EIROforum meeting and workshop 2023: Economics of Big Science

On 24-25 May 2023, the 2nd edition of the EIROforum meeting and workshop was hosted at the European Space Agency – ESA headquarters in Paris, on the topic of “Economics of Big Science”.

During this unique opportunity, research infrastructures and big science organizations gathered to exchange their experiences of assessing socio-economic impact, not only by sharing knowledge and good practices but also to discuss the lessons learned so far and to focus on future steps.

Ennio Capria (Deputy Head of Business Development at ESRF) and Junhanlu Zhang (Impact analyst at ESRF) co-presented the study of socio-economic assessment, in the context of the EU project Streamline (WP2.3), specifically highlighting the drivers, challenges, and impact of industry engagement at ESRF – The European Synchrotron.

This ESRF one-year research project, aims to assess the impact of the ESRF regarding its broader societal values (including social, economic and environmental) and a potential framework for future impact assessments. Through representative case studies, the project is also curious to discover the various pathways in which impacts are generated and cultivated.

Therefore, sharing with the EIROforum participants the outcomes achieved so far, receiving valuable feedback from them, and broadening the network within the research community operating in this field, represented an invaluable opportunity that might open doors to further endeavors, collaborations, projects and more!

The EIROforum is the European Intergovernmental Research Organisation forum, bringing together eight of Europe’s largest research infrastructures, with the mission to combine the resources, facilities, and expertise of its members, to support European science in reaching its full potential.