European Research Area (ERA)
The European Research Area (ERA) was launched in 2000, within the framework of the Lisbon Strategy, to address the fragmentation of the European Union (EU) research and innovation system.It was born with the purpose of overcoming the fragmentation and isolation of national systems and reducing disparities in their regulation and administrative frameworks.
Its aim is to strengthen the Union's scientific capacity and technological foundations by establishing a single market for research and innovation in which researchers, scientific knowledge and technology circulate freely.Through the ERA, the EU and its Member States strengthen their scientific and technological capabilities, their competitiveness and their ability to collectively address the major challenges.
The ERA attracts top talent to develop its research career in Europe, develops a joint strategy for the construction and operation of research infrastructures, encourages industry to invest more in European research and ultimately contributes to sustainable growth and job creation.
The ERA is an established and well-recognised policy framework that promotes the synergies of European research and innovation policies and initiatives with national and regional ones, fully in line with the principle of subsidiarity and the autonomy of funding agencies and research bodies.
Throughout all these years the EU has been updating the ERA agenda to reinforce the priorities of each period.Although great achievements have been made in the development of the ERA, the current context requires a new approach that reinforces its mission as a common space for research and innovation.To this end, the European Commission launched a communication on 30 September 2020 proposing a plan for the new European Research and Innovation Area, which, like the previous ones, will be focused on excellence, will be competitive, open and talent oriented, will improve the research and innovation landscape in Europe, but incorporates the objectives of accelerating the EU's transition to climate neutrality and digital leadership, supporting Europe's social and economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis and strengthening its resilience in the face of new crises.
Four priorities have been identified for this new ERA:
- Prioritize investments and reforms in research and innovation towards the ecological and digital transition.
- Improve access to high-quality facilities and infrastructure for researchers across the EU.
- Transferring results: boosting business investment and market assimilation of research results, and fostering EU competitiveness and leadership in the global technological environment.
- Strengthening the mobility of researchers and the free movement of knowledge and technology, through greater cooperation between Member States.
