# CARGO-ACT Deliverable D5.1+5.2 Report on common concepts, policies, and governance for access to global RIs

Rosa Maria Petracca Altieri, Sabine Philippin, Elisabeth Andrews, Nga Lee
Sally Ng, Ellsworth J. Welton, Nicki Hickmon

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Rosa Maria Petracca Altieri, Sabine Philippin, Elisabeth Andrews, Nga Lee Sally Ng, Ellsworth J. Welton, et al.. CARGO-ACT Deliverable D5.1+5.2 Report on common concepts, policies, and governance for access to global RIs. CNR. 2025. hal-05356055

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Deliverable D5.1+D5.2: Report on common concepts, policies, and governance for access to global RIs

Authors: Rosa M. Petracca Altieri, Sabine Philippin, Betsy Andrews, Nga Lee (Sally) Ng, Ellsworth J. Welton, Nicki Hickmon

<table><tr><td>Work package no</td><td>WP5</td></tr><tr><td>Deliverable no.</td><td>D5.1+5.2</td></tr><tr><td>Lead beneficiary</td><td>CNR</td></tr><tr><td>Deliverable type</td><td><input type="checkbox"/> R (Document, report)<br/><input type="checkbox"/> DEC (Websites, patent filings, videos, etc.)<br/><input type="checkbox"/> OTHER: please specify</td></tr><tr><td>Dissemination level</td><td><input type="checkbox"/> PU (public)<br/><input type="checkbox"/> CO (confidential, only for members of the Consortium, incl. Commission)</td></tr><tr><td>Estimated delivery date</td><td>M16</td></tr><tr><td>Actual delivery date</td><td>19/08/2025</td></tr><tr><td>Version</td><td>Final</td></tr><tr><td>Reviewed by</td><td>Armistead Russell</td></tr><tr><td>Accepted by</td><td>Ewan O'Connor, Eija Juurola</td></tr><tr><td>Comments</td><td>This deliverable is a merge of the two initially separate deliverables D5.1 and D5.2. The merge was done due to both access processes and legal and financial framework being tightly interlinked and was approved by the Project Officer.</td></tr></table>
Contents

<table><tr><td>1</td><td>Introduction</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Definitions</td><td>4</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Background</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>3.1</td><td>Landscape of EU and US research cooperation</td><td>6</td></tr><tr><td>3.2</td><td>Overview of the main commonalities/differences in the current access concepts, policies, and practices</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>3.2.1</td><td>Key commonalities in principles and practices</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>3.2.2</td><td>Key differences in access models and governance</td><td>11</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Existing collaborations between the EU and the US in the atmospheric science domain</td><td>13</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Identification of available current or forthcoming funding opportunities</td><td>20</td></tr><tr><td>5.1</td><td>HORIZON EUROPE</td><td>21</td></tr><tr><td>5.1.1</td><td>INFRA-SERV-03 Call</td><td>22</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Assessment of the EU and US RIs' access availability</td><td>23</td></tr><tr><td>7</td><td>Action plan for implementing international access to research infrastructures</td><td>29</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>References</td><td>30</td></tr></table>
# 1 Introduction

This deliverable is prepared in the context of the CARGO-ACT project Work Package 5 activities to foster EU-US collaboration for international access to global Research Infrastructures (RI).

It is the result of merging deliverables D5.1 "Report on common concept for access to global RIs" and D5.2 "Report on common policies and governance for access to global RIs", agreed in the CARGO-ACT Executive Board due to significant content overlap and the belief that the topics would be more effectively addressed in a single, integrated document. The merger has been officially endorsed by the EU.

The document was initially meant to propose a common access concept and harmonised policy framework, based on the identification of areas where practices could be aligned and policies harmonised with the purpose of developing an outline for coordinated global access. However, following up on the main outcomes of the joint debate in the dedicated Stakeholder workshop on April 2, 2025, and in developing the deliverable, it became clear that fully achieving these objectives was not feasible under current circumstances. Several U.S. research organisations are facing significant constraints, including budgetary pressures, cannot represent institutional or governmental positions, and are reluctant to formulate proposals and recommendations that could be seen as binding in any way.

In light of these challenges, it was agreed to evolve the document into a more pragmatic and action-oriented plan for coordinating international access to RIs, focusing on coordination and mutual understanding rather than formal harmonisation. The Action plan will help take advantage of opportunities that may arise to foster and support collaboration in reciprocal access provision, as well as prepare potential agreements that can be concluded for that. This approach is believed to be still valuable and actionable.

The deliverable is structured as follows: after this introductory Section 1, Section 2 provides the main definitions and concepts referred to in the document. Section 3 offers background information, including the historical context of the EU-US collaboration in science and an overview of the main common traits and differences in access concepts, policies and procedures adopted by RIs in the EU and US. Section 4 compiles examples of existing international scientific collaborations and partnerships that could greatly benefit from a future global access scheme and increased coordination in reciprocal access provision. Section 5 presents the current actionable opportunities to strengthen overseas collaboration in access provision. Section 6 assesses the availability of RIs in the EU and the US to provide access under bilateral cooperation schemes. Finally, Section 7 offers the plan of action to take maximum advantage of actionable, existing opportunities for funding access. References are included in Section 8.
## 2 Definitions

<table><thead><tr><td>Term/Acronym</td><td>Definition</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Access</td><td>The following definition from the EU Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures applies "the legitimate and authorised physical, remote or virtual admission to, interactions with and use of Research Infrastructures and to services offered by Research Infrastructures to Users. Such Access can be granted, amongst others, to machine time, computing resources, software, data, data-communication services, trust and authentication services, sample preparation, archives, collections, the set-up, execution and dismantling of experiments, education and training, expert support and analytical services.</td></tr><tr><td>Physical access</td><td>"In-person" access, when users physically visit an infrastructure, facility or equipment</td></tr><tr><td>Remote Access</td><td>Access to resources and services offered by the Research Infrastructure without users physically visiting the infrastructure's facilities. This can entail shipping of samples and exchange of data. It can include Access to selective digital services, such as access to high-performance computing.</td></tr><tr><td>Hybrid Access</td><td>Any combination of physical, remote and wide virtual access.</td></tr><tr><td>Virtual Access</td><td>Access to users provided through communication networks, such as access to data and digital tools; the available services or resources can be simultaneously used by a wide number of Users and the Users are not selected. Restrictions may however apply, e.g. due to legal constraints.</td></tr><tr><td>Access management platform</td><td>An online tool for the centralised management of the physical, remote and hybrid access to the research infrastructures.</td></tr><tr><td>Access project</td><td>Proposal submitted by candidate users to request physical/remote/hybrid access to a facility and its specialised equipment, data, or expertise, to carry out specific research activities that benefit from the infrastructure's unique capabilities. Access may include on-site experiments, remote data analysis, or collaborative use of services, depending on the nature of the research and the facility's</td></tr><tr><td>Research Infrastructure - RI</td><td>The following definition for RI from Article 2 (1) of the Regulation (EU) No 2021/695 of 28 April 2021 establishing Horizon Europe - the Framework Programme for Research and Innovation (2021-2027) applies: "research infrastructures' means facilities that provide resources and services for the research communities to conduct research and foster innovation in their fields, including the associated human resources, major equipment or sets of instruments; knowledge-related facilities such as collections, archives or scientific data infrastructures; computing systems, communication networks and any other infrastructure of a unique nature and open to external users, essential to achieve excellence in R&I; they may, where</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><caption>Table 1 - Definition of main terms used in the document</caption><tr><td></td><td>relevant, be used beyond research, for example for education or public services and they may be 'single sited', 'virtual' or 'distributed'"<br/>This definition is believed to be broad enough to encompass the diverse RI ecosystem in the United States, where the term is not uniformly defined or applied across federal agencies or universities.</td></tr><tr><td>Distributed RI</td><td>A distributed RI consists of one or a few central hubs and several interlinked (national or institutional) nodes, where many components of the research infrastructure may not be part of the same legal entity. Typically, there is a Central Hub and some interlinked National Nodes.</td></tr><tr><td>Single-sited</td><td>Single-sited RIs are facilities geographically localised in a single site or in a few dedicated complementary sites designed for user access.</td></tr><tr><td>Global Research Infrastructures - GRIs</td><td>Global Research Infrastructures are large-scale research facilities, resources, and services that offer robust and coordinated scientific services to promote an effective international response to societal and scientific grand challenges. GRIs go beyond national or regional scope, may be single-sited or distributed RIs and are supported by international collaboration.</td></tr><tr><td>User</td><td>The following definition from the EU Charter for Access to Research Infrastructures applies: "'Users' of Research Infrastructures can be individuals, teams and institutions from academia, business, industry and public services. They are engaged in the conception or creation of new knowledge, products, processes, methods and systems and also in the management of projects, through research, development and innovation activities. Teams of Users may include researchers, engineers, doctoral candidates, and technical staff, as well as students participating in the research, in the framework of their studies or any other User from a private or public institution"</td></tr><tr><td>User group Leader (or Lead Applicant, or PI)</td><td>The coordinator for an access project and the main point of contact. They are responsible for submitting the access proposal on behalf of the user group and coordinating communication with the RI's access management team and the facility providers.</td></tr><tr><td>User group member</td><td>Researchers, technicians, or collaborators who participate in the access project under the leadership of the user group leader. They contribute to the scientific activities proposed in the access project and may come from the same institution as the leader or from different organisations, depending on the nature and scope of the project.</td></tr></table>
# 3 Background

## 3.1 Landscape of EU and US research cooperation

The European Union and the United States have been collaborating in science and technology for a very long time. Together, they are said to account for nearly 50% of global research and innovation funding<fnref n="1" /> and can mobilise the best resources for excellent research addressing global challenges. The transatlantic scientific cooperation was formally recognised and given a legal and administrative framework in 1998, when the European Community and the Government of the United States signed the EU-U.S. Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation. However, collaboration in atmospheric sciences dates back much earlier. The Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) programme, formally established in 1989 by the World Meteorological Organisation, consolidated earlier initiatives such as the Background Air Pollution Monitoring Network and the Global Ozone Observing System, which date back to the 1960s and 1970s. In 1990, the International Global Atmospheric Chemistry (IGAC) project was launched under the umbrella of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme to address growing concerns about rapid atmospheric changes, particularly concerning tropospheric ozone and other pollutants. And, around the same time, major international field campaigns were launched, including ACE-1 (1995) and ACE-2 (1997), which aimed to characterise the properties and climate impacts of marine aerosols in the Southern Hemisphere and the North Atlantic, respectively. Additionally, the AERONET (Aerosol Robotic Network) programme, initiated by the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the EU PHOTométrie pour le Traitement Opérationnel de Normalisation Satellitaire (PHOTONS), has provided standardised, long-term global observations of aerosol optical properties through a network of ground-based sun photometers for over 25 years.

The 1998 EU-U.S. Agreement for Scientific and Technological Cooperation establishes the main rules and guidelines for cooperative research and development activities, which are based on the principles of mutual benefit, reciprocity and protection of intellectual property rights.

It is particularly relevant to note that, along with coordinated/joint research projects, training and others<fnref n="2" />, the activities mentioned in the Agreement significantly include:

* Exchange or sharing of equipment and materials;

* Visits and exchanges of scientists, engineers or other appropriate personnel.

<footnote n="1">¹ See European Commission, Research and Innovation, International Cooperation, United States, Policy Background, https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-research-and-innovation/europe-world/international-cooperation/bilateral-cooperation-science-and-technology-agreements-non-eu-countries/united-states_en</footnote>

<footnote n="2">² Joint task forces; joint studies; joint organisation of scientific seminars, conferences, symposia and workshops; training of scientists and technical experts; exchanges of scientific and technological information and of information on practices, laws, regulations and programmes relevant to cooperation.</footnote>
These activities represent forms of access and were already included and provided for in the Agreement as early as 1998. Since then, the Agreement has been renewed every five years, with the last renewal signed in September 2023.

In January 2025, the EU and the US signed a Joint Statement on research and innovation cooperation, in which, based on the shared values of research excellence, openness, accessibility, academic freedom, and evidence-based policymaking, the parties commit to advance scientific research in the areas of mutual interest where cooperation is to be pursued in the coming years. Among these areas are climate, with climate modelling recognised, in particular, as an essential tool for research on energy transition pathways, ocean, health, green transition, circular economy and bioeconomy fields.

The analysis that follows focuses specifically on transatlantic collaborations with the United States supported under the EU Framework Programmes, as mapped in the [EU HORIZON Dashboard](https://ec.europa.eu/horizon7/en/research-and-innovation/programmes-and-initiatives/horizon7-axis-1-the-union-for-a-united-eu). The broader spectrum of scientific cooperation occurring outside of such programmes remains difficult to trace and quantify systematically, and for this reason is out of the scope here.

The United States has been the most active non-EU participant in all EU research and innovation programs to date<fnref n="3" />. More than 3,500 projects involving US organisations participating in research activities in Europe were supported by the EU's framework programmes, especially from Framework Programme 5 (FP5, 1998-2002) to the current Horizon Europe (2021-2027), and can be found in CORDIS, the EU public repository for results from EU-funded research and development<fnref n="4" />.

Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe-funded projects extensively favoured transatlantic collaboration, as shown in Figure 1. Data from the EU Horizon dashboard reveals that US organisations participated in 4.4% of all projects approved under both programmes, which accounted for nearly 6% of the total EU contribution invested.

<footnote n="3">³ European Commission, "International Cooperation, United States".</footnote>

<footnote n="4">⁴ [CORDIS (Community Research and Development Information Service)](https://cordis.europa.eu/)</footnote>
<figure><img src="image_2.png" /><figcaption>Figure 1 - EU-US Collaborations in Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe. This figure, extracted directly from the EU Horizon Dashboard on 20 June 2025, presents data on collaborative projects, total EU contributions, and the number of participants. The arcs on the map illustrate collaboration links between the European Union and the United States, with the colour and thickness of the lines indicating the intensity of the collaborative activity. Source: EU Horizon Dashboard.</figcaption></figure>

Considering Horizon Europe (HE) only, US partners account for 3065 participations in 879 projects to date, which were granted 5,27% of the resources invested in the programme so far. The main collaboration links in the HE projects involving US organisations are with Germany, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands (Fig. 2).

<figure><img src="image_3.png" /><figcaption>Figure 2 - Most extensive collaborations in Horizon Europe projects involving US partners</figcaption></figure>
Considering specifically access to research facilities, the existing and well-established transatlantic collaboration in atmospheric research is confirmed by data from past EU-funded projects that supported access, like ACTRIS-2, EUROCHAMP-2020 and ATMO-ACCESS. Upwards of more than 60 users in the US have participated in major EU projects (Fig. 3), demonstrating just a part of the extensive transatlantic collaboration in atmospheric research. This data is based on official and formal records from EU-funded projects and does not include informal access or unregistered activities, which may be substantial.

<figure><img src="image_4.png" /><figcaption>Figure 3 - Participation of US Users in EU-funded access projects (2016-2025)</figcaption></figure>

In the ACTRIS-2 project (2016–2019), US users led 14 projects and accessed primarily observational platforms across Italy, France, and the Netherlands. In the almost parallel project EUROCHAMP-2020 (2017-2020), which was focused on access to atmospheric simulation chambers and related calibration facilities, 53 US users participated in 13 access projects. US scientists led the user groups in 12 of these 13 projects.

In the ongoing ATMO-ACCESS project (2021–2025), US leadership includes 14 projects out of 298, which involved 55 users and reflect sustained interest in both observational and simulation facilities.

Building on this valuable history and based on the commonalities identified in section 3.2 below, this document aims to provide the basis for continuing and even strengthening future transatlantic collaboration and joint efforts to harmonise access procedures and policies, and to design a shared access scheme, in a long-term perspective that remains relevant even during periods when closer collaboration may face temporary challenges.
## 3.2 Overview of the main commonalities/differences in the current access concepts, policies, and practices

The analyses reported in MS19 "Report on existing access practices at participating EU and US Research Infrastructures" and MS20 "Report on existing legal and financial framework for access at participating EU and US RIs" show that, despite differences in structure and funding, several commonalities emerge across European and US Research Infrastructures regarding access concepts, policies, and practices.

RIs considered in both documents include **ACTRIS** (Aerosols, Clouds and Trace Gases Research Infrastructure) in Europe; the US-based networks **ARM** (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement user facility), **NFAN** (NOAA-National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Federated Aerosol Network), **ASCENT** (Atmospheric Science and Chemistry Measurement Network), and **MPLNET** (NASA Micro-Pulse Lidar Network); finally, the globally coordinated **GAW** (Global Atmosphere Watch programme of the World Meteorological Organization).

### 3.2.1 Key commonalities in principles and practices

Despite the variety of governance and operational models, the analysis reveals several commonalities across the European and the US RIs considered here, especially regarding the principles inspiring the operations, but also some practices that, although they may seem divergent at first look, are aimed at the same objectives and, thus, could be coordinated.

Regarding the principles, all the studied research infrastructures here value openness and commit to fostering collaboration and sharing, to the extent practical, of resources, methods or tools throughout the entire research cycle, not just to its findings and results. RIs conform to:

* **Open Access**

* **to Data** → free access to data, often through centralised or federated data portals with varying levels of processing (e.g., raw, near-real-time, value-added). FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) inspire data provision and data services, ensuring transparency and usability for the global research community.

* **to Services** → which in both EU and US infrastructures consist of access to observational platforms, training, field and instrument campaigns and data services and is based on the availability of resources, including financial resources.

* Access to services can be of various types, including physical, remote and hybrid. Remote access to observational sites typically refers to the possibility for users to access services without being onsite: for example, by obtaining specific measurements, calibrations of instruments shipped to the site, or remotely accessing and controlling instrumentation they have installed at the facility, etc.
* Access to services is based on an application and review process and appears to be mostly excellence/proposal-based and can be provided on a cost-recovery basis. In Europe, that may be possible, especially in the absence of specific funding available (e.g., via projects). Where selection of users is in place and needed, it is generally made on the basis of the quality of the proposal and the mutual interest of the user and the host institution in the proposed research.

* Openness and support for International Collaboration: international users are welcome to team up with local researchers in all considered RIs, and global scientific cooperation is actively sought and promoted, though most often informally.

* User Support and Engagement: users receive structured support during the access process, including helpdesks, training sessions, guidelines and documentation to help prepare their access proposals.

### 3.2.2 Key differences in access models and governance

While basic principles are shared, the implementation of access varies significantly between the EU and US contexts:

<table><thead><tr><td>Aspect</td><td>Europe (ACTRIS)</td><td>United States (ARM, NFAN, ASCENT, etc.)</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Access Management</td><td>For Physical/remote/hybrid, it is coordinated, harmonised and centralised at the RI level via the online access management platform, and managed by a dedicated unit of the Head Office</td><td>No coordinated or unified US-wide access framework or harmonised access mechanisms. Physical/remote/hybrid access provision is decentralised; each network or agency, or facility manages its own access process</td></tr><tr><td>Selection and Review</td><td>Structured, multi-step peer review with defined criteria and scoring. However, the main underlying principle is the quality and soundness of the proposed activities</td><td>Varies: ARM uses tiered review; for NFAN, peer-review and selection are used for access to NOAA-operated sites, with access to NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory (GML) mostly relying on cooperative agreements; ASCENT is still developing and formalising its process; NASA utilizes both proposal review for some programs and support of cooperative agreements with Academic institutions. Cooperative agreements can also be the result of a peer-reviewed process.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tr><td>Funding for Access</td><td>EU-funded projects (e.g., Horizon Europe) cover the facility's costs and limited user travel and accommodation.<br/>User fees are possible where project funding is not available.</td><td>Funding is typically governmental, agency-based, with users often responsible for their own costs unless specific support mechanisms are available.<br/>Funding for access to ASCENT sites is provided through the operational budgets of the facilities. Extraordinary activities, such as intensive field campaigns, may be supported if additional funding is available. No funding is available to cover user travel costs.<br/>ARM covers ARM operational costs if the data is made public. No funding is available for the operation or participation of the users.<br/>NOAA applies cost-recovery fees. No funding is available to cover the mobility of the users.<br/>MPLNET/NASA sites are global; thus, access to "network" infrastructures is different for NASA facilities in the US compared to global network sites. EU members who operate MPLNET sites receive full operational support for data management, processing, QA/QC, etc.</td></tr><tr><td>Legal Framework</td><td>Governed by ERIC statutes and the cooperation agreements with the RPOs, respecting the EU regulations (e.g., GDPR, Data Act), and national laws.<br/>A common access policy defines the common principles guiding access provision.</td><td>Governed by US federal agency policies and national laws. US RIs operate under the legal mandates of their respective federal agencies. Each agency (e.g., DOE for ARM, NOAA for NFAN, NASA for MPLNET) defines its own access policies with varying levels of formality.<br/>Access to RIs funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) is primarily governed by the policies and procedures of the NSF and the specific facilities themselves. The Research Infrastructure Guide (RIG) provides detailed guidance on the planning and management of RIs' operations, including access for researchers. In addition to that, specific access policies (requirements for</td></tr></table>
<table><caption>Table 2 - Key differences between analysed EU and US RIs</caption><tr><td></td><td></td><td>eligibility and review processes) are established by the NSF-funded specific programs to facilitate access to its research infrastructure (like the ACCESS program).</td></tr><tr><td>Financial Governance</td><td>In addition to the relevant EU regulations, those of the country hosting the ERIC statutory seat and the countries hosting the facilities, common financial rules<br/>Financial governance includes centralised monitoring, risk management tools, and contingency planning.</td><td>Financial management and regulations for U.S. research facilities are highly diverse due to the varied landscape of entities involved, including government agencies, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and universities. Each operates under distinct funding models, oversight structures, and governance frameworks at both federal and institutional levels. At the federal level, financial governance is defined by bodies such as the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of the Treasury, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), while agency-specific and institution-specific rules further contribute to the complexity.</td></tr></table>

## 4 Existing collaborations between the EU and the US in the atmospheric science domain

The table below provides a few examples of current collaborations, projects, and joint initiatives, however financed or initiated, which support mutual access to observational platforms and data and involve CARGO-ACT transatlantic partners, as known to project participants. This incomplete and partial mapping exercise presents only a small subset of existing collaborations supporting access, particularly in the field of atmospheric research. Far from aiming to represent a broad picture, it is intended only to help identify mutual interests, opportunities for further growth and potential contacts to be leveraged.

Mapped collaboration activities include data sharing (virtual access), instrument loan (remote access), model evaluation, and joint studies involving diverse research-performing organisations in Spain, Finland, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Sweden. In some cases, activities and projects were initially supported by US (DOE) and EU funding but have continued without formal funding, relying on in-kind contributions.
<table><thead><tr><th colspan="3">UNITED STATES</th><th colspan="5">EUROPEAN UNION</th></tr><tr><th>Institution</th><th>State</th><th>RI</th><th>Institution</th><th>Country</th><th>RI / Network (if applicable)</th><th>Short description of activity</th><th>Collaboration type (project-based, institutional, bilateral, multilateral, ...)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>University of Colorado</td><td>Colorado</td><td>NFAN</td><td>myriad (University of Granada, INTA / Atmospheric Research and Instrumentation Branch, FMI - Finnish Meteorological Institute, Umweltbundesamt - UBA, Institute of Nuclear and Radiological Science & Technology, Energy & Safety, Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy)</td><td>myriad (Spain, Finland, Germany, Greece, Bulgaria)</td><td>ACTRIS (UGR, SNS, ARN, SMR, VAR, ZSF, HAC, BEO)</td><td>Observatory data acquisition and measurement support via shared software/shared data, also long-term loan of continuous light absorption photometer (CLAP) to many of these sites.</td><td>Unfunded, project-based (provision of software and advice and instrument loan (where applicable) for free, previously also included ZEP, KPS, MSA, MSY)</td></tr><tr><td>University of Colorado</td><td>Colorado</td><td>n/a</td><td>FMI and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam</td><td>Finland and the Netherlands</td><td>n/a</td><td>Model evaluation and improvement with various observational datasets</td><td>Unfunded, project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Colorado</td><td>Colorado</td><td>DOE, NFAN</td><td>Stockholm University</td><td>Sweden</td><td>n/a</td><td>Model evaluation and improvement with in-situ data</td><td>Formerly funded by DOE, unfunded collab continuing, project-based</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tr><td>University of Colorado</td><td>Colorado</td><td>DOE</td><td>University of Granada</td><td>Spain</td><td>n/a</td><td>NPF and CCN data study</td><td>Funded by DOE (until August 2025), project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Colorado</td><td>Colorado</td><td>NFAN, DOE</td><td>FMI and University of Helsinki</td><td>Finland</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Effective radius study using MPCC, neph and number concentration data</td><td>Unfunded, project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Colorado</td><td>Colorado</td><td>NFAN</td><td>FMI and University of Helsinki</td><td>Finland</td><td>n/a</td><td>Measurement of aerosol size distribution at South Pole</td><td>Project-based (not sure funding source on EU side, NOAA based funds on NOAA side)</td></tr><tr><td>Georgia Institute of Technology</td><td>Georgia</td><td>ASCENT</td><td>Many in ACTRIS</td><td>Many</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Discuss and share knowledge on project management, SOPs, and data infrastructure</td><td>Unfunded</td></tr><tr><td>University of Illinois, University of Minnesota, St. Paul</td><td>Illinois, Minnesota</td><td>n/a</td><td>EMPA</td><td>Switzerland</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Calibration and validation of a CRDS analyzer for isotopic fingerprinting of nitrous oxide emissions</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Alaska Fairbanks</td><td>Alaska</td><td>n/a</td><td>FMI</td><td>Finland</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Source apportionment of Arctic carbonaceous aerosol using the Angstrom exponent</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>NOAA Global Monitoring Laboratory</td><td>Colorado</td><td>n/a</td><td>FMI</td><td>Finland</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Observations of stratospheric trace gases influencing climate using high-altitude platforms</td><td>Project-based</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td>Purdue University</td><td>Indiana</td><td>n/a</td><td>Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)</td><td>Germany</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Inter-comparison of single particle mass spectrometers to enhance the capabilities and measurements.</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>NC State University</td><td>New York</td><td>n/a</td><td>Aarhus University</td><td>Denmark</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Study of the density of secondary organic aerosol at different temperatures</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of San Diego</td><td>California</td><td>n/a</td><td>CNRS and Paris-Est Créteil University</td><td>France</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Laboratory simulations of cloud processing of smoke</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>Columbia University</td><td>New York</td><td>n/a</td><td>University of Utrecht</td><td>The Netherlands</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Study the attribution of methane sources in urban areas using isotopic composition</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>NOAA</td><td></td><td>n/a</td><td>Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ)</td><td>Germany</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Study of SOA formation and yields from gas-phase urban mixtures</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Michigan</td><td>Michigan</td><td>n/a</td><td>Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI)</td><td>Switzerland</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Study of the viscosity of various impacted single particles</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Hawaii</td><td>Hawaii</td><td>n/a</td><td>CNRS and University of La Réunion</td><td>France</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Studies on current (including atmosphere measurements) and long-term ecosystem dynamics and atmospheric carbon exchanges over long time periods of</td><td>Project-based</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>environmental change (carbon cycle, water cycle)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>University of Illinois<br/>NSF NCAR</td><td>Illinois,<br/>Colorado</td><td>n/a</td><td>Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT)</td><td>Germany</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Improving scientific knowledge of clouds, ice crystals and aerosols</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>Indiana University<br/>Bloomington</td><td>Indiana</td><td>n/a</td><td>Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS)</td><td>Germany</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Study of nitrogen oxide emissions from iron-catalyzed reactions of organic nitrate esters in aerosols</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>Clean Air Task Force</td><td>Massachusetts</td><td>n/a</td><td>National Observatory of Athens</td><td>Greece</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Portable equipment calibration for improved sensing efficiency</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>Central Connecticut State University</td><td>Connecticut</td><td>n/a</td><td>University of Warsaw</td><td>Poland</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Camera lidar evaluation for air quality</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC)</td><td>Maryland</td><td>n/a</td><td>University of Granada</td><td>Spain</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Several collaborations and projects since 2011. Currently, involved in the GRASP-SYNERGY project (MSCA Staff Exchange 2022)</td><td>Project-based</td></tr><tr><td>NASA</td><td></td><td>MPLNET</td><td>Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya</td><td>Spain</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>24/7 Micro-pulse lidar measurements co-located with Barcelona ARS station since 2016</td><td>Bilateral</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td>NASA</td><td></td><td>SolRad-Net</td><td>Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya</td><td>Spain</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>24/7 downward SW and PAR flux measurements</td><td>Bilateral</td></tr><tr><td>University of Nevada</td><td>Nevada</td><td>GOS4M (mercury)</td><td>CNRS and University of La Réunion</td><td>France</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Atmospheric Hg and pollutants studies (gas phase and aerosols)</td><td>Bilateral, multilateral and project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Colorado Boulder</td><td>Colorado</td><td></td><td>CNRS and University of La Réunion</td><td>France</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>MAX-DOAS measurements, Halogen species, in situ measurements</td><td>project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Albany</td><td>New York</td><td>NYS Mesonet</td><td>various</td><td>Multiple</td><td>GRUAN</td><td>Measurements of CO2, O3, PM2.5, and other trace gases.</td><td>project-based</td></tr><tr><td>NASA/JPL</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>Multiple</td><td>GRUAN</td><td>Remote Sensing Upper Atmospheric Water Vapour</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>University of Alaska Fairbanks</td><td>Alaska</td><td>ASCENT</td><td>University of Eastern Finland, University of Helsinki, PSI</td><td>Finland, Germany</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Joint measurement campaign summer 2025 ("DENALI"): particle formation, VOCs, organic aerosol</td><td>project-based</td></tr><tr><td>University of Michigan</td><td>Michigan</td><td>n/a</td><td>TROPOS</td><td>Germany</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Cloud convection/dynamics studies in the Pi cloud chamber</td><td>project-based, bilateral</td></tr><tr><td>NOAA Boulder</td><td>Colorado</td><td>n/a</td><td>University College Cork</td><td>Ireland</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Cavity-enhanced NO3 detection</td><td>bilateral & project-based</td></tr><tr><td>NASA</td><td></td><td>AERONET /CARS</td><td>myriad</td><td>myriad</td><td>ACTRIS</td><td>Provision of global, standardized services for the measurement, calibration, processing, and</td><td>institutional</td></tr></table>
<table><caption>Table 3 – Examples of EU-US collaborations in the atmospheric science domain</caption><tr><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td>dissemination of high-quality aerosol optical data</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>SRI International</td><td>California</td><td>EISCAT AB</td><td>Sweden</td><td>EISCAT_3D</td><td>Co-ordinated observations, exchange of students</td><td>institutional</td></tr></table>
## 5 Identification of available current or forthcoming funding opportunities

Opportunities for funding international access to research infrastructures can arise from various sources, like:

- EU, US or international programmes financing research

- Bilateral and multilateral cooperation schemes

- Access programmes funded by the RIs' legal entities

- Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) operating the facilities, platforms, observatories and laboratories, which are nodes of the established RIs or research networks.

In Europe, the EU Framework Programmes supporting research and innovation are the primary source of funding for access to RIs, including significant support for international access and access for users from third countries, as also seen in section 2. The main terms and requirements for participation of third countries in Horizon Europe (HE), the current framework programme, are presented in section 5, with more details provided for a specific call for proposals currently open, offering concrete and actual opportunities.

Besides HE, other European funds and programmes can support international access. This is the case of funds like the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) or the recent NextGenerationEU financial instrument, which are jointly managed by the European Commission and the member countries at different levels. The Commission distributes the funds to countries and establishes broad, strategic objectives to be achieved at the national level using the funds allocated to specific actions by the national managing authorities.

The ERDF finances broad national programmes aimed at fostering economic, social and territorial development to reduce regional disparities in the European Union and enhance cohesion. National programmes often include investments in research and innovation and support to RIs at a national or sub-national level, with access that can be provided for, though this is not the primary focus.

The same applies also to the NextGenerationEU, temporarily established to support Member States' recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and society. Member Countries adopted National Recovery and Resilience Plans (NRRPs), which in many cases involve support for research infrastructures, mostly for large investments in equipment but also for operations, including access. A noteworthy example is offered by Italy's NRRP, which largely funded the development and strengthening of research and innovation infrastructures. This involved support for national RIs or national nodes of European RIs' efforts to coordinate and harmonise practices, including access, at the national level, and also significant funding for international access to those<fnref n="5" />.

<footnote n="5">⁵ Notably with the PNRR- Mission 4 “Education and Research” - Component 2: “From research to business” - Investment 3.1: “Fund for the realisation of an integrated system of research and innovation infrastructures”.</footnote>
WP5/Deliverable 5.1+D5.2

Access of researchers, scientists and other users from third countries can also be supported by
bilateral and multilateral agreements signed by countries<fnref n="6" /> or RPOs, as well as by the RIs directly, which
can decide to dedicate part of their access programmes funded by member countries' membership
fees to that, especially when those countries recognise its value.

In the United States, international scientific collaborations and access to facilities are supported through official governmental programmes and funding lines that operate independently of the European framework. For example, the National Science Foundation (NSF) provides funding for international projects through various programs, and it also allows foreign researchers access to its funded facilities under certain conditions. These impactful mechanisms are often decentralised, vary by discipline and agency, and are not always systematically reported in a way that allows for comprehensive tracking. For this reason, they remain out of the scope of this analysis.

Finally, it is worth noting that some portion of international access is supported by the hosting
organisation, on one side, and by the researchers' institutions on the other, outside of formal access
programmes. That happens especially when the host and user RPOs share a long-standing history of
collaboration. In these cases, the visit, while not part of a formal programme, actually constitutes
access, with the host institution providing lab space, technical support and use of the equipment, and
the visiting researcher covering their own travel and accommodation costs.

## 5.1 HORIZON EUROPE

As the EU's main research and innovation funding programme, Horizon Europe is open to a wide range
of participants, both from within the EU and beyond. All legal entities within any of the 27 EU countries
are eligible, and some non-EU countries are associated (e.g., Norway, Switzerland, Israel) or are
considered candidate countries (Turkey, Albania, Serbia, etc.) and are eligible to participate and are
generally eligible for funding. Organisations from third countries are not automatically eligible under
Horizon Europe; however, they can participate in actions and projects supported by the programme.
However, while eligible for participation in almost all the calls, they are often not eligible to receive
EU funding. The main modalities for such participation are:

- as Associated Partners<fnref n="7" />, bringing their own funds to the project

- as full Beneficiaries<fnref n="8" />, receiving EU funding in exceptional cases when their participation is considered particularly important and relevant for the action, and the call text explicitly mentions this possibility.

Besides access to EU funding, other relevant differences distinguish the status of an associated partner
from that of a beneficiary. Associated partners are not parties to the Grant Agreement with the

<footnote n="6">⁶ For instance, the International Ocean Discovery Programme - IODP, a collaborative programme to explore the oceans funded by contributions from 24 participating countries, including the US, Japan, ECORD RI for Europe, China, South Korea, India, Australia, and New Zealand.</footnote>

<footnote n="7">⁷ The Associated Partner status is explicitly defined and ruled in Article 9 of the Grant Agreement (Other participants involved in the action), specifically under 9.1 "Associated partners".</footnote>

<footnote n="8">⁸ The Beneficiary status is ruled in Article 7 of the Grant Agreement.</footnote>
WP5/Deliverable 5.1+D5.2

Commission; they do not sign it, nor do they have to comply with EU regulations. Still, they can perform important tasks in the project and are actively involved in the consortium, which is responsible for the implementation of the activities towards the Commission, including those performed by associated partners. US civil servants cannot receive EU funding and are restricted to the Associated Partners category, which may also include some employees of federally funded centers.

Full beneficiaries sign the Grant Agreement and receive EU funding to cover, fully or in part, their costs for participation in the project and carrying out tasks assigned to them. Beneficiaries bear full and joint responsibility towards the granting authority for implementing the agreement and for complying with all its obligations.

### 5.1.1 INFRA-SERV-03 Call

Horizon Europe includes a dedicated programme for Research Infrastructures to support the development, consolidation, and operation of European RIs. The INFRA funding aims at strengthening and consolidating the ecosystem of research services for researchers in Europe and beyond, which are to be made accessible to the widest extent possible, both for curiosity-driven research motivated by scientists' interest and wish to understand phenomena, and challenge-driven research aimed at finding solutions to specific, complex societal challenges or problems.

The INFRA programme includes 5 funding destinations:

* **INFRADEV** – Consolidation and evolution of the European research infrastructure landscape.

* **INFRAEOSC** – Development of an operational, open, and FAIR EOSC ecosystem.

* **INFRASERV** – Provision of research infrastructure services.

* **INFRATECH** – Next generation of scientific instrumentation, tools, methods, and advanced digital solutions of research infrastructures

* **INFRANET** – Network connectivity to enable interconnection among researchers, data, and computing resources across borders

The EU HE work programmes for RIs are structured and published every two years, and the calls for INFRA proposals are open during the specific periods. Particularly relevant for access is the INFRA-SERV destination, which supports transnational access to state-of-the-art facilities for researchers, relevant for large research domains or in support of societal challenges and EU priorities. Furthermore, the destination is designed to reinforce the international dimension of research infrastructures, in particular concerning shared global challenges.

Among the INFRA-SERV calls included in the work programme 2025-2026, the INFRA-SERV-03-2025 "Research infrastructure services advancing frontier knowledge" is especially significant and favourable for international access in the atmospheric research domain. The call funds the provision of transnational and/or virtual access to top-class research infrastructures in the area of atmospheric chemistry and dynamics. It explicitly states that legal entities established in a number of third
countries<fnref n="9" />, including the USA, are eligible for funding to provide access to their RIs for researchers from EU Member States and Associated Countries under the grant.

The key features of the call are summarised below:

* **Objectives:**

* Provision of trans-national access (on-site or remote) and/or virtual access to existing services for curiosity-driven research in the atmospheric chemistry and dynamics domain, offered by a wide range of complementary and interdisciplinary top-level research infrastructures.

* **Expected Outcomes:**

* Wider, simplified, and more efficient access.

* Breakthrough and leading-edge research enabled.

* Improved and harmonised research infrastructure services.

* New generation of researchers trained to optimally use the RIs

* Cross-disciplinary fertilisations and a wider sharing of information, knowledge and technologies

* Better management, including implementing FAIR data principles, of the continuous flow of data collected or produced by research infrastructures

* **Eligible Activities:**

* Provision of Transnational Access (TA) and/or Virtual Access (VA).

* Joint activities to integrate, improve and customise services.

* Ad hoc users' training and scientific and technical support

* Harmonisation and integration of the access procedures

* Data management, interoperability, taking due account of major European or international initiatives (EOSC).

* **Proposal expected budget:**

* up to 12M€, with maximum EU contribution equal to 10M€

* Funding rate: 80% of the eligible costs (20% co-financing required at all project participation levels, including TA/VA providers)

* **Deadline for proposal submission:** 18 September 2025

## 6 Assessment of the EU and US RIs' access availability

As seen from the examples in section 3, atmospheric RIs in both the EU and the US have demonstrated capacity and willingness to support access under bilateral collaboration schemes. However, while interest and readiness exist on both sides, the European RIs can benefit from ongoing and structured financial commitment from their institutions and programmes. This sustained support, at EU, national, and RPO levels, facilitates international collaboration on access, even in the present times of

<footnote n="9">⁹ Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, India, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Singapore, and Switzerland.</footnote>
uncertainty. The situation in the US is currently more complex, with fewer mechanisms or funding streams available to support transatlantic access, making long-term planning and engagement more challenging.

Nevertheless, a preliminary evaluation has been carried out to assess the feasibility for the US atmospheric research facilities within CARGO-ACT to explore potential actionable funding opportunities for transatlantic or international access. This involved considering the conditions, constraints, willingness, and capacity—including the general availability of services, resources, and human capital—to collaborate in providing mutual access.

The table below outlines the availability of selected U.S. research infrastructures to provide access, particularly in the context of current or future Horizon Europe INFRA-SERV calls.
Availability of US atmospheric research infrastructures in CARGO-ACT to provide access under bilateral cooperation schemes

<table><thead><tr><td>Institution Name</td><td>Location</td><td>Type of Infrastructure</td><td>Scientific Domain</td><td>Access Type</td><td>Available Resources / Services</td><td>Willingness and ability to provide access to EU researchers</td><td>Legal &amp; Financial Conditions (Terms for access provision, including any restrictions. Availability to sign the Grant Agreement and comply with EU regulations)</td><td>Preferred Participation Mode (1- Affiliated partner providing in-kind access services 2- Beneficiary, signing the Grant Agreement and receiving reimbursement for the access provision)</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>NOAA/Global Monitoring Laboratory</td><td>Boulder, CO, USA</td><td>NOAA Atmospheric Baseline Observatories (GAW IDs: BRW, MLO, SMO)</td><td>Atmospheric composition</td><td>all</td><td>Data, limited on-site logistical support, facility support (e.g. physical space, network, power), tech support for instrument deployment and operations</td><td>Yes, but with U.S. federal government security clearance procedures. Short-term and long-term access requires different levels and lead time for clearance. Both clearance levels incur costs.</td><td>All projects supported at the Atmospheric Baseline Observatories require a legal agreement (e.g. Memorandum of Understanding, Inter-agency agreement, etc.) and support cost reimbursement (e.g. technician time, access fees, security clearance, electricity, facility use fees, etc.). Agreements may take several months to put in place depending on the complexity of the project.</td><td>2 - prefer to enter agreements directly with the entity requesting access.</td></tr></tbody></table>
<table><tr><td>NOAA/Global Monitoring Laboratory</td><td>Boulder, CO, USA</td><td>NOAA South Pole Atmospheric Baseline Observatory (GAW ID: SPO)</td><td>Atmospheric composition</td><td>all</td><td>Data, limited on-site logistical support, facility support (e.g. physical space, network, power), tech support for instrument deployment and operations</td><td>All requests to work at this observatory must be routed through the U.S. National Science Foundation's grant and access request process. NOAA is a tenant of the National Science Foundation's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and cannot enter into agreements or grant access to South Pole projects.</td><td>All requests must go through the grant and proposal process with the U. S. National Science Foundation. The process is completely separate from collaboration with NOAA.<br><a href="https://www.usap.gov/pr/oposalinformation/">https://www.usap.gov/pr/oposalinformation/</a></td><td>Unknown.</td></tr><tr><td>Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility</td><td>Lamont, OK, USA<br>Utiquigvik, AK, USA<br>Graciosa Island, Azores, Portugal<br>ARM mobile assets have various</td><td>Atmospheric Observatories, data archive, high-performance computing</td><td></td><td>all</td><td>Observatories (fixed and proposal drive locations), Archive data distribution (measurements, products, LES modeling, computational resources, on-site guest instrument support</td><td>EU citizen access is not restricted. Foreign national access processes handle routing for on-site and computational resource approval.</td><td>Data use does not require user agreement. Some on-site access requires user agreement between Argonne National Laboratory and the user's institution.</td><td>User support through providing data from ARM archive, hosting guest instrumentation, providing computational resources for analyzing ARM data, co-locating observatories and assets.</td></tr></table>
<table><tr><td>NASA Micro Pulse Lidar Network (MPLNET)</td><td>temporary locations<br/>HQ in Maryland, USA. Partner sites globally.</td><td>Atmospheric Observatory Network</td><td>Atmospheric composition</td><td>all</td><td>Provision of NASA-supplied instrumentation to setup MPLNET sites, or full operational support of partner-owned instrumentation. Data management, including archiving, processing, QA/QC, delivery to public and metadata APIs.</td><td>EU researchers can apply to setup their own MPLNET sites, either with their own equipment (meeting MPLNET specs), or request NASA to provide equipment. NASA offers grad student and postdoc programs to visit NASA facilities, proposal process with partial funding. Visiting scientists can be supported if project funds are available, or EU scientists can cover travel costs (including stay in the US).</td><td>Approved visitors to NASA facilities are provided desk space and access to IT (methods and limitations vary based on the length of stay). Access to lab equipment is possible. Visitors to MPLNET partner sites (globally) vary based on partner institution.</td><td>NASA MPLNET staff are restricted to affiliated partners. Other MPLNET partners (global) may be eligible to participate as beneficiaries.</td></tr></table>
<table><caption>Table 4 - Availability of US research facilities to provide access</caption><tr><td>Atmospheric Science and Chemistry mEasurement NeTwork (ASCENT)</td><td>Multiple site PIs across the US. ASCENT PI (Nga Lee Ng) is in Atlanta, GA, USA</td><td>Atmospheric observatory</td><td>Atmospheric composition</td><td>Data (free and open). If resources are available, on-site logistical support can be provided to help with deployment of additional instruments at the sites. This can vary between sites - some sites might be able to provide power and network for free.</td><td>Yes (at least for some selected ASCENT sites), but availability needs to be double-checked with individual site PIs.</td><td>Collaborations or proposals can be initiated through each university's (or site's) grants office. Since all ASCENT sites are part of existing networks, the legal and financial conditions of these networks must be complied with.</td><td>2- Beneficiary, signing the Grant Agreement and receiving reimbursement for the access provision.</td></tr></table>
## 7 Action plan for implementing international access to research infrastructures

The following is a list of actions that should be completed to ensure both readiness and successful exploitation of actionable opportunities supporting international access to transatlantic research facilities as they become available. The list is general enough to align with both short-term and long-term collaboration goals and, as such, can serve as a potential action plan to maximise the benefits of identified opportunities. In the short term, preparations for the current INFRA-SERV-03 Call can serve as an example of practical implementation.

The key steps in the action plan include:

1. Monitor funding opportunities, with periodic checks of the main sources of funding for collaborative research and access to research facilities, such as the EU Funding & Tenders Portal, the European Commission's webpages on Research & Innovation Funding Opportunities, and, for the US, the Grants.gov, the centralized online portal used by the U.S. federal government to publish and manage grant funding opportunities across all federal agencies.

2. Review of the specific terms and requirements for participation in any actionable opportunities, to ensure compliance with eligibility and participation criteria.

3. Circulate detailed information to potential interested parties, along with guidelines and instructions to prepare for application

4. Collect specific, detailed information on access services from providers, including the quantity of resources/services to dedicate to the access programs, legal/financial conditions for access provision, access costs, etc. This step should ideally be completed well ahead of the relevant call deadline (at least one month before) to allow for double-checking, harmonisation and coordination.

5. Determine the actual modes for participation (as associated partners, beneficiaries or affiliated entities), based on the availability or constraints of the relevant parties.

6. In case of approval, harmonise the access process to the extent practical. If harmonisation is not feasible, organise access provisions in a way that each RPO offers access according to its own procedures and rules, provided that the minimum common ground rules required by the HE funding are respected, namely:

a. Transnationality, and specifically for US organisations, access provision to users from EU Member States or Associated countries to Horizon Europe

b. Selection of users based on the excellence of the proposals submitted

c. Reciprocity, intended as support to activities and initiatives with mutual benefit and reciprocal opportunities to engage in future cooperative activities.

d. Open science and dissemination of results and science created.
## 8 References

R1. Agreement for scientific and technological cooperation between the European Community and the Government of the United States of America

R2. CARGO-ACT Grant Agreement (ID: 101132093)

R3. CARGO-ACT Milestone MS19: Report on existing access practices at participating EU and US Research Infrastructures

R4. CARGO-ACT Milestone MS20: Report on existing legal and financial framework for access at participating EU and US RIs

R5. ESFRI Roadmap 2026 Guide

R6. EU Grants: AGA — Annotated Grant Agreement: V2.0–01.04.2025

R7. GSO Framework for Global Research Infrastructures

R8. Horizon Dashboard

R9. Horizon Europe, Research Infrastructure Work Programme 2025 (2025) European Commission, Brussels: Publications Office of the European Union

R10. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)

R11. National Science Foundation, Research Infrastructure Guide (RIG)

R12. NextGenerationEU

R13. OECD (2023), "Very Large Research Infrastructures: Policy issues and options", OECD Science, Technology and Industry Policy Papers, No. 153, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/2b93187f-en.