The Joint Research Centre extends its open access initiative to its energy and transport research laboratories in Petten, The Netherlands.
With the Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European Commission (EC) has its own department to create and manage the knowledge used to support policies. The JRC has six sites in five EU countries (Brussels, Geel, Ispra, Karlsruhe, Petten, Seville), and its work is largely funded by the EU’s budget for Research and Innovation.
As part of the JRC’s initiative on open access to research infrastructure, it first opened some of its facilities in 2017. Since then, scientists from 18 EU and 3 neighbouring countries (including Switzerland) have been running experiments in 12 of the JRC’s laboratories in Geel (Belgium), Ispra (Italy) and Karlsruhe (Germany). The laboratories are open to people working in academia and research organisations, industry, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and more in general to the public and private sector.
For the first time, external scientists will now be able to run experiments on zero emission energy solutions and nuclear safety in two JRC laboratories in Petten (The Netherlands), i.e. the high-pressure gas tank testing facility and the fuel cell and electrolyser testing facility (see press release). Furthermore, the JRC has opened its two Karlsruhe laboratories for research on actinide materials, and will open several of its European facilities for nuclear reaction and decay data measurements in Geel in September. The additional opening of infrastructures should not only boost research, but also increase the cooperation among European scientists.
The calls for proposals, information on the conditions and criteria for access as well as the submission process are available on the JRC’s dedicated open access portal. Interested researchers are invited to apply before 30 September 2019. The opening of the facilities to external users is not for profit.
For researchers who are looking for a longer engagement with the JRC, there are possibilities for traineeships, grants and auxiliary staff contracts, which can all be found on the External Staff Recruitment Application. Moreover, there is the possibility for researchers from all EU and Horizon 2020 associated countries to apply for a research fellowship with the European Commission at the JRC.