilot) represents the consolidation of two long-standing astronomical research infrastructure communities, OPTICON and RadioNet, uniting optical and radio astronomers within a single pilot framework. Dialogue among the three Pilot projects has been constant and constructive. Based on the experience gained, this White Paper reflects a collective, iterative process capturing both shared insights and the diversity of views that naturally arise among the RIs at different stages of development and across diverse scientific domains. It presents the key recommendations derived from these discussions.