Round table on research infrastructures

The Platform MAP helds since 2011 a Round Table International chaired by Prof. em. Hans Rudolf Ott (ETHZ). It is a forum for the exchange of information between representatives of fostering organisations (SERI, SNSF, SCNAT, swissuniversities, and ETH-Board) and scientists active in financially intensive research infrastructures, with the aim of defining and prioritizing the community needs through a roadmap process. These community roadmaps are then taken into account by SERI when preparing the “Swiss Roadmap for Research Infrastructures” every four years for the Parliament.

• The Round Table International started with the discussion of infrastructures in the field of particle physics and astroparticle physics (CHIPP).
• Since 2013, there are two meetings per year, and astronomy (SCFA) was included in connection with the new SNSF FLARE programme.
• Since November 2016, it is designated as the Round Table "Swiss Representation in International Organisations and Research Infrastructures" (RoTIORI) with an extension to other scientific areas where there is a participation in international organisations and research infrastructures, in particular in material physics with X-rays and neutrons, molecular biology, nuclear fusion, and laser physics.
• SCNAT received in 2018 the mandate from SERI to extend this successful model to other fields of sciences, i.e. biology, chemistry and geosciences, in view of the funding period 2025–2028.
• In 2021-2022, seven community roadmaps have been published by SCNAT for research infrastructure needs in 2025-2028 in the disciplines of Biology, Chemistry, Geosciences, Particle Physics, Astronomy, Photon Science and Neutron Science.
• In view of the funding period 2029-2032, they were all updated by the end of 2024 with an additional one on Space Research.
• In April 2025, the SCNAT Executive Board elected Leonid Rivkin as Co-chair of the RoTIORI for three years (1st term).

Community Roadmaps in Physics and Astonomy