This workshop examines access to, governance of, and control over research infrastructures, which are increasingly central to scientific excellence, innovation capacity, and geopolitical competitiveness. Research infrastructures today extend beyond traditional laboratories and experimental facilities to include digital platforms, large-scale databases, high-performance computing systems, testbeds, and shared experimental environments. As their complexity, cost, and strategic importance grow, questions of ownership, access rights, governance models, and long-term sustainability become critical.

The workshop explores how access to infrastructure shapes research agendas, collaboration patterns, and power dynamics within and between research systems. Particular attention is given to disparities in access across institutions, regions, and disciplines, as well as the implications for early-career researchers and institutions with limited resources. The role of international research infrastructures and transnational access schemes is discussed in the context of scientific openness, security considerations, and strategic autonomy.

Academic contributions will analyse governance models, access frameworks, and incentive structures for shared infrastructures, drawing on case studies from large-scale facilities and digital research platforms. Industry and infrastructure operators will provide insights into operational realities, investment decisions, access prioritisation, and public–private models for infrastructure development and management.

The workshop aims to equip researchers, research managers, policymakers, and infrastructure operators with practical frameworks for ensuring fair, efficient, and sustainable access to research infrastructures while balancing openness, security, and strategic interests.

Extended Key Takeaways & Outputs

• Clear understanding of governance and access models for physical and digital research infrastructures
• Frameworks for ensuring equitable access while maintaining excellence
• Best practices for sustainable financing and operation of large-scale facilities
• Guidance on managing public–private infrastructure partnerships
• Strategic insights into balancing openness, security, and international collaboration
• Recommendations for policymakers and institutions on long-term infrastructure planning