ACCESS2ACCESS is a 20-month, EU-funded coordination and support action that lays the groundwork for a future European framework for access to Research Infrastructures (RIs). Enabling world-class research through open, integrated and sustainable use of RIs. Bringing together 17 leading research organisations across all ESFRI domains, the project unites RIs to make access more discoverable, inclusive, fair, efficient, scalable and adaptable.
Europe's RIs are pillars of scientific leadership, yet access to them remains limited. European-funded access programmes have demonstrated significant value and clear researcher demand. However, their limited duration (project-based) has led to gaps in service continuity, duplication of effort in rebuilding access systems and service catalogues, and lost opportunities for cross-RI service pipelines and cross-domain integration. The absence of harmonised governance, predictable long-term funding and shared performance metrics undermines efficiency, equity and visibility, constraining the overall impact of the European RI system. As a result, access to Ris is limited and hindered by: 
-        Fragmentation of access schemes: Hundreds of RIs operate under diverse rules, procedures and funding models, with limited harmonisation across domains or countries.
-        Short-termism and discontinuity: European-funded access programmes are project-based, creating gaps and uncertainty when they end after 3–4 years.
-        Funding patchwork: No integrated, sustainable European funding model and limited coordination between European and national funding sources.
-        Administrative burdens: Complex procedures discourage new users, especially from Widening regions and SMEs; access systems and service catalogues are rebuilt repeatedly for each short-term project.
-        Unequal access: Underrepresentation of certain countries, institutions, user groups and scientific domains (e.g. social sciences, humanities, industry).
Therefore, there is a pressing need to move from isolated pilots and access frameworks to a sustainable, cross-domain, equitable access framework. The project directly supports the European Strategy on Research and Technology Infrastructures and ERA priorities, including "one-stop" access, AI-assisted navigation, and sustainable, simplified funding models. It aims to make RI access more discoverable, inclusive, fair, efficient and scalable, with particular attention to Widening countries, emerging research communities, SMEs, and underrepresented domains. 
Over the next 20 months, the consortium will:
-        Build a robust evidence base by mapping and analysing national and European access schemes
-        Capture user and stakeholder needs through consultations, deep dives and policy dialogues
-        Co-design governance, funding and policy models aligned with the European Charter for Access to Ris
-        Develop a common vocabulary and ontology for RI access as a basis for automation and AI
-        Deliver a concept demonstrator, a visual, clickable mock-up of an AI-assisted "one-stop-shop" for RI discovery, without creating a new central portal

CESSDA ERIC participates as an associated partner, representing the social science research infrastructure domain. Building on its experience with distributed, federated service delivery across member countries, CESSDA contributes to stakeholder consultations and consensus-building activities, ensuring that the needs of the SSH research community are reflected in the future European access framework and its recommendations.