28 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
28 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
---
|
||
title: "The CTAO Receives Commemorative Plaque Celebrating its ERIC Status Under the Danish EU Presidency"
|
||
description: "On 22 October, during the Research and Technology Infrastructure (RTI) Summit 2025 in Copenhagen, Denmark, Francisco Colomer, Chair of the CTAO ERIC Council, received a commemorative plaque from the European Commission on behalf of the…"
|
||
date: 2025-10-24
|
||
category: news
|
||
author: CTAO
|
||
cover: /uploads/ERICPlateCeremony-scaled-e1761294863228-1600x1250.jpg
|
||
draft: false
|
||
---
|
||
|
||
On 22 October, during the [Research and Technology Infrastructure (RTI) Summit 2025](https://www.rti-summit2025.dk/) in Copenhagen, Denmark, Francisco Colomer, Chair of the CTAO ERIC Council, received a commemorative plaque from the European Commission on behalf of the CTAO, ceremonially recognising the Observatory’s establishment as a European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC). The handover took place during a special ERIC Plate Ceremony held at the summit, organised under the Danish Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which celebrated the new ERICs created since the beginning of the year.
|
||
|
||
## The RTI Summit 2025
|
||
|
||
Hosted at the Scandic Copenhagen on 22–23 October, the RTI Summit 2025 was inaugurated by Christina Egelund, Danish Minister for Higher Education and Science, José Luis Martínez, Chair of ESFRI, and Morten Meldal, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry. The two-day summit brought together EU and national policymakers, RTI experts, industry stakeholders, funding agencies, EU project consortia, and research organisations — including the CTAO — to shape the future of European research and innovation infrastructures and discuss the new European RTI strategy.
|
||
|
||
## Establishment as an ERIC
|
||
|
||
The CTAO was formally [established as an ERIC by the European Commission](https://www.ctao.org/news/the-ctao-becomes-an-eric/) in January 2025, marking the official start of its construction phase after successful years of preparation and design — a milestone now celebrated at the ERIC Plate Ceremony. As the world’s largest and most advanced observatory for gamma-ray astronomy, the CTAO will unravel the most energetic phenomena in the Universe, providing open data to a wide scientific community, and strengthening Europe’s global leadership in astrophysics and cutting-edge technology.
|
||
|
||
In addition to its scientific mission, the CTAO became a [member of the ERIC Forum](https://www.ctao.org/news/the-ctao-joins-the-eric-forum/) in January, joining forces with other European research infrastructures to identify shared challenges, contribute to the development of ERIC regulations, and enhance the visibility, impact, and sustainability of the ERIC community.
|
||
|
||
## A global scientific community
|
||
|
||
While a European organisation, the CTAO’s mission and collaborations extend far beyond the continent, reflecting its global scope and the international support that drives its ambitious scientific goals.
|
||
|
||
The [CTAO ERIC members](https://www.ctao.org/organisation/governance/) include Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the European Southern Observatory (ESO), France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Switzerland. Further countries — Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Africa, and the United States — are engaged in the process of joining the CTAO ERIC as Strategic Partners or Third Parties.
|