Skip to main content
Research and innovation

EIROforum

What the EIROforum is, workplan and background information

What is the EIROforum?

The EIROforum is a collaboration agreement to combine resources, facilities and expertise of its member organisations to support European science

It simplifies and facilitates interactions between the European Commission, other parts of the European Union, national governments, industry, science teachers, students and journalists.

The EIROforum collaboration is based on a charter signed by the directors of the partner organisations on 12 November 2002 in Brussels.

Work plan

The 2014 work plan identified a number of areas in which to launch (or to continue working on) cooperative initiatives in order to maximise the positive outcome of synergies established amongst the EC and EIROforum.

Such identified cooperation dimensions include research programming, human resources – training and mobility of researchers, research infrastructures, e-science and e-infrastructures, intellectual property and knowledge sharing, international cooperation inn research and, finally, science education and communication.

Updated versions of the work plan were signed by the Commission and EIROforum In May 2016and in May 2018

Background

In 2002, 7 European organisations signed a collaboration agreement to form EIROforum in order to reinforce synergies among them.

  • EUROfusion European Fusion Development Agreement
  • CERN Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucleaire
  • ESO European Southern Observatory
  • EMBL European Molecular Biology Laboratory
  • ESRF European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
  • ILL Institut Laue–Langevin
  • ESA European Space Agency

XFEL (X-Ray Free-Electron Laser Facility) joined later.

A primary goal of EIROforum is to play an active and constructive role in promoting the quality and impact of European research.

It mobilises its  expertise in basic research and in the management of large international infrastructures, facilities and plants, for the benefit of European research and development. 

In October 2003 the Commission signed a statement of intent with EIROforum to further develop the European Research Area.

The 2 sides explored synergies and conducted joint activities, and pledged to engage in consultation with each other, arrange exchanges and secondment of experts, and to build on this collaboration by concluding further bilateral agreements.

A renewed statement of intent with EIROforum was signed on 24 June 2010.