The main challenge for research and innovation policy in the EU continues to be the “innovation gap” between first-class research results and the fragmented capacity to convert these in societal and commercial value. Recent policy developments, ranging from European research missions to the strategies and tools supporting sustainable Research Infrastructures (RI) or Technology Infrastructures (TI), strive to effectively combine the resources of R&I actors across the EU to achieve solutions for the citizens. The objective is to overcome the barriers for industrial transformation while reducing the risk of duplication of activities as well as fragmentation and discrepancies amongst regions. In this sense, looking at how investments can support sustainable RI and / or TI is crucial for the development of impactful regional industrial innovation strategies: in the current ERDF operational programmes, 16 billion € are earmarked for building or upgrading R&I infrastructures. Participants to the second I&I Working Group meeting will learn about the pluriannual experience of the European Strategic Forum for Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) directly from its Executive Secretary, Mr Dominik Sobczak (European Commission). Can the lessons learned from ESFRI contribute to the upcoming discussions related to the recent publication of the Commission's Staff Working Document on Technology Infrastructures? What can the existing examples of Research Infrastructures tell us in terms of prioritisation,  visibility, accessibility as well as their networking? Join us for a fruitful discussion to further understand the policy panorama on European research and technology infrastructures, as well as the link with regional innovation ecosystems and smart specialisation strategies for their financial and operational sustainability.    Please find agenda of the meeting in the attachment.    ____________________________________ Thank you for attending this event. The presentations are available in the attachment.