The European Commission adopted a Charter of Access for Industrial Users to Research and Technology Infrastructures on 28 July 2026 and launched an outreach campaign.

The charter aims to facilitate easier and faster access for companies, including startups and scaleups, to the services offered by European research and technology infrastructures,  including advanced laboratories, pilot lines and large scientific instruments.

Limited information on the availability and access conditions of relevant services can be a barrier, particularly for SMEs, startups and scaleups. The charter is intended to address this by improving visibility, simplifying access and supporting better use of infrastructure services for developing, testing and validating technologies, products and services. The charter sets out six principles to guide research and technology infrastructures in facilitating access for industrial users:

1. Increased visibility and availability of services
2. Transparency and quality of services
3. Simplified contract and agreement procedures
4. Safe intellectual property management
5. Tailored support to companies
6. Cooperation between infrastructures and access to data

Research and technology infrastructures can endorse the charter on a voluntary basis. The European Commission has also launched an outreach campaign to support uptake, including a first webinar (which takes place on 22 September), and a call for good practices to showcase successful examples of support provided by research and technology infrastructures to industrial users.

The initiative is linked to the EU Startup and Scaleup Strategy and complements the European strategy on research and technology infrastructures. More information is available in this European Commission news article and on this webpage.