  The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges and potential gains
surrounding a coherent description of physics from the high-energy scales of
inflation down to the lower energy scales probed in particle-physics
experiments. As an example, we revisit the way inflation can be realised within
an effective Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (eMSSM), in which the $LLe$
and $udd$ flat directions are lifted by the combined effect of
soft-supersymmetric-breaking masses already present in the MSSM, together with
the addition of effective non-renormalizable operators. We clarify some
features of the model and address the question of the one-loop Renormalization
Group improvement of the inflationary potential, discussing its impact on the
fine-tuning of the model. We also compare the parameter space that is
compatible with current observations (in particular the amplitude,
$A_{\scriptscriptstyle{\mathrm{S}}}$, and the spectral index,
$n_{\scriptscriptstyle{\mathrm{S}}}$, of the primordial cosmological
fluctuations) at tree level and at one loop, and discuss the role of reheating.
Finally we perform combined fits of particle and cosmological observables
(mainly $A_{\scriptscriptstyle{\mathrm{S}}}$,
$n_{\scriptscriptstyle{\mathrm{S}}}$, the Higgs mass, and the cold-dark-matter
energy density) with the one-loop inflationary potential applied to some
examples of dark-matter annihilation channels (Higgs-funnel, Higgsinos and
A-funnel), and discuss the status of the ensuing MSSM spectra with respect to
the LHC searches.
