Plans are under way for integrated European research infrastructures that will foster synergy and collaboration among Europe's scientists (see http://go.nature.com/fsnB7a). The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has put forward more than 40 priority projects, but these will be hard to implement without extensive European cooperation, even on a realistic timescale of 10–15 years.

Construction and running costs must be financed by national mechanisms, which will be difficult if every project applies to all 37 ESFRI member states and requires a separate national decision, as is now planned. Without coordinated action between the ESFRI member states and the European Commission, this process will be chaotic, inconsistent, costly and time-consuming.

A European decision-taking body of member-state representatives could be set up that would implement agreed member-state policy on prioritization, funding, site selection and construction of the projects, while ensuring that legitimate national interests are taken into account. European countries could, for example, act together to equip the ESFRI with the extra responsibilities necessary to realize its plans.

Integration of existing expertise into the planning of the ESFRI projects could be improved. As well as developing appropriate legal and governance systems, the new research infrastructures will have to mobilize, recruit and train specialist staff to operate them.

Several European institutions have already solved these problems. The intergovernmental EIROforum organizations that operate some of Europe's existing international research infrastructures have governance designed for international membership and operation, and sustainable, performance-based funding systems. These should serve as models for the new research infrastructures and as sources of expert advice (see Establishing New Research Infrastructures in Europe — The EIROforum Experience; available at http://go.nature.com/4JfVEj).