A Practical Guide on Ex Ante Evaluation for Research Infrastructures

This document considers the major aspects of ex ante evaluation of proposed RI investment projects, aimed at either building new RIs or upgrading existing ones. Evaluation is a systematic process of assessment of a policy tool, policy programme, an entire policy mix, including implementation and impact, or the operation and performance of an organisation. Ex ante evaluation is conducted prior to the implementation of a strategy, piece of legislation, programme or project, in our case an investment project aimed at building a new RI or upgrading an existing one.

It is worth conducting an ex ante evaluation before making a final decision on whether to invest in building a new RI or upgrading an existing one, as it offers several benefits for various stakeholders, including RI policy-makers, managers, funding agencies, staff members, taxpayers, businesses and local authorities.
The various ways of planning and organising an ex ante evaluation of an RI – internal vs. external; commissioning internal vs. external and domestic vs. foreign experts; bottom-up vs. top-down approaches – as well as their pros and cons, are considered in a separate section.

There is no ex ante evaluation approach or method that fits all situations. This guiding document, therefore, does not advocate for the use of one method or another. Rather, it considers the advantages and disadvantages of the available methods and approaches, as well as the ways in which they can be applied. These methods are characterised in more detail in the Annex of this document, with the intention of assisting stakeholders in choosing their own tailored method for conducting an ex ante evaluation. Further references for each described method or approach are also provided. These methods and approaches can be applied on their own or in combination. Their selection and application should always be context specific, and made in accordance with the specificities of a given RI and its landscape.