The European Research Area is composed of all research and development activities, programmes and policies in
ERA consists of activities, programmes and policies which are designed and operated at all levels: regional, national and European.
There are a number of fully integrated European-level structures and programmes: the EU RTD Framework Programmes, including the current Seventh Framework Programme (2007-2013), related European agencies and undertakings, as well as a number of intergovernmental infrastructures and research organisations. Some have existed for more than 50 years, such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) and the research activities of the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom). Many were created in the 1970s and 1980s, such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and the first Framework Programmes. But there are also important new organisations which are changing the ERA ‘landscape’: notably, the European Research Council, the Joint Technology Initiatives and the European Institute for Innovation and Technology.
Some public policies which have an important impact on research are defined at the European level. This is notably the case for state aid and competition law, as well as for many relevant internal market rules. The EU also develops and promotes voluntary guidelines and recommendations which serve as common European references. Examples can be found in areas such as researchers' careers and mobility, knowledge transfer and co-operation between public research and industry. The EU also fosters a broad-based approach to innovation. With the launch of the Europe 2020 strategy and the Innovation Union Flagship Initiative a strategic approach to innovation is now on the European agenda.
While most research activities, programmes and policies take place at regional and national levels, no single country offers sufficient resources to be competitive on the world scale. To strenghten ERA , such activities and policies should be increasingly designed and operated from a transnational perspective, including, where relevant, cross-border co-operation. But this does not mean that they should be centralised in Brussels.Transnational co-operation helps make the most efficient and effective use of national and regional resources.
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Research, education and innovation are three central and strongly interdependent drivers of the knowledge-based society. Together they are referred to as the “knowledge triangle”. To realise ERA, research needs to develop strong links with education and innovation.
The European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) can be seen as a flagship project for the links between education, research and innovation, as the three activities are integrated in its design. But many other examples illustrate how the ERA project is closely linked to innovation and education.
The rise of "open innovation" reflects the reality that companies can less and less afford to run a closed R&D shop. Companies have to tap into the knowledge developed by universities and public research centres. They also often need to cooperate with other companies, including their competitors. In order to find the best knowledge and the best partners, companies need to look across national borders.
The initiatives taken to develop the ERA aim to facilitate these exchanges across borders. A central objective of ERA is to establish the “fifth freedom”: the freedom of movement of knowledge.
Some initiatives are developing a common understanding between various actors of research and innovation (large firms, SMEs, universities, public research centres, etc.) to help them to cooperate across the EU. For example the initiative on knowledge transfer and intellectual property, or the European Technology Platforms which bring actors from all over Europe together in specific technology areas.
Transnational research cooperation is also supported by funding programmes, notably the Framework Programmes of the EU. They support a large number of transnational research projects, but also large-scale initiatives which pool resources across
The European Research Area needs a European Higher Education Area – and vice versa
The central role of universities to provide human resources for research and innovation is obvious. Reciprocally, universities need close connections with cutting-edge research in order to provide high quality education. The close interaction between research and training activities in universities is what gives them their unique and crucial role in the knowledge society.
This is why it is so important for
(πηγή: European Commission)
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WHY DO WE NEED ERA?
The development of ERA is needed to overcome the fragmentation of research in
In particular:
For these reasons, developing ERA is very important for
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Quite simply: ERA is for you!
Are you a researcher or do you work the Science and Technology? Read how the development of ERA can help to improve your career conditions and opportunities across
Do you work for a university or research institution? Read how ERA initiatives can strengthen universities and research-performing organizations, in addition to bringing benefits to your researchers.
Do you work for a business? Read how ERA can smooth knowledge transfer and cooperation with "open access" and better management of intellectual property across borders.
Are you from a national or regional administration? Read how the Ljubljana Process is putting into place a partnership to research policy associating public authorities from all levels around a shared vision for the development of ERA.
Are you a European citizen? Read how the Joint Programming initiative is bringing together the national resources from across
Are you from another part of the world? Read throughout the site how ERA is shaping as one of the world's most attractive places to do research and to innovate, but also how it is developing strong links with partners across the world.
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European Partnership for Researchers – better careers and more mobility
The European Partnership for Researchers (EPR) aims at improving career prospects for researchers in Europe, stimulating young people to embark on research careers and helping to retain European talent and attracting researchers from other world regions. The Partnership facilitates mobility between countries, academia and industry.
Improving the career prospects and mobility enhances the diffusion of knowledge (fifth Freedom) throughout Europe, balances demand and supply for researchers at European level, helps to create centers of excellence and improves the skills of researchers in
The EPR aims to accelerate progress in four key areas:
Social security and pensions of researchers:
A pan-European Pension Fund for Researchers
Researchers increasingly rely on supplementary pension schemes to provide for their retirement but are often confronted with unfavourable conditions for acquisition, preservation and transfer of these rights when they undertake mobility. However, according to the results of a feasibility study, it is now possible to set up a pan-European pension fund for researchers that could provide a possible practical solution to overcome one of the barriers to the mobility of researchers.
An Expert Group on "Social Security, supplementary pensions and new patterns of mobility" has delivered a report on the social security and pensions of internationally mobile researchers. The report proposes concrete recommendations to remove the obstacles linked to researchers' social security protection.
The EPR is being implemented by the
The Commission has also launched concrete initiatives, such as dedicated information services for researchers, in particular through the activities regrouped under the name of EURAXESS – Researchers in Motion.
EURAXESS is the gateway to attractive research careers in
EURAXESS and other initiatives implementing the Partnership are funded by the People Specific Programme of the 7th Research Framework Programme.
The EPR was proposed by the Commission in the May
The mobility of researchers constitutes a crucial element in the realisation of the European Research Area. The attraction and retention of talented researchers in
DG Research and Innovation is taking a practical step toward helping employers to have a full understanding of the possible terms and conditions for setting up a cross-border pension fund.
Information workshops are organised in 2011 for interested organisations employing researchers, with the aim of allowing them to make an informed decision about whether to join a pan-European pension fund and under what conditions. The first workshop was held on 4 April providing information about the possibilities. The presentations can be found in the right column of this page.
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The EU/Commission is developing policy actions and funding schemes that aim at supporting both individual researchers and students and universities as research institutions. This includes measures regarding for example mobility, attractiveness of careers or a single labour market for researchers in
State of play
In September 2011, the Commission adopted a new Communication: EU strategy for modernising higher education.
The European Commission identified nine key challenges for higher education modernisation in its 2006 Communication Delivering on the Modernisation Agenda for Universities: Education, Research and Innovation. ce this necessary restructuring and modernisation requires coordinated action from all parties involved.
To this end, the Directorate-Generals for Education and Culture (EAC), and Research and Innovation are managing a number of important projects:
Mutual learning on national reforms to improve research performance of universities
Common principles for responsible external research funding
Assessment of university-based research
Towards a European University Register
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Research Performing Organisations
Research Performing Organisations (RPOs) are non-profit organisations that are not part of a university. They are key players in the national and/or the regional innovation systems and in the European Research Area (ERA), complementing the roles of universities and industries, and often playing an important economic role regionally. They include large national organisations such as TNO (NL), Fraunhofer Gesellschaft (DE), INRA (FR), CSIC (ES) and the Hungarian Academy of Science (HU), but also excellent intergovernmental research organisations with unique research infrastructures such as CERN, EMBL, ESO, ESA, ILL and ESRF as well as a large number of smaller and medium sized entities.
RPOs can have very different legal forms: state agency, foundation, NGO or even an incorporated company or part of a ministry. Their size varies, they can include various numbers of institutes, can be public, private or a mixture of both; their common characteristic is that they are non-profit organisations and perform research in one or in a multitude of domains.
Most RPOs have a mission beyond the performance of basic research. Some RPOs were founded early in the 20th century, or even before, when there was a massive expansion of public sector research establishments. The first large intergovernmental European research organisation was CERN, founded in 1953.
What is the role of RPOs?
RPOs are among the main players in the development and consolidation of the ERA, and strongly contribute to innovation. The activities of RPOs range from basic and applied research to translation of research into solutions to meet business or societal needs. A number of them, notably the renowned intergovernmental organisations (e.g. CERN, EMBL, ESO, ESA, ILL and ESRF), make their research infrastructures available to researchers from all over Europe or even worldwide.
RPOs train Ph.D. candidates and young researchers, but, unlike universities, teaching and awarding degrees is not their core activity (with a few exceptions). Often RPOs have longer-term and larger projects or programmes than universities, operate in a multi-discipline environment on complex research issues, and many of them have a business-like internal management.
It is estimated that of the public funds allocated to research organisations approximately 40% of them go to RPOs and 60% go to universities.
From the above it can be seen that RPOs, both those embedded in their national systems and the intergovernmental research organisations, play an important and substantial role in the ERA. For this reason, the European Commission has engaged in a structured dialogue and cooperation with some intergovernmental RPOs and it is further developing its actions to consolidate (or strengthen the role of?) RPOs in the ERA.
How are RPOs collectively organised?
Seven intergovernmental research organisations are associated in EIROforum. RPOs are also largely present as members of associations such as EARTO, EuroHORCs, ESF and, in a lesser measure, TAFTIE, ALLEA and EASAC.
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Research efforts can be essential to address major societal challenges. In some cases these are so great that national research programmes cannot tackle them effectively on their own. Yet, the vast bulk of research programmes in
European national research programmes are amongst the first and best in the world, but they cannot tackle some of today's major societal challenges alone. Such challenges include, for example, addressing climate change, ensuring energy and food supply or a healthy ageing of citizens.
The following Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) have been identified to date (please see Timetable below for more details):
Background
The European Council of March 2008 called on the Commission and
The Commission made proposals to launch such a process in July
The Council of Ministers endorsed these proposals and agreed to launch the process in December 2008.
In March 2010, the European Commission launched its initiative Europe 2020 – A European strategy for smart, sustainable and inclusive growth and Europe 2020 paper. As part of the Flagship Initiative: "Innovation Union" the Commission will work towards completing the European Research Area, including seeking to enhance joint programming with
What is Joint Programming?
The overall aim of Joint Programming is to pool national research efforts in order to make better use of
It will follow a structured strategic process whereby Member States agree common visions and strategic research agendas to address major societal challenges.
Timetable
How does it work?
Joint Programming is a new process combining a strategic framework, a bottom-up approach and high-level commitment from Member States. It builds on the experience gained from existing schemes coordinating national programmes.
Suitable Joint Programming areas are identified by a High Level Group on Joint Programming (GPC from the French "Groupe de Programmation Conjointe") consisting of nominees from
Based on the result of the GPC, the Council, upon a proposal by the Commission, recommends a limited number of areas in which to implement Joint Programming in priority.
From there on, participation of Member States in each initiative is "à la carte", based on voluntary commitments leading to partnerships composed of variable groups of countries. For each initiative, participating countries will start with:
The Commission facilitates the identification process and, if they so wish support Member States for Joint Programming as necessary.
On 3rd December 2009 the Council of Ministers adopted a pilot Joint Programming Initiative . In these same Conclusions, the Council asked the Commission to develop proposals in three new areas identified by the GPC.
In April 2010 the Commission responded to the above demand putting forward Commission recommendations inviting Member States to launch Joint Programming Initiatives in these three areas, accompanying each of them with full States of Play for research in
The Commission will facilitate these efforts by:
During 2010 the Council launched officially the three above-mentioned JPIs and asked the Commission to consider possible JPIs in six new areas.
At the end of 2010, the GPC produced a report on the first two years of the Joint Programming process and adopted Guidelines on for Framework Conditions on Joint Programming. The Guidelines should facilitate the implementation of JPIs by providing advice on administrative, normative and regulatory factors considered essential for the effective implementation of Joint Programming in Research such as:
More information and key documents
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Excellent research needs a range of high-quality research infrastructures (radiation sources, data banks for genomics and social sciences, observatories for environmental sciences, systems of imaging, and clean rooms for nanotechnologies). Pan-European infrastructures can provide research services to the whole European research community. They are a key component of
Developing world-class research infrastructures is essential to the reinforcement of ERA. The main challenges that need to be addressed are the following:
A report of the ERA expert group on research infrastructures, Developing World-class Research Infrastructures for the European Research Area , emphasized the need for a strategic coordination mechanism at EU level involving all relevant stakeholders and recommended to create a European legal framework for the management of new Research Infrastructures (RIs).
Building on the work of this first expert group, a second ERA expert group reviewed and re-examined the role of research infrastructures within the ERA. The experts drew up a vision for 2020 on the status, role and scientific impact of research infrastructures in relation to the evolution of the ERA: A vision for strengthening world-class research infrastructures in the ERA.
Implementing the European Research Infrastructures Roadmap
The implementation of the roadmaps started in 2007 with funding within FP7 of the preparatory phase of 34 projects which aims to the finalisation of the legal organisation, the management and multiannual financial planning.
A first report on the implementation of the ESFRI Roadmap was published in January 2010.
Creating an appropriate Community legal framework - ERIC
An efficient legal framework for the setting-up of large research infrastructures in
An ERIC can benefit from exemptions from VAT and excise duty in all EU Member States and it may adopt its own procurement procedures.
Members will be (Member or Associated) States and intergovernmental organisations.
Member States wishing to set up an ERIC send a request to the European Commission, which will decide on it with the help of a Committee of representatives of the Member States.
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To become an increasingly competitive knowledge-based economy,
Optimal circulation, access to and transfer of scientific knowledge
When scientists, research institutions, businesses and citizens have the opportunity to access, share, discuss and use existing scientific knowledge the innovation system as a whole benefits.
The ERA Communication adopted in 2012 COM(2012)392 focuses on the following issues:
Open access
Open access refers to the practice of granting free access to research outputs over the Internet, mostly peer-reviewed publications and research data. Open access is one way to tap into the enormous potential of public investment to boost productivity, competiveness and growth, the main goal of the EU 2020 strategy. OA will also increase openness and transparency and thereby contribute to better policy making and ultimately benefit society and citizens.
The following open access measures are included in the ERA as part of the activities on optimal circulation and transfer of scientific knowledge:
More information about the European Commission's open access policies and activities, as well as background material is available at http://ec.europa.eu/research/science-society/open_access/
Intellectual property and knowledge transfer
Proper management of intellectual property is critical to ensure that both parties get the most out of any knowledge transfer activity. Following the Publication of the ERA Green Paper in April
The Communication on knowledge transfer was followed up with a Commission Recommendation on the management of intellectual property in knowledge transfer activities (the Recommendation) and the Code of Practice for universities and public research organizations (PROs) (the Code of Practice), which were adopted in April 2008.
The Recommendation and the Code of Practice offer a coherent framework for the management of IP in agreement between PROs (Research Performing Organisations) and the private sector, in order to promote knowledge transfer at national, European and international levels. It comprises a set of key policy recommendations to
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INVESTING IN RESEARCH – THE 3 % OBJECTIVE
In March 2010, the European Council agreed on the main elements of the EU's new strategy for growth and jobs, and set five headline targets which would serve to guide the implementation and monitoring of actions at EU and national levels. One of these targets is to improve the conditions for research and development and to bring combined public and private R&D investment levels to 3% of EU GDP.
The objective of raising the EU's overall R&D investment to approach 3% of GDP was originally set by the Barcelona European Council in
The 3% target was not met by
Recognising that Europe's future growth relies to a large extent on research and innovation, the European Council reaffirmed in March 2010 that the overall R&D investment level should be increased to 3% of EU GDP as part of improving the conditions for research and development. Building on its proposal to launch a "Innovation Union" flagship initiative, the Commission engaged in the development of a Research and Innovation Plan to re-focus R&D and innovation policy on the major societal challenges, strengthen the knowledge-based and research capacity across
At the March 2010 European Council, EU leaders also agreed that an indicator should be produced to complement the Europe 2020 target of investing 3% of GDP in R&D. Related to this the Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science appointed a High-Level Panel on the Measurement of Innovation to advise the European Commission. On the basis of the options proposed by the High-Level Panel, the European Commission proposed in its Innovation Union communication (page 30) the development of an indicator measuring the share of fast-growing innovative companies in the economy.
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The development of ERA aims to improve research in all fields. However, some initiatives focus on specific areas of research, where special efforts are needed to address major challenges. They include Joint Programming, the Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs), the Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET Plan) and the 3 public-private partnerships for green cars, energy-efficient buildings and factories of the future, which were launched in 2009 as part of the European Recovery Plan.
(πηγή: European Commission)