European research infrastructures for the development of nanobiotechnologies

Research infrastructures are essential for top-level academic and industrial research activities. Throughout the successive framework programmes (FPs) of the EU, actions have been gradually developed to support researchers in accessing top-level European research infrastructures located outside their own country and also to better coordinate and integrate these infrastructures Europe-wide, enabling better research services. At the same time, research infrastructures pave the way for the development of scientific and technological advances. Under the sixth Framework Programme (FP6; 2002–2006), for example, nanobiotechnologies have benefited from these European actions through three approaches: the support of multi-disciplinary pan-European infrastructures; the support of pan-European infrastructures dedicated to biology but with usage in multiple domains of biology; and the funding of integrated centers for nanobiotechnologies. The seventh Framework Programme (FP7; 2007–2013) will reinforce these actions toward research infrastructures, with particular attention to the emergence of new ones as well as to the provision of important strategic research services in fields such as nanobiotechnologies.