Financing and Management

Co-operation and legal framework

• Cost advantages in Hungary
• Project costs and financing
  
• Operational costs
  
• Co-operation and legal framework
  
• Procedure and project organisation

Hungary considers ESS a wholly Pan-European project. Some most excellent scholars and researchers coming from numerous European countries are expected to work together as members of an efficiently operating, uniform international team in this project. They will find most attractive job, research and living conditions in Debrecen. Hungarian experts are planned to only account for 10% of the total professional staff.

Hungary is open and particularly committed to mutually advantageous collaborations with other countries interested in the realization of ESS. Together with Spain, it pioneered in depth collaboration between site candidates, aimed at enhancing the quality of the project preparation by sharing resources and information and sharing the benefits of the project by exploring opportunities of division of tasks. Hungary will promote schemes of in-kind contributions in order to meet the needs and preferences of partner countries. This can include the assignment of whole tasks to collaborating institutions in the partner countries, organized under common guidelines for best project management practices, competitive procurement, quality assurance and on-time deliveries. Although such a task sharing scheme unavoidably adds to the complexity of project management, the example of SNS offers most valuable experience for the successful implementation of such an approach. This facility was built in collaboration between 5 US national laboratories, with the design and procurement of various subsystems performed at different locations.

Plans for the legal framework of ESS Hungary largely follow the XFEL Convention, the latest consortium agreement for a major pan-European research infrastructure. ESS in Hungary will be owned and operated by “ESS International PLC”, a non-profit consortium of the participating countries. The shareholders of the company will be the legal entities designated and funded by the Governments of the participating countries. Thus ESS International PLC is planned as non-profit joint stock company registered in Hungary and enjoying a number of tax advantages, such as VAT and customs exempt status. A common legal framework for European Research Infrastructures (ERI) is currently being developed by the EU Commission for expected approval by the EU Council in December 2008. The Hungarian offer to build ESS will be reviewed to adhere to ERI guidelines, as soon as these standards are definitively established.