Conclusions of the Council on the definition of a 2020 vision for the European research area
Date: 2009-01-31
Institutions: Council of the European Union
Subjects: EU programme, action programme, competitiveness, environmental protection, knowledge economy, research and development, research body, research policy

31.1.2009

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Official Journal of the European Union

C 25/1

IV

(Notices)

NOTICES FROM EUROPEAN UNION INSTITUTIONS AND BODIES

COUNCIL

Conclusions of the Council on the definition of a ‘2020 vision for the European research area’

(2009/C 25/01)

THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION

1. RECALLS:

— its Conclusions of 30 May 2008 on the launch of the
‘Ljubljana Process — Towards full realisation of ERA’
aiming to establish an enhanced governance for the
ERA, and which stressed in particular the need to
develop a long-term vision for the ERA based on the
objectives of the Lisbon Strategy,

(ERA) (1)
the

— its Resolution of 15 June 2000 establishing a European
Research Area
following the Presidency
Conclusions of
European Council held on
23 and 24 March 2000 in Lisbon, where the European
Union adopted the Lisbon Strategy with the goal
of becoming the most
and dynamic
competitive
knowledge-based economy in the world,

— the Commission communication of 26 November 2008
entitled ‘A European Economic Recovery Plan for
growth and jobs’, which proposes in particular measures
including
the knowledge-based economy,
to support
measures for research-intensive SMEs which are at par-
ticular risk in the current financial crisis;

of

— the Conclusions

of
the
22 and 23 March 2005, at which the Lisbon Strategy
was renewed placing the main emphasis on knowledge,
innovation and the optimisation of human capital,

European Council

— the ‘Green Paper on the European Research Area: New
Perspectives’ adopted by the Commission on 4 April
2007, which proposed a number of priority objectives
with a view to deepening and widening the ERA so that
it fully contributes to the renewed Lisbon Strategy,

of

— the Conclusions

of
the
13 and 14 March 2008, which called for the creation
of a ‘fifth freedom’ to remove barriers to the free move-
ment of knowledge,

European Council

2. ENCOURAGES the Community and the Member States to
further coordinate their research and technological develop-
ment activities so as to ensure that national policies and
Community policy are mutually consistent;

3. REAFFIRMS the importance of strengthening scientific and
technological bases across Europe and developing its
competitiveness
sustainable development
including protection of the environment, and satisfying the
needs of
its citizens, by achieving a European Research
Area (ERA) in which researchers, scientific knowledge and
technology circulate freely;

in pursuit of

— its Conclusions of 23 November 2007 on the Future of
Science and Technology in Europe, which called for an
increase in public and private research funding, as well
as an increase in human resources for research,

(1) OJ C 205, 17.7.2000, p. 1.

4. STRESSES that coordination and cooperation activities in the
ERA are organised on a voluntary basis and that their
implementation takes place in variable geometry in the
spirit of close cooperation between the Community and the
Member States with appropriate involvement of the coun-
tries
for
associated with the Framework Programme
Research and Technological Development and with due
respect for the principle of subsidiarity;

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5. RECALLS that in addition to the Framework Programme for
Research and Technological Development there is a variety
of other important initiatives at European level, such as
EUREKA and COST, that continue to be essential to the
creation of a true spirit of cooperation. Moreover, there are
a variety of
in Europe,
top-level scientific institutions
including intergovernmental
scientific organisations and
laboratories (1), which contribute to the worldwide recogni-
tion of European research;

6. RECALLS that the Community patent would constitute an
important part of the operational IPR framework which the
EU is gradually putting in place, and that the European
Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) together with
its forthcoming Knowledge and Innovation Communities
(KICs) should be instrumental in bringing closer together
research, innovation and education across Europe;

7. REAFFIRMS that the ERA constitutes a core element of the
Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs and STRESSES the
necessity to ensure that the ERA is fully operational and
fully contributes to the ‘knowledge triangle’ of research,
innovation and education driving the international competi-
tiveness and sustainable development of Europe and under-
pinning its ambitions to become a leading knowledge-based
economy and society;

8.

in that context, CONSIDERS that the increasing world-wide
competition in research and the emergence of global

societal challenges call for accelerating the full realisation of
the ERA, including its external dimension;

9. ENDORSES the attached ‘2020 Vision for the ERA’, which
was developed in partnership by the Member States and the
Commission in the context of
the
‘Ljubljana Process’;

the first phase of

10.

11.

12.

INVITES Member States and the Commission to communi-
cate this common vision widely to stakeholders and society
at large, to quickly focus policies and actions to make it a
reality, and, subsequently, to discuss, update and deepen it
as part of the ‘Ljubljana Process’;

INVITES Member States and the Commission to take this
vision into consideration in their reflections on the Lisbon
Strategy post-2010;

INVITES future Presidencies to take this vision and its poten-
tial evolution into consideration in the development of
their proposals for the future governance of the ERA and
STRESSES the need to use the full potential of existing coor-
dination structures such as CREST in dealing with ERA
initiatives;

13.

INVITES the Commission to propose by the end of 2009 a
limited number of monitoring indicators and evaluation
criteria to measure the progress made in achieving the
‘2020 Vision for the ERA’.

(1) Such as the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN),
European Space Agency (ESA), European Organisation for Astronom-
ical Research in the Southern Hemisphere (ESO), European Molecular
Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and others.

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ANNEX

‘2020 VISION FOR THE EUROPEAN RESEARCH AREA’

By 2020, all players will fully benefit from the ‘fifth freedom’ across the ERA: free circulation of researchers,
knowledge and technology. The ERA provides attractive conditions and effective and efficient governance for
carrying out research and investing in R & D intensive sectors in Europe. It creates significant added value by
fostering healthy Europe-wide scientific competition whilst ensuring the appropriate level of cooperation and
coordination. It is responsive to the needs and ambitions of citizens and contributes effectively to the sustain-
able development and competitiveness of Europe.

The European Research Area (ERA) is firmly rooted in society and responsive to its needs and ambitions in pursuit
of sustainable development

The European publicly-supported research and technology base plays a key role in responding to the needs of citizens and
business, through world-class cutting-edge research.

Major challenges are addressed by high levels of public and private investment in research and by strategic partnerships
involving the Community, Member States and Associated States in variable geometry, based on common foresight.

Research also supports the development of national and EU policies and provides decision-makers with accessible, diverse
and up-to-date scientific evidence.

The ERA builds on mutual trust and continuous dialogue between society and the scientific and technological community.
The freedom of research is fully recognised. Research carried out in the ERA respects the ethical principles of the EU and
supports its democratic values as well as the cultures and identities of Member States.

The ERA enables Europe to speak with one voice in international fora and with its main international partners. Public
authorities at all levels jointly promote consistency between their R & D cooperation activities and develop joint initiatives
that give Europe leadership in addressing global challenges and reaching sustainable development goals.

The ERA defines the European way to excellence in research and is a major driver of European competitiveness in
the globalised world

The modernisation of research, education and innovation systems go hand in hand

Strong interactions within the ‘knowledge triangle’ (education, research and innovation) are promoted at all levels, from
individual researchers, funding organisations, universities and research institutions to SMEs and multinational companies,
and are supported by appropriate European mechanisms.

Research, education and innovation policies and programmes are jointly designed among public authorities at all levels
with appropriate involvement of relevant stakeholders, whenever this is necessary to optimise their effectiveness, efficiency
and value to society and the economy.

The supply of human resources in science and technology is in line with the demand by public and private research
players, and the ERA contributes to the development of appropriate structures for the training and balanced circulation of
scientific talent as well as for a favourable work-life balance.

The ERA underpins the development of European competitiveness …

Business is stimulated to innovate and invest in Europe, in particular in R & D. Firms operating in the ERA benefit from a
single market for innovative goods and services and excellent export potential in growing markets worldwide. They
fully exploit the possibilities of open innovation through a single market for knowledge including an operational
IPR framework.

Across the ERA, firms, including young innovative firms and SMEs, can easily engage in research partnerships with a
European public research base and benefit from attractive framework conditions, based on proactive standard-setting and
coordinated public procurement, improving their access to European high-growth markets for innovative ideas, goods and
services.

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… and provides coordinated support to researchers and research institutions engaged in excellent research

Public authorities across the ERA contribute to world-class S&T excellence in Europe relying on cooperation and coordina-
tion where there is clear added value. To that end, national and regional research systems, policy objectives, dissemination
and support mechanisms and programmes, which are core elements of the ERA, are developed in a simple and coherent
manner.

A significant share of public funding of research is provided through ERA-wide open competition based on the quality
and relevance of the research, thus gradually promoting the necessary specialisation and concentration of resources into
units of excellence of optimum size and improving the effectiveness of research funding.

Public funding leaves a large margin for bottom-up creativity and a healthy diversity of approaches in the ways challenges
are addressed. This includes fully open, non-oriented research funded via the European Research Council and national
funding organisations, which are open to direct applications within and across national borders in the EU from individual
researchers or teams.

At the same time, S&T capacity building is promoted across the EU

Utilising their research potential fully, all Member States and all European regions are building on their strengths while
maintaining or gaining access to complementary specialised knowledge and capacities in the rest of Europe. This is
from the cohesion policy and appropriate transnational coordination to ensure
achieved with significant support
optimum deployment across Europe of scientific and technological capacities.

As part of the diversified and rich landscape of top-level scientific institutions, major research infrastructures in the ERA
promote excellence in science on a globally competitive basis and are jointly funded at EU level where appropriate, with
rapid development of new distributed infrastructures. They offer equitable access to world-class modern research facilities
and technology demonstrators.

The ERA provides a seamless area of freedom and opportunities for dialogue, exchange and interaction open to the
world

The ERA provides for open circulation of knowledge across national borders. Public authorities at all levels jointly pursue
an outward-looking approach to collaboration with third countries, based on mutual benefit and appropriate intellectual
property management and protection. The ERA is at the core of all major global networks of scientific and technological
knowledge producers, distributors and users.

Common frameworks, guidance and, where appropriate, legislation facilitate the establishment and functioning of the
transnational markets and networks in which the ERA actors can interact with each other effectively and efficiently.

Research institutions across the ERA have the strategic, financial and managerial autonomy to engage in durable partner-
ships and alliances across Europe and beyond, and to interact effectively with business and other players. These interac-
tions are facilitated by an open market
for contract research and appropriate guidance for intellectual property
management.

Players are able to access, manage and share knowledge (including via open access) across the ERA using interoperable
high-performance information systems.

European research institutions provide attractive working conditions for researchers from all parts of the world, both men
and women, in the framework of a single labour market which enables mobility between countries and sectors with
minimal financial or administrative obstacles.