The implementation of the European facilities on the roadmap of the European Strategy Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) is critical for the EU to remain at the forefront of science and technology and be competitive in a global knowledge-based economy. That is why the EU has set itself the target of implementing at least 60% of the ESFRI roadmap by 2015 through its Innovation Union flagship initiative. This process should be accompanied by sound assessment of the progress that projects have made since they were put on the ESFRI roadmap. A high level expert group conducted an in-depth analysis of all the non-scientific aspects of the projects. The report identifies open issues and bottlenecks that are currently delaying the implementation of the ESFRI roadmap projects and assess whether the facilities are likely to be implemented by 2015. The report also offers detailed recommendations on how to overcome obstacles and difficulties. A lot of work still remains to be done by the projects, the stakeholders, the Member States and the European Commission to ensure that the European infrastructures are operational.
