The e-IRG workshop will focus on interactions between ESFRI Preparatory Phase projects and the main e-infrastructure actors in Europe. These interactions are crucial to ensure that the most advanced research infrastructure projects in the ESFRI context can make the best use of e-infrastructures.

The workshop will identify specific common fields and actions, in which significant improvements in the speed and efficiency of the scientific work of these ESFRI projects can be realised, both in construction and operation phases. Reaping these benefits will require addressing - among other challenges - the issues related to massive data sets, remote access/operation of research infrastructures, or the efficient shared use of computing capabilities/capacities.

The workshop will be organized around 3 distinct themes:

• Massive scientific data issues (storage, curation, access, repositories, etc.)
• Broadband circulation of data (virtual of physical organisations, communication networks, global co-operations)
• Access to large portfolios of computing resources (capability, capacity), with a special focus on the impact of numerical modelling.

As part of the construction of the ERA, the e-infrastructures are recognized as a key enabling component in the European research infrastructure landscape. They facilitate scientific discovery by easing remote access to facilities, supporting massive scientific data exchanges across Europe and the world - and by organising a complete data eco-system with nearly unlimited capacities for computing, storage, data preservation and interoperability.

The new research infrastructures, as they are conceived today and presented through the ESFRI process, have - for the most part - a long way to go for integrating their full e-science dimension. However, it is almost certain that once they are close to the operational phase their e-Infrastructure requirements will provide similar challenges as the High-Energy Physics collaborations did few years ago. These challenges are not only related to the amount of data to be processed, but to the complexity of the processes and the organisations performing the scientific work.

The series of open e-IRG workshops support the e-IRG activities by enabling and stimulating the discussion of e-infrastructure related topics with the community across thematic and country borders. Experts on various areas will get together to explore open issues and outstanding questions for enabling easy and cost-effective shared use of distributed electronic resources across Europe and beyond, based on sustainable e-infrastructures.

The registration for both the e-IRG Open Workshop and the e-IRG delegates Meeting is now available at the e-IRG website at www.e-irg.eu