Establishing a formal coordination mechanism between industry and academic research in the field of Cryogenics is desirable. The present status is simply a sum of historical contacts at national level, in the UK, France, Germany and Finland, between a given company and a neighbouring laboratory. Usually a group of SMEs (mechanical construction, electronics, etc...) is active as subcontractors. The system does not benefit from any synergy in research or industrial production at the European level.

The United States of America and Japan have developed networking activities (Cryogenic Society of America, Cryogenic Association of Japan), which now play a substantial role in disseminating scientific, technical and commercial information. Their members include research centres, Universities, SMEs and large companies in the Cryogenic field. American companies have developed complementary skills, and they have become very efficient in the Cryogenics market and the associated high-tech instrumentation. The MICROKELVIN collaboration provides an excellent opportunity to establish the conditions for the creation of a "European Cryogenics Society" focused on low temperature techniques and physics. One meeting of industrial and academic partners will be organised for this purpose.

One way to strengthen the ERA in the field of Cryogenics is to improve the scientific and technical exchanges with laboratories in Third Countries. Historical contacts and collaborative projects exist at national level. The UK, France, and Germany have been rather active implementing bilateral agreements, and this has given rise to scientific, technical and commercial outcomes. These uncorrelated efforts, however, have not succeeded in counterbalancing the influence of the United States of America in many important areas of the world. We plan to invite leading experts and young researchers working in high level laboratories of developing countries to attend and participate in the meetings of the MICROKELVIN collaboration. A Network of Third Country low temperature laboratories will be created and associated with the MICROKELVIN collaboration. The objective is to foster collaboration with China, Eastern countries (Georgia, Russia and Ukraine) and Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Mexico) with a high level of Cryogenic expertise, and to establish formal links with the USA and Japan Cryogenic Societies.

A major part of the world capability in ultralow temperatures lies in European research institutions. Almost all the world records and cutting-edge facilities are European. To capitalise on, and consolidate, this advantage Lancaster, Helsinki and Grenoble, which already enjoy substantial ties, have already taken the first steps to creating a European microkelvin "laboratory without walls", the Distributed European Microkelvin Laboratory. Negotiations with local universities and national funding agents for formally creating the European virtual laboratory will be undertaken.

To ensure that this integration is sustained beyond the present project, it is desirable to strengthen the present "Distributed European Microkelvin Laboratory" and to associate with this core facility the ring of European laboratories participating in the MICROKELVIN Collaboration.

Ultralow temperature physics is very much a European speciality, but contrarily to other fields (neutrons, X-rays...), there is presently no comprehensive report on the existing facilities and results, or a report on future infrastructures. The MICROKELVIN Collaboration is the most suitable forum to prepare an interdisciplinary foresight study of innovations in instrumentation and refrigeration, in methods, concepts, and equipment on the global development of low temperature physics and related research, and determine the European future need for equipment and (access giving) infrastructure.