From 16 to 19 February, the INPROCAP consortium gathered in Kiruna, Sweden, for a key in-person project meeting hosted by the EISCAT Scientific Association. The four-day meeting marked an important milestone in the project’s implementation and provided valuable space for strategic alignment among partners.
Bringing the consortium together in Kiruna allowed participants not only to review progress, but also to connect innovation procurement discussions directly with one of Europe’s most advanced research infrastructures.
Strengthening Alignment and Project Momentum
During the meeting, partners assessed progress across work packages and reviewed upcoming activities planned for the next project phase.
Discussions focused in particular on:
- Capacity-building activities for Big Science Organisations
- The development of the INPROCAP Community of Practice
- Upcoming training sessions and stakeholder engagement actions
- Long-term sustainability and embedding innovation procurement practices beyond the project duration
The in-person format enabled open exchanges, practical reflections and strategic coordination, reinforcing the consortium’s shared vision and strengthening cooperation across partners.
From Strategy to Practice: Site Visit to EISCAT_3D
A highlight of the Kiruna meeting was the site visit to the Kaiseniemi facility of EISCAT_3D.
EISCAT_3D is a next-generation geospace research radar designed to advance our understanding of the Earth’s atmosphere and its interaction with near-Earth space. It is the most advanced high-power three-dimensional imaging radar ever built for atmospheric, ionospheric and near-Earth space investigations.
The system is a tri-static, phased-array incoherent scatter radar consisting of three sites located in:
- Skibotn (Norway)
- Karesuvanto (Finland)
- Kaiseniemi (Sweden)
The visit offered INPROCAP partners first-hand insight into the technological complexity and scale of a cutting-edge Big Science infrastructure.
Bridging Innovation Procurement and Research Infrastructure
Experiencing EISCAT_3D on site highlighted the importance of structured market dialogue, early supplier engagement and strategic procurement planning in highly specialised research environments.
By combining consortium discussions with a technical site tour, the Kiruna meeting successfully linked strategic objectives with operational realities. It reinforced INPROCAP’s mission to support Big Science Organisations in using innovation procurement as a strategic tool for managing complexity, fostering collaboration and creating balanced, win-win solutions with industry.
With renewed momentum, the INPROCAP consortium continues its work to strengthen innovation procurement capacity across the European Big Science landscape.
