Big science and research infrastructures in Europe

This thought-provoking book expands on the notion that Big Science is not the only term to describe and investigate particularly large research projects, scientific collaborations and facilities. It investigates the significant overlap between Big Science and Research Infrastructures (RIs) in a European context since the early twenty-first century. Contributions to this innovative book not only augment the study of Big Science with new perspectives, but also launch the study of RIs as a promising new line of inquiry. Chapters testify to a generational shift that is taking place in this field, amending and complementing prior analyses of Big Science. Advancing our knowledge, this interdisciplinary book explores how Big Science and RIs can be categorized, how the politics around them can be understood, and how they relate to the surrounding science and research policy landscape of Europe.Big Science and Research Infrastructures in Europe will be of value to students and scholars interested in science and innovation policy across sociology, economics, management and political science. Policymakers, science administrators and operators of RIs will also benefit from the critical insights provided.