  The application of VLBI to scientific problems has undergone a relentless
expansion since its conception, yet the potential for further expansion is
still large. We are on the cusp of revolutionary progress given the arrival of
a host of next-generation instruments. Over the last few years the community
has been working hard to ensure the SKA design includes the capability to
enable multiple simultaneous tied-array beams, which is a crucial technology to
deliver ultra-precise astrometry and improve survey speed capabilities.
However, to reach the full potential requires that the network of antennas is
upgraded to match the SKA capabilities. We identify multiple-pixel technology,
on large telescopes and connected arrays, as a crucial missing component and
here will make recommendations for the upgrade path of the partner EVN (and
other network) telescopes. Our feasibility studies on SKA-VLBI suggest an order
of magnitude improvement in the precision and also in the frequency range at
which astrometry can be performed today, if the full network has the required
capabilities.

Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics