The EU R&D&I Framework Program H2020 includes, within the “Excellent Science” pillar, actions to support scientific infrastructures, with the aim of reinforcing and extending European scientific excellence and consolidating the European Research Area (ERA, European Research Area) so that the EU science system is more competitive on a global scale. The general objectives that, in relation to research infrastructures, H2020 aims to achieve are: (i) Optimize the use and development of European scientific infrastructures; (ii) Promote their human and innovation potential; and (iii) Strengthen the coherence of national and European infrastructure policies.

On the other hand, the current 2014-2020 programming period of the European Funds reinforces the role of ex ante evaluation. This evaluation is one of the requirements to receive European funding and is really a prior and exhaustive planning of the activities in which each of the Member States plans to invest said funds. The update of the ICTS Map has been the tool used to comply with the ex ante evaluation related to the investment priority of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “Improvement of research and innovation (R&I) infrastructures and the capacity to develop excellence in R&I and promotion of competence centers, especially those of European interest.” At the same time, it has also been coordinated with the Regional Intelligent Specialization Strategies (RIS3) of the autonomous communities, which are instruments to help the regions to propose and achieve optimal choices for their prosperity. With all this, it has been achieved that the investment and improvement actions in the ICTS of the recently approved Map are susceptible to co-financing with FEDER during the 2014-2020 programming period.

The Scientific, Technological and Innovation Policy Council (CPCTI), established on September 18, 2012, is the general coordination body for scientific and technical research in Spain, made up of representatives of the Central Government and the autonomous communities. One of its functions has been the approval of the update of the ICTS Map 2013-2016. The process of renewal of the ICTS Map began with the definition of the objectives and principles that the infrastructures that participated in its update had to comply with, carried out by the CPCTI. Likewise, a procedure for updating the Map was established and the Advisory Committee on Singular Infrastructures (CAIS) was established as a Working Group of the Executive Commission of the CPCTI. After a thorough process of analysis and evaluation of the Strategic Plans presented by the candidate infrastructures, in which the National Evaluation and Prospective Agency (ANEP) participated with the intervention of international experts, the CAIS generated a proposal for the configuration of the new Map. Finally, the CPCTI approved the Map of Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS) on October 7, 2014. This Map will undergo a complete update and review at the beginning of the period of validity of each State Plan.

ICTS can be located in a single location (infrastructures with a single location), they can be part of an Infrastructure Network (RI) or constituted as a Distributed Infrastructure (DI), depending on the level of integration and coordination of their capabilities.

The requirements that a facility must meet to be considered an ICTS are formally defined in the CPCTI document that accompanies the configuration of the current ICTS Map. In summary, these requirements are the following:

As of February 2016, the infrastructures that are considered ICTS are:

The EU R&D&I Framework Program H2020 includes, within the “Excellent Science” pillar, actions to support scientific infrastructures, with the aim of reinforcing and extending European scientific excellence and consolidating the European Research Area (ERA, European Research Area) so that the EU science system is more competitive on a global scale. The general objectives that, in relation to research infrastructures, H2020 aims to achieve are: (i) Optimize the use and development of European scientific infrastructures; (ii) Promote their human and innovation potential; and (iii) Strengthen the coherence of national and European infrastructure policies.

On the other hand, the current 2014-2020 programming period of the European Funds reinforces the role of ex ante evaluation. This evaluation is one of the requirements to receive European funding and is really a prior and exhaustive planning of the activities in which each of the Member States plans to invest said funds. The update of the ICTS Map has been the tool used to comply with the ex ante evaluation related to the investment priority of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) “Improvement of research and innovation (R&I) infrastructures and the capacity to develop excellence in R&I and promotion of competence centers, especially those of European interest.” At the same time, it has also been coordinated with the Regional Intelligent Specialization Strategies (RIS3) of the autonomous communities, which are instruments to help the regions to propose and achieve optimal choices for their prosperity. With all this, it has been achieved that the investment and improvement actions in the ICTS of the recently approved Map are susceptible to co-financing with FEDER during the 2014-2020 programming period.

The Scientific, Technological and Innovation Policy Council (CPCTI), established on September 18, 2012, is the general coordination body for scientific and technical research in Spain, made up of representatives of the Central Government and the autonomous communities. One of its functions has been the approval of the update of the ICTS Map 2013-2016. The process of renewal of the ICTS Map began with the definition of the objectives and principles that the infrastructures that participated in its update had to comply with, carried out by the CPCTI. Likewise, a procedure for updating the Map was established and the Advisory Committee on Singular Infrastructures (CAIS) was established as a Working Group of the Executive Commission of the CPCTI. After a thorough process of analysis and evaluation of the Strategic Plans presented by the candidate infrastructures, in which the National Evaluation and Prospective Agency (ANEP) participated with the intervention of international experts, the CAIS generated a proposal for the configuration of the new Map. Finally, the CPCTI approved the Map of Unique Scientific and Technical Infrastructures (ICTS) on October 7, 2014. This Map will undergo a complete update and review at the beginning of the period of validity of each State Plan.

ICTS can be located in a single location (infrastructures with a single location), they can be part of an Infrastructure Network (RI) or constituted as a Distributed Infrastructure (DI), depending on the level of integration and coordination of their capabilities.

The requirements that a facility must meet to be considered an ICTS are formally defined in the CPCTI document that accompanies the configuration of the current ICTS Map. In summary, these requirements are the following:

As of February 2016, the infrastructures that are considered ICTS are: