Sustainable Funding in EMPHASIS as a Distributed Research Infrastructure

This chapter outlines the development of an initial sustainable business and funding framework for EMPHASIS, a distributed ESFRI Research Infrastructure dedicated to multi-scale plant phenotyping, at the end of its Preparatory Phase. The developed framework is intended to provide decision-making support for ministries representing potential members of EMPHASIS in its Operational Phase. Responding to global challenges such as population growth, climate change, and increasing demands for food and renewable resources, EMPHASIS aims to enhance access to advanced phenotyping facilities, data resources, and modelling tools across Europe. A comprehensive landscape analysis—drawing on previous EU projects, national initiatives, workshops, and stakeholder consultations—identified major user groups and nearly 200 potential installations, forming the basis for a demand-driven service portfolio. Towards the end of the Preparatory Phase, seven Functional Units have been proposed to structure these services, addressing access, quality standards, data management, innovation support, communication, training, and coordination. To ensure long-term viability, the chapter presents a methodology for constructing funding scenarios for the Operational Phase. Three models are proposed for EMPHASIS, ranging from full to minimal service coverage, each based on explicit assumptions regarding personnel, overheads, service costs, and Member State contributions.