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In the recent years the the shift towards e-Sciences gained dramtically of importance. Like in economic areas, where the diffusion of ICT changes the way of value creation, it also changes the way of knowledge creation within knowledge intensive services, which includes research and development. This trend is essential because advanced ICT systems are implemented and used in all phases of the research process.

The new ways of working within scientific research lead to new forms of collaboration across disciplines and national borders in form of virtual research communities, gathering different actors like researchers, scholars, educators, students from academia as well as public and private research organisations and innovating firms. 

A groundlying foundation for this shift towards e-Sciences are e-Infrastructures. Within the EU FP Capacities program for Research Infrastructures this area gained of importance in the last years. In order to develop this area further it is important to understand the effects of e-Infrastructures.

The aim of this study is to develop a framework for evaluating and assessing the impact of e-Infrastructures. This leads to the following project goals::

• To analyse the broader socio-economic impact of e-Infrastructures
• To identify the contribution of e-Infrastructure to ERA
  
• To identify the contribution of e-Infrastructure to the realisation of the EU policy aims
  

Based on the results, the project will:

• Provide the outline of a framework for evaluation of e-Infrastructure interventions and
• Recommend a set of concrete actions to be taken at the European and Member States level to implement a robust monitoring and evaluation system.