iMagine Contributes Expertise to European Commission Workshop on Transnational Access

iMagine Technical Coordinator, Gergely Sipos, joined the European Commission’s workshop on Transnational Access (TNA) to Research Infrastructures held in Brussels on January 30, 2025. The workshop, organised by REA.C4 - Reforming European R&I and Research Infrastructures, brought together representatives from various projects to discuss experiences with TNA provision and formulate recommendations for the upcoming FP10 framework programme.

Transnational Access (TNA) refers to the ability of researchers, institutions, or businesses from one country to access research facilities, infrastructures, or services located in another country. This concept is often used in the context of European research programmes, where funded projects provide researchers with free or subsidised access to specialised laboratories, databases, or experimental facilities across borders.

iMagine uses the ‘Remote Access’ variant of the Transnational Access instrument to offer digital services in aquatic sciences for researchers, research communities and industry. The iMagine service portfolio includes an ‘AI Platform’ that scientific projects and communities can use to train AI models for image analysis and five thematic services that encapsulate already trained AI models for specific types of image analysis: floating litter identification, plankton identification, fish identification, oil spill detection, phytoplankton identification. 

The workshop provided a valuable platform for the 23 SERV projects funded in the Horizon Europe programme to share best practices, identify challenges, and contribute to shaping the future of TNA within the European research landscape. 

The key findings and conclusions from the workshop were: