Page 23 - Roadmap

5. Monitoring and evaluation

The monitoring and evaluation process is an integral part of the National Roadmap and of the system of domestic re-
search infrastructures. Monitoring is needed primarily for the following reasons:

• The drafting of the National Roadmap was not a one-time task. In order to follow the changes in domestic scientific
life, both the document and the inventory of domestic RIs need to be updated regularly. The regular update calls for
information and quantified data.

• One of the most important characteristics of RIs is that their function serves long-term goals. Thus, the operation and
financing of the domestic system of research infrastructures can only be stable and predictable, if sustainability aspects
are duly considered. In order to underpin this, the existence of monitoring indicators is inevitable.

• The research infrastructures have fundamental effects on the quality of scientific results. So, the establishment and op-
eration of RIs not only provide excellent professional opportunities for researchers but also come with responsibility.
The technological level of RI instruments, equipment and databanks and the resultant high costs require responsible
financial management from all stakeholders in the research infrastructure system. To this end, the RI system must be
operated in a way that ensures that the development of domestic RIs and the funding of memberships in international
RIs are in compliance with domestic research needs and capacities. A sound monitoring system can greatly support
the effective operation of the research infrastructure system.

• Memberships in large European and international research infrastructures also demand substantial resources. Such
memberships need to be revised every 3-5 years based on the information and indicators available for the scientific
outputs of the RI. Importantly, research groups with a high research potential and significant scientific achievements
should be allowed to join European research infrastructures as new users. At the same time, to ensure professional ex-
cellence, it is also fundamental to fully exploit existing memberships and continuously monitor the effectiveness.

• The continuous monitoring of the financial support and development strategy making activities of the government
agencies responsible for infrastructure development and monitoring is also essential to ensure the effective operation
of research infrastructures. To this end, efforts must be made to increase the efficiency and reduce the time frame of
public procurement procedures, align RI funding strategies and tools, and efficiently disseminate new scientific results
and improved methodology both in Hungary and abroad. It is also important to align the development of research in-
frastructures with national R&D strategies and the National Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3).

Monitoring tasks related to research infrastructures are interpreted in three dimensions:

1. The establishment and operation of the ELI has demanded and will continue to be demanding vast (EU and
national) resources so it is definitely justified to monitor and evaluate the efficient use of funds in order to in-
form the research community, the taxpayers and the policymakers.
2. The second dimension of monitoring is memberships in large European and international research infrastruc-
tures. Here the main aim is to constantly monitor the capacity utilization, effectiveness and integration into
the life of domestic research communities of memberships in international RIs.
3. Finally, it is important to monitor the status and scientific performance of local domestic RIs and to revise the
existing RI databases. Among other things, this provides a basis for the regular update of the National Roadmap
and for future directions of infrastructure development.

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