Sustainability by Design in Big Science

Public investment in Big Science and large-scale research infrastructures increasingly depends on their demonstrated long-term sustainability and societal value. This article argues that sustainability should not be treated as an external constraint imposed on scientific missions, but as a property that can be embedded by design. Drawing on evidence from major international research infrastructures, the article conceptualises Big Science projects as long-term, open and collaborative endeavours that can transform public expenditure into durable societal assets. Sustainability is framed in a comprehensive sense, encompassing environmental limits, social legitimacy, financial robustness and long-term socio-economic impacts. The article reviews methodologies for assessing sustainability, including life-cycle assessment, wider socio-economic impact analysis and the systematic monetisation of externalities, and integrates them within a theory-of-change framework tailored to Big Science. It identifies robust value-generation pathways commonly observed in large-scale, technology-intensive research infrastructures, including training and human-capital formation, scientific knowledge production and industrial spillovers. Finally, it proposes practical recommendations for embedding sustainability from the outset through governance, design choices and continuous monitoring. The analysis suggests that conceiving and managing research infrastructures for Big Science missions as Open Science and Innovation platforms can strengthen their long-term sustainability while supporting scientific excellence and public legitimacy.