COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Implementation of the European Research Area (ERA) Strengthening Europe's Research and Innovation: The ERA's Journey and Future Directions
Date: 2024-10-22
Institutions: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, European Commission
Subjects: EU research policy, industry-research relations, innovation, investment, open science, research and development, research infrastructure, research staff, scientific cooperation

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  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Strasbourg, 22.10.2024  COM(2024) 490 final  COMMUNICATION FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE COUNCIL, THE EUROPEAN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMITTEE AND THE COMMITTEE OF THE REGIONS Implementation of the European Research Area (ERA)       Strengthening Europe's Research and Innovation: The ERA's Journey and Future Directions      
 
 
1. 

INTRODUCTION 

The ambition of creating a European Research Area (ERA) as a single market for research, 
innovation and technology across the European Union (EU) was conceived in 2000 in the 
context of the Lisbon strategy. In 2009, the Lisbon Treaty formally recognised the ERA as 
an EU objective, under Article 179 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union 
(TFEU). The ERA should be achieved mainly by: (i) reforming national research policies, 
systems and regulations; (ii) increasing investment in research and innovation (R&I); and 
(iii) agreeing on common priorities for R&I investment across the EU. 

Enhancing Europe’s scientific and technological base through cross-border cooperation, 
building critical mass and fostering continent-wide competition strengthens the quality and 
impact  of  science  and  the  attractiveness  of  Europe  as  a  place  to  be  a  scientist  or  an 
innovator.  As  Mario  Draghi  highlighted  in  the  Report  on  the  Future  of  European 
Competitiveness (1), R&I are essential for productivity growth, economic development and 
competitiveness, for creating more and better jobs, and for Europe’s capacity to find more 
efficiently solutions to challenges such as for the green and digital transitions. The Political 
Guidelines for the next European Commission 2025-2029 also emphasise the core role of 
R&I for competitiveness (2). 

In a fully effective European Research Area, researchers, knowledge and data would move 
freely. Europe’s 2  million  researchers  would  benefit from  excellent  working  conditions 
wherever  they  were  located  and  have  access  to  top-tier  research  infrastructures.  And 
innovators would find a supportive environment in which to scale up their innovations.  

Significant strides have been made over the past two decades, including the development 
of  European  research  infrastructures  and  access  to  them;  the  creation  of  joint  research 
programmes  and  European  flagship  programmes  supporting  research  excellence  and 
increasing  Europe’s  attractiveness  to  the  most  promising  global  talent;  the  provision  of 
better conditions for researcher mobility; the increased attractiveness of research careers; 
and more open access to scientific results. 

However, as the Draghi report notes, Europe’s R&I system is still marked by considerable 
disparities and fragmentation between Member States and regions. Over the last years, the 
best  performing  EU  regions  have  been  eight  times  more  innovative  than  the  least 
performing ones (3). This is particularly evident in the uneven framework conditions for 
R&I activities,  with  public  and private investment  in  research  and development (R&D) 
remaining well below the target of 3% of gross domestic product (GDP). The regulatory 
and business environments for the deployment of innovation and the growth of innovative 
companies also vary significantly across Europe.  

In  its  2020  Communication  A  new  ERA  for  Research  and  Innovation (4),  the  European 
Commission proposed renewed efforts to overcome the slowdown in ERA development, 
adapt to the rapidly changing global R&I landscape, and better support Europe’s green and 
digital  transitions.  The  Pact  for  Research  and  Innovation  (5)  introduced  a  new  policy 
framework,  along  with  the  ERA  Policy  Agenda,  a  new  governance  structure  and  a 
monitoring system. 

Four years later, increased geopolitical tensions, economic competition and the sharp rise 
in breakthrough technologies, such as artificial intelligence, call for a sound assessment of 

(1)  EU competitiveness: Looking ahead - European Commission (europa.eu) 
(2)  https://commission.europa.eu/document/e6cd4328-673c-4e7a-8683-f63ffb2cf648_en 
(3) Regional Innovation Scoreboard 2023 
(4) COM(2020) 628 final 
(5) OJ L 431, 2.12.2021, p. 1–9. 

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the  ERA’s  progress.  This  2024  Communication  takes  stock  of  advances  since  2020, 
identifying successes, shortcomings and areas in which further action is required to achieve 
the ERA's objectives. 

2.  THE ERA PRIORITIES: FOUR YEARS ON 

The 2020 Communication A new ERA for Research and Innovation  outlined four strategic 
objectives, which were endorsed by the Council in the Pact for Research and Innovation:  

(i) 
(ii) 
(iii) 
(iv) 

prioritising investment and reforms;  
improving access to excellence;  
translating R&I results into the economy; and  
deepening the ERA.  

Based on these objectives, the ERA roadmap detailed 20 specific actions for the 2020-
2024 period (6).  

To address these objectives effectively and improve coordination among Member States 
and  the  European  Commission,  a  new  governance  structure  was  established.  This  new 
governance  structure  has  three  components.  The  first  component  is  the  European 
Research Area and Innovation Committee (ERAC), which was reaffirmed as the high-
level strategic policy joint advisory committee. The second component is the ERA Forum, 
composed of EU Member States, countries associated with Horizon Europe, stakeholders 
and the Commission. The ERA Forum coordinates priority setting and draw ups plans for 
joint  actions  in  a  co-creation  process  (ERA  Policy  Agenda7).  It  also  facilitates  the 
implementation of these actions via dedicated working groups, initiatives and the exchange 
of best practice. The third component of the new governance structure is a new monitoring 
system (8), which was put in place to track progress and assess the impact of ERA actions. 

To  preserve  openness  in  international  research  and  innovation  cooperation,  while 
promoting a level playing field and reciprocity underpinned by fundamental values, the 
Communication introduced a geopolitical dimension. These principles were strengthened 
in  the  2021  Commission  Communication  on  a  Global  Approach  to  Research  and 
Innovation (9) and the 2024 Council Recommendation on enhancing research security (10).  

To increase trust in science and help to achieve greater societal impact through the uptake 
of new ideas and innovations, since 2020 citizen engagement in R&I has also been at the 
heart of the ‘new ERA’. 

The sections below explore the issues addressed by the four objectives, review the progress 
made since 2020 and identify areas for further action (11). 

2.1.  Prioritising investment and reforms 

Objective 

The European Research Area is about achieving, through collaboration, the necessary scale 
and efficiency to address Europe’s research and innovation needs effectively. At a time 
when Europe must concentrate its efforts on areas  crucial to  its future competitiveness, 

(6) More information on the 20 actions and the implementation of the ‘new ERA’ can be found in Annex 1. 
(7) Council doc. 14308/21. 
(8) Home | European Research Area Platform (europa.eu) 
(9) COM(2021)252 final. 
(10) OJ C, C/2024/3510, 30.5.2024. 
(11) More information on the implementation of the ‘new ERA’ can be found in Annex 1 as well as on the ERA policy 
platform, which provides detailed reports on the implementation of ERA actions, both at EU level and at the level of 
individual Member States: https://european-research-area.ec.europa.eu/ 

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sustainability  and  wellbeing,  the  duplication,  substitution  and  fragmentation  of  R&I 
investments and initiatives would be counterproductive. Cross-border cooperation, on the 
other hand, generates efficiency gains by achieving critical mass through pooled resources.  

However, success requires strong political commitment across the Union to identify joint 
priorities,  coordinate  policy  or  regulatory  actions,  and  pool  investments.  Without  a 
sustained prioritisation of R&I investment at the national level, alongside the establishment 
of supportive regulations and policies, the ERA cannot be fully effective. This calls for 
each country to undertake a thorough assessment of its needs, particularly regarding the 
organisation  of  its  research  or  university  (support)  systems,  working  conditions  for 
researchers, Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) management or the overarching business 
and operating environment for innovative companies, identifying where structural reforms 
are necessary. 

The Pact for Research and Innovation in 2021 called for ambitious yet realistic goals to 
drive  the  necessary  reforms  at  national  and  regional  level,  with  the  ultimate  target  of 
investing 3% of EU GDP in R&D, with two thirds coming from the private sector. In 
April  2024,  the  European  Council  recognised  this  target  as  a  key  driver  for  boosting 
Europe’s long-term competitiveness (12). 

Progress 

Since  2020,  the  European  Commission  has  worked  closely  with  Member  States  to 
strengthen  and  better  align  R&I  efforts  across  the  EU.  This  has  been  achieved  through 
targeted policy; financial and technical support for structural reforms; and ‘soft’ measures 
like exchanges of experience and policy dialogues (13).  

The Cohesion Policy Funds and the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) have been 
key instruments enabling the identification of targeted reform needs and action on the 
framework  conditions  for  R&I.  In  the  period  of  2021-2027,  EUR  36.5  billion  of 
Cohesion Policy support is allocated to investments for R&I and innovation-related skills 
through  national  and  regional  programmes,  each  underpinned  by  place-based  smart 
specialisation strategies (14). The RRF has mobilised EUR 55.6 billion for R&I since 2021 
in conjunction with key structural reforms to improve the functioning and performance of 
Member States’ R&I systems. Of this total, 35.5% is facilitating the green transition, while 
9.3% is being directed to R&I in digital technologies. The accompanying structural reforms 
and complementary investments in the RRF are also expected to contribute significantly 
to the ERA by strengthening knowledge exploitation, fostering stronger science-business 
linkages  (e.g.  in  France  and  Greece),  supporting  stronger  R&I  ecosystems  through 
improved services to SMEs and startups (e.g. in Lithuania) or increasing the number of 
businesses investing in R&I activities (e.g. in Croatia). The R&I investment and reform 
momentum  generated  by  the  RRF  has  already  led  to  tangible  outcomes.  For  example, 
Slovakia  is  bolstering  its  scientific  excellence  by  consolidating  its  universities  and 
reforming  their  governance  to  ensure  that  they  are  better  attuned  to  the  economy  and 
societal  needs,  while  Spain  amended  its  Science,  Technology  and  Innovation  Law  to 
introduce  a  target  to  spend  1.25%  of  GDP  target  on  public  R&D  investment  by  2030. 
Horizontal R&I investments account for a significant share of the total R&I investments 
under the RRF. They include a variety of cross-cutting measures such as strengthening of 
innovation  ecosystems  (including  through  innovation  clusters),  upgrade  of  research 
infrastructures, grants for researchers, support for business innovation including start-ups 

(12) https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/m5jlwe0p/euco-conclusions-20240417-18-en.pdf.  
(13) COM(2024)231 final, p. 9. 
(14)  Cohesion policy is driving the reforms through the enabling conditions that need to be met in order to allow these 
investments to happen. Smart specialisation strategies provide a strategic framework for Cohesion policy’s R&I 
targeted investments to strengthen regional innovation ecosystems and build institutional capacities, addressing also 
challenges such as industrial transition and fostering interregional cooperation. 

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and SMEs, facilitation of public-private R&I cooperation, and the support of existing or 
new regional clusters. 

To provide hands-on expert support to Member States, both the Horizon Policy Support 
Facility (15)  and  the  Technical  Support  Instrument (16)  have  been  mobilised.  These  two 
tools have helped to inform the design and implementation of R&I reforms in areas such 
as:  (i)  improving  public  R&D  spending  on  key  priorities;  (ii)  setting  up  multiannual 
financial frameworks for the long-term public funding of science; and (iii) strengthening 
the  linkages  between  science  and  business.  Furthermore,  ‘enhanced  dialogues’  were 
initiated  in  2022  between  interested  Member  States  and  the  European  Commission  to 
improve  the  articulation  of  EU  and  national  R&I  policies  and  increase  coordination 
between different departments in charge of R&I (‘whole of government’ approach). The 
Commission has already organised 14 dialogues with 12 Members States. 

Remaining scope for action  

Despite this progress, more can still be done to reinforce European collective scientific 
and technological capacity through: (i) greater policy coordination on joint priorities 
between  ERA  countries;  (ii)  the  sustained  prioritisation  of  R&I  investment  at 
national  level;  (iii)  supportive regulations and policies for R&I;  and (iv) stronger 
monitoring of the effectiveness of the actions.  

As  highlighted  in  the  last  European  Semester  Spring  Package (17),  several  Member 
States still need to implement structural reforms to improve conditions for science 
and innovation. Concerning the RRF, whilst implementation and disbursements have been 
accelerating,  progress  varies  across  Member  States.  All  Member  States  need  to  continue 
their efforts  to  implement  their  respective  RRP  in  full  before  the  end  of  2026,  when  the 
Facility is due to expire (18).    

In 2022, R&D intensity in the EU stood at 2.3%, well below the 3% ambition, and that 
of  our  main  international  competitors  such  as  the  US  at  3.6%,  Japan  at  3.4%,  South 
Korea at 5.2% or China at 2.6%. R&I support and investments vary considerably across 
Member  States  ranging  from  3.47%  to  0.46%  of  GDP ([2]),  with  only  five  countries 
reaching  the  3%  target.  The  reason  for  this  gap  comes  mostly  from  low  private 
investments in R&D in Europe and insufficient specialisation in high-tech sectors (“the 
so-called European medium-technology trap”).  

Regulatory barriers impeding business innovation and the financing, scale-up and 
deployment of innovations remain to be tackled. There is notably scope to strengthen 
the syndication of European investors for breakthrough innovation, for instance through 
trusted  investor  networks,  and  bolster  the  European  markets  for  innovations  through 
public procurement or standardisation policies.  

Actions to further promote knowledge and technology transfer from academia to the 
private sector, including through IPR policy, are also needed in many Member States. 
This could take the form of organisational changes or the adoption of dedicated incentive 
schemes, e.g. to encourage mobility between sectors. 

(15) The Horizon Policy Support Facility aims to support countries in improving their R&I systems through access to 
relevant expertise and experience from peers on R&I policy reforms across the ERA. The budget is set for each year in 
the Horizon Europe Work Programme.  
(16) The Technical Support Instrument is the EU programme that provides tailor-made technical expertise to EU Member 

States to design and implement reforms. 

(17) https://commission.europa.eu/publications/2024-european-semester-spring-package_en. 
(18)  European Commission (COM(2024) 474 final, Report from the Commission to the European Parliament 
and the Council on the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, 10 October 2024 

([2] Eurostat, Gross domestic expenditure on R&D, 2022 (R&D expenditure - Statistics Explained (europa.eu) 

4 

 
 
 
In  addition  to  private  investment,  public  R&D  investment  remains  low  and 
insufficiently coordinated at EU level, as 90% of all public R&D is focused on national 
priorities and the European R&I Framework Programme (Horizon Europe) represents 
only about 10% of public R&D spending in the EU. In many Member states, Cohesion 
policy  investments  in  R&I  constitute  a  substantial  part  of  their  total  R&I 
investment.  In  Lithuania,  Poland  and  Latvia  –  above  30%;  in  Estonia,  Slovakia, 
Hungary,  Bulgaria,  Croatia  –  above  20%,  in  Portugal,  Cyprus,  Czech  Republic, 
Romania, Malta and Slovenia – above 10%. (19) No progress has been made towards 
achieving the ERA target of directing at least 5% of national public R&D funding 
towards joint cross-border research programmes or European partnerships. More could 
also be done to reinforce public research systems by adopting stable and predictable 
funding schemes, tackling institutional fragmentation and improving the attractiveness 
of careers in research.  

2.2.  Improving access to excellence 

Objective  

A strong European Research Area relies on a robust scientific base throughout the territory 
able to secure its long-term capacity to compete globally, but also to keep and attract talent. 
Research excellence exists everywhere in Europe, produced by researchers of all ages, in 
all  disciplines  and  in  all  sectors,  but  its  full  potential  remains  untapped.  There  are  still 
considerable disparities in the opportunities available to researchers and innovators across 
the ERA. Some of these disparities are caused by administrative and regulatory barriers 
that make it difficult for researchers in some regions and countries to access R&I funding, 
research and technology infrastructures, support structures or collaboration networks.  

interactions,  both 

In a world of increasingly complex technologies, discoveries and innovations are fostered 
by interactions across sectors, disciplines and geographies. But despite the importance of 
these 
industry-academia  collaboration  and  cross-border  R&I 
collaboration remain underdeveloped in the EU. Only nine EU Member States feature in 
the global top 20 for industry-university collaborations (20). Cooperation networks for R&I 
activities rarely extend across national – or even regional – borders. About 70% of all co-
owned patents are the result of collaboration within the same region. Only 13% involve 
organisations located in two different countries. 

The ERA’s objective is to tap into the EU’s full R&I potential and nurture talent wherever 
it is found, thereby ensuring that all Member States can both contribute to and benefit from 
the  scientific  knowledge  and  technologies  created  in  the  EU.  Doing  so  requires  (i) 
sustained  investment  in  R&I  capacities  throughout  the  Union  including  by  leveraging 
available instruments such as the widening scheme under Horizon Europe, the RRF and 
the Cohesion Policy funds; (ii) mobilising different levels of policy action at EU, national 
and  regional  level;  and  (iii)  developing  expertise  in  facilitating  access  to  and  the 
management of research projects. 

(19) Ex post evaluation of Cohesion policy programmes 2014-2020 financed by the ERDF, Final report 
(20) Science, Research and Innovation Performance (SRIP) Report 2024, Chapter 5, p. 353-355. 

5 

 
 
 
 
 
 
Progress 

The  European  Union  supports  building  cross-border  and  cross-sectoral  R&I 
cooperation  networks  through  its  collaborative  projects  funded  by  Horizon  Europe, 
representing close to three quarters of the budget awarded. Horizon Europe also supports 
the development of stronger R&I capacities in specific Member States (21) through its 
widening  actions (22).  With  an  investment  of  over  EUR  1  billion,  the  widening  actions 
have: (i) supported the creation or modernisation of centres of excellence in collaboration 
with  leading  institutions  from  different  countries  (Teaming);  (ii)  established  excellent 
scientists and their teams in a widening institution (ERA-Chairs); and (iii) strengthened 
regional  innovation  ecosystems,  by  creating  linkages  between  academia,  businesses, 
governments  and  civil  society  (Excellence  Hubs).  The  so-called  widening  countries 
received  14%  of  the  Horizon  Europe  budget  compared  to  8%  under  the  predecessor 
programme  (2024  data),  demonstrating  an  increase  in  their  capacity  to  access  the 
programme  and  compete  successfully  for  funding.  Horizon  Europe  also  supports  the 
training,  career  and  skills  development,  mobility  and  networking  of  researchers 
through the COST actions and the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Moreover, Cohesion 
policy is one of the main sources of innovation support for building R&I capacities and 
strengthening the ecosystems, in particular in regions classified by Regional Innovation 
Scoreboard as moderate and emerging innovators (mostly corresponding to the Cohesion 
policy's transition and less developed regions). The establishment as of 2024 of Regional 
Innovation  Valleys (23)  under  Horizon  Europe  and  Interregional  Innovation  Investment 
(I3) Instrument under Cohesion Policy aims to harness the full innovation potential across 
Europe, connecting less and more innovative regions and addressing social challenges 
through cutting edge technologies.  

Individual country plans under the RRF also contribute to cross-border projects and 
multi-country outcomes, with for instance investments in the Lithuanian plan aiming to 
strengthen genetic research in order to facilitate participation in the EU cross-border health 
project "1+ Million Genomes". Similarly, the Finnish RRP features investments to promote 
research on the production and storage of clean hydrogen and projects linked to European 
cooperation networks.  

In  order  to  strengthen  synergies  between  different  levels  of  policy  action  at  EU, 
national and regional level for reinforced access to excellence from the whole of Europe, 
a  forum  has  been  created  for  exchanging  practices  and  setting  joint  policy  priorities 
between R&I ministries and managing authorities in charge of regional development funds 
/  initiatives.  In  addition,  practical  guidelines (24)  for  the  implementation  of  synergies 
between  key  policy  instruments,  notably  Horizon  Europe  and  the  European  Regional 
Development  Fund  (ERDF),  were  published  in  2022.  This  has  yielded  some  promising 
results.  Managing  Authorities  under  Cohesion  Policy  in  several  Member  States  have 
established  schemes  that  enable  single  beneficiary  projects  awarded  the  Seals  of 
Excellence under Horizon Europe - projects evaluated as excellent but unable to secure 
funding due to budget constraints - to access alternative funding through ERDF programme 
support. Malta and Lithuania have started in 2024 pioneering the transfer of resources from 
ERDF  towards  Horizon  Europe  to  fund  high-quality  proposals  awarded  a  Seal  of 

(21)  Widening  countries  under  Horizon  Europe  are:  Bulgaria,  Croatia,  Cyprus,  Czechia,  Estonia,  Greece,  Hungary, 
Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia; Outermost Regions (under the terms of Article 
349 TFEU); and associated countries with equivalent characteristics in terms of R&I performance (Albania, Bosnia & 
Herzegovina,  Kosovo*  (This  designation  is  without  prejudice  to  positions  on  status,  and  is  in  line  with  UNSCR 
1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence),  Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, 
Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Tunisia, Ukraine, Faroe Islands). 
(22) Widening participation and spreading excellence - European Commission (europa.eu) 
(23) Inforegio - Commission funds Regional Innovation Valleys with €116 million to strengthen competitiveness and 

promote innovation (europa.eu) 

6 

 
 
 
Excellence. Member States such as Italy are also mobilising funding from ERDF to support 
the participation of their entities to Horizon Europe partnerships.  

In addition to Horizon Europe, the ERA Forum gathering Member States representatives 
and key stakeholders also allows to identify actions to reinforce research management 
capabilities. 

Remaining scope for action  

Despite the progress made since 2020, barriers remain to fully exploiting Europe’s R&I 
potential, with the latest edition of the European Innovation Scoreboard (25) reflecting 
sizeable disparities between countries. There is scope to further strengthen and better 
connect the R&I ecosystems of all European countries and regions to enable greater 
access  to  excellence  by  all  European  talents  and  make  Europe  an  attractive  place  to 
perform research and be an innovator.  

In particular, there is scope to (i) provide better information on available support at 
EU, national and regional level through efficient structures; (ii) greater visibility of the 
diversity  of  available  talent  throughout  Europe;  (iii)  more  openness  in  R&I 
cooperation networks in terms of disciplines, sectors and geographies; and (iv) further 
simplification of administrative processes for accessing financial or technical support 
for newcomers or for cross-border or cross-sector mobility. 

2.3.  Translating research and innovation results into the economy  

Objective 

For  the  ERA  to  support  competitiveness,  improve  the  quality  of  EU  citizens’  life  and 
address societal challenges such as the green and digital transitions, investments made in 
R&I should lead to concrete results deployed and taken up by the market. According to 
data from the European Patent Office, only one third of patented inventions by European 
universities  or  research  and  technology  organisations  are  used  commercially.  Making 
better use of the results of R&I investments and translating them into products and services 
of economic and societal value is essential to drive future European growth.  

The objective is to reinforce the deployment and uptake of European innovation on the 
markets  by  acting  on  all  aspects  of  the  innovation  system  at  EU,  national  and  regional 
level:  policy  coordination,  regulatory  environment,  financing,  IPR  management, 
standardisation,  infrastructure,  human  capital,  and  public  and  private  demand  for 
innovation. Many of these aspects depend on the completion of the single market and the 
capital markets union (26), where progress is being made.  

Progress 

In  2022  the  Commission  adopted  its  Communication  on  a  New  European  Innovation 
Agenda (27). The Communication contained plans for a set of flagship initiatives together 
with a roadmap to position Europe at the forefront of the new wave of deep tech innovation 
and start-ups. A report on the state of play of implementation of the 25 actions contained 
in the Agenda was published in March 2024 (28).  

To  establish  a  unified  approach  across  EU  countries  to  maximising  translation  of  R&I 
results  into  solutions  that  benefit  society,  a  Council  Recommendation  on  guiding 

(25) https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/statistics/performance-indicators/european-innovation-scoreboard_en 
(26)  https://european-union.europa.eu/priorities-and-actions/actions-topic/single-market_en  
(27)  https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/support-policy-making/shaping-eu-research-and-innovation-
policy/new-european-innovation-agenda_en  
(28)https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/a879719c-e4ec-11ee-8b2b-01aa75ed71a1/language-en  

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principles for knowledge valorisation (29) was adopted in 2022. The guiding principles 
target national, regional and local policymakers and cover all elements of the R&I systems 
that can be mobilised to reinforce innovation deployment. These elements include support 
structures,  funding  schemes,  provision  of  training  and  skills,  intellectual  asset 
management,  etc.  Detailed  guidance  for  practitioners  and  stakeholders  is  set  out  in  the 
Codes  of  Practice on  intellectual  asset  management,  standardisation,  industry-
academia co-creation and citizen engagement (30). A repository provides stakeholders 
with  best  practice  examples  from  the  implementation  of  this  guidance  to  reinforce  the 
framework conditions for the economic exploitation of R&I results (31).  

At  the  policy  coordination  level,  in  order  to  support  the  alignment  of  R&I  investment 
agendas  at  EU  and  national  levels  for  the  development and  uptake  of  innovative 
technologies for the green and digital transformation of industries, the Commission, 
together  with  ERA  Member  States,  industry  representatives  and  R&I  stakeholders, 
developed joint roadmaps providing guidance on the development and uptake of industrial 
technologies from basic research to deployment. The roadmaps give a comprehensive view 
on  the  most  relevant  technologies,  together  with  an  overview  of  current  schemes  and 
financial instruments to help bring these technologies to market. The roadmaps can be used 
to inform decisions taken by industry, research organisations or public authorities. ERA 
Industrial Technology Roadmaps were developed for low-carbon technologies in energy-
intensive  industries,  on  circular  industrial  technologies,  and  human-centric  R&I 
approaches in industrial technologies. The results of the industrial technology roadmaps 
fed  into  relevant  transition  pathways  for  European  industrial  ecosystems  (chemicals, 
construction, and textile). A set of technology demonstration projects, for example in the 
field of clean technologies, followed these roadmaps with a view to leveraging follow-up 
investment to bring these technologies to market (32). Furthermore, the Strategic Energy 
Technology  Plan  (33)  has  enabled  the  Commission  and  Member  States  to  develop  joint 
R&I agendas  in  areas  such as solar energy. The  implementation (34) of these joint  R&I 
agendas is supported by the Clean Energy Transition Partnership, (35) which enables 30 
national, regional and international funding agencies to align priorities, pool budgets and 
implement joint calls. 

In  addition  to  this  support  for  reinforced  policies  for  innovation  deployment  across 
Member States, action was also taken through Horizon Europe to provide better support 
to innovative companies. The industrial partnerships under Horizon Europe continued to 
support key sectors such as electronics, transport, health or hydrogen by bringing together 
industry and academia to accelerate and coordinate investment and deployment (36). These 
partnerships  complement  wider  efforts  to  develop  supply  chains  through  industrial 
alliances (37) and incentivise investment through Important Projects of Common European 
Interest  (IPCEI).  Another  key  initiative  of  Horizon  Europe  is  the  European  Innovation 
Council  (EIC),  which  helps  to  translate  excellent  deep  tech  research  into  breakthrough 
innovations through its Transition scheme. The EIC has also succeeded in ‘crowding in’ 

(29) OJ L 317, 9.12.2022, p. 141–148. 
(30) OJ L 69, 7.3.2023, p. 75–84 and OJ L 69, 7.3.2023, p. 63–74, OJ L, 2024/774, 5.3.2024 and OJ L, 2024/736, 5.3.2024. 
(31) Repository of Best Practices | Research and Innovation (europa.eu) 
(32)https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-law-and-publications/publication-detail/-/publication/2f1ec1d2-1173-11ee-b12e-
01aa75ed71a1  
(33) EUR-Lex - 52023DC0634 - EN - EUR-Lex (europa.eu) 
(34) Implementing the actions - European Commission (europa.eu) 
(35) https://cetpartnership.eu/ 
(36) Including for instance the Chips Joint Undertaking, Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking, Clean Hydrogen 
Joint Undertaking, and co-programmed partnerships such as Processes 4 Planet (processing industries), Clean Steel, 
Batt4EU  (industrial  batter  value  chain),  2ZERO  (zero  emissions  road  transport),  Made  in  Europe  (advanced 
manufacturing)  or  co-funded  partnership  with  Member  States  such  as  European  Clean  Energy  Transition 
Partnership, as well as the Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the  European Institute of Innovation and 
Technology (EIT). 

(37) Industrial alliances - European Commission (europa.eu) 

8 

 
 
over EUR 3.50 of additional investment into deep tech start-ups and SMEs for every euro 
invested through the EIC Fund under its Accelerator scheme. The development of the EIC 
Fund has made the EIC the biggest investor in deep tech in Europe. With 200 investment 
decisions so far under Horizon Europe worth over EUR 1.5 billion in total, and through 
co-investments with the EIC Fund, an ecosystem of deep tech investors is emerging across 
Europe. The EIC now has strong portfolios in critical technologies for Europe, including 
artificial intelligence, quantum and semiconductors, and biotech.  

In January 2024, the Commission launched the AI innovation package to boost startups 
and innovation in trustworthy AI (38). So called AI Factories will bolster access to Europe’s 
EuroHPC supercomputers (39), data storage facilities, and AI talent. Over 150 European 
Digital  Innovation  Hubs  help  mid-caps,  SMEs  and  public  organisations  in  their 
digitalisation process and the integration of AI into business processes. Four Testing and 
Experimentation Facilities are so far operational to enable innovators to test and validate 
their AI solutions in Manufacturing, Health, Smart Cities and Agrifood. The EU’s Strategic 
Technologies for Europe Platform (STEP) (40) supports European industry and investment 
in  critical  technologies  in  Europe.  STEP  raises  and  steers  funding  across  11  EU 
programmes  to  three  target  investment  areas:  digital  technologies  and  deep-tech 
innovation;  clean  and  resource-efficient  technologies;  and  biotechnologies.  STEP  also 
supports projects growing the skills necessary to develop those critical technologies.  

Remaining scope for action  

Despite  these  efforts,  the  ERA  still  faces  challenges  in  translating  R&I  results  into 
societal impact and economic value and in retaining the latter within the EU.  

As pointed out in the Draghi report on the Future of European Competitiveness (2024), 
the innovation capacity of the EU continues to lag behind that of the US, while other 
major  economies  are  rapidly  catching  up.  The  EU  shows  weaknesses  throughout  the 
entire  cycle  of  innovation,  as  well  as  in  its  patterns  of  sectoral  specialisation,  with 
activities concentrated in sectors with medium-to-low R&D intensity. Further actions 
are needed to improve the environment for innovative companies to grow in Europe 
and  to  increase  the  deployment  and  take-up  of  breakthrough  digital  and  green 
technologies  throughout  the  economy.  This  can  be  facilitated  through:  (i)  greater 
coordination and better targeting of support across Europe, (ii) leveraging and de-risking 
private investment, creating a critical mass of capital for investments and (iii) effective 
measures to support the translation of research ideas from the lab into viable commercial 
propositions.   

Although Europe is  now creating a significant  number of start-ups, they  often fail to 
successfully pass into the initial, rapid-growth stage and from there into the subsequent 
scale-up  phase.  In  particular,  there  is  still  a  significant  shortfall  in  the  availability  of 
venture  capital  in  Europe,  which  hinders  European  innovation  and  the  scale-up  in 
Europe of innovative companies, most pronounced at the scale-up phase (41). The EU 
continues to lag behind the US and China in the numbers of patent applications it makes, 
in  high-tech  exports,  and  in  the  number  of  companies  achieving  unicorn  valuations 
(above USD 1 billion). As of November 2023, the number of companies with the status 
of  unicorns  in  the  US  and  China  exceeded  that  in  the  EU  by  a  factor  of  8  and  3, 
respectively (42). 

(38)  eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52024DC0028 
(39)  EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. Homepage - EuroHPC JU (europa.eu) 
(40)  https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/get-funding_en 
(41) Science, Research and Innovation Performance (SRIP) Report 2024, Chapter 5, p. 328. 
(42) Science, Research and Innovation Performance (SRIP) Report 2024, Chapter 5, p. 331 

9 

 
 
 
Overall, more can be done to reap economic benefits from European R&I investments 
by lowering the remaining regulatory, legal or administrative barriers that make Europe 
less attractive for many investors and innovators. These barriers include: (i) the various 
national rules related to startups and scale-ups; (ii) regulatory environments that 
are not conducive to innovation including the insufficient use of regulatory sandboxes; 
(iii)  fragmented  IPR  and  standardisation  policies;  (iv)  limited  use  of  innovation 
procurement  amongst  public  procurers;  (v)  difficulties  in  attracting  and  retaining 
talent;  and  (vi)  the  significant  disparities  in  innovation  performance  between  the 
EU’s regions. Addressing these aspects goes beyond the scope of the ERA and touches 
on the completion of the single market and the capital markets union (43), in particular 
to ensure a fully  functioning investment flow for innovative companies for all stages 
from creation to scale-up.  

2.4. 

 Deepening the ERA 

Objective 
According  to  the  latest  Eurostat  data,  Europe  has  over  two  million  researchers,  i.e. 
approximately a quarter of the number globally, including 670 000 doctoral candidates. 
This marks a 45% increase since 2012 and corresponds to 1% of the total labour force in 
the EU. The free circulation of researchers, knowledge and data is key to creating a more 
efficient and inclusive European R&I system without overlaps in R&I efforts but with the 
necessary critical mass. It requires both common framework conditions at EU level and a 
stronger alignment of national  policies applicable to  research activities, researchers and 
research  organisations.  Deepening  the  single  market  in  R&I  in  this  way  would  have 
positive implications for: (i) the way researchers develop their careers and collaborate; (ii) 
the way  research  is  conducted and evaluated;  (iii) the overall quality  and impact  of the 
research. This requires action on several aspects: 

•  researchers should be able to freely move so they can live and work around Europe, 
seek  employment  and  enjoy  similar  working  conditions  based  on  EU  values  and 
principles such as gender equality and research freedom; 

•  researchers  and  research  organisations  should  be  able  to  easily  collaborate,  access 
research  infrastructure,  compete  for  funding,  and  access,  share  and  reuse  research 
results; 

•  research,  researchers  and  research  organisations  should  be  assessed  in  the  same 
effective  and  responsible  manner  based  on  a  diversity  of  outputs,  practices  and 
activities.  

Progress 

In 2023 the Council adopted a Recommendation on a European framework to attract and 
retain  research,  innovation  and  entrepreneurial  talents  in  Europe (44)  ,  including  a  new 
European Charter for Researchers (45). The Recommendation is the basis for a common 
understanding of research careers among Member States and the needs for the free 
and  balanced  movement  of  researchers  and  innovators  across  Europe.  In  particular,  the 
Recommendation  highlights  the  need  to  offer  attractive  working  conditions,  access  to 
world-class infrastructure and to recognise the diverse contributions of researchers through 
improved assessment practices, for instance by rewarding multi-track careers. A Mutual 

(43)  https://european-union.europa.eu/priorities-and-actions/actions-topic/single-market_en  
(44) OJ C, C/2023/1640, 29.12.2023. 
(45) Updating the 2005 Charter and Code for researchers. 

10 

 
 
Learning Exercise, supported by the Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility to foster the 
exchange of good practices among Member States (46), shows that several Member States 
have already started implementing reforms in line with the Recommendation.   

The  Commission  has  supported  the  conclusion  of  the  Agreement  and  Coalition  for 
Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) (47) as a key milestone for reforming the way 
research projects, researchers and research institutions are assessed.  This reform is 
expected  to  raise  the  quality  and  impact  of  research  and  the  attractiveness  of  research 
careers by creating strong incentives and rewards for the creation of a more inclusive, open 
and effective research environment. The reform will make it easier to better recognise the 
diversity of research practices, activities and outputs beyond traditional metrics based on 
authoring articles that are published in scientific journals.  

To  support  the  implementation  of  this  new  European  framework,  the  Commission 
launched  the  ERA  Talent  Platform (48)  as  the  new  single  information  gateway  for 
researchers  and  research  organisations  in  Europe.  In  parallel,  to  facilitate  mobility 
and career development, the Commission strengthened EURAXESS (49), a platform for 
research job offers and funding, which registers more than 14 000 organisations, 110 000 
researchers  and  an  average  of  over  63  000  job  opportunities  every  year.  To  support 
researchers’  skills  and  intersectoral  mobility,  the  Commission  also  drew  up  the 
European  Competence  Framework  for  Researchers (50),  taken  as  a  reference  tool  by  an 
increasing number of institutions and researchers (51). In parallel, in addition to the existing 
Horizon  Europe  support  provided  to  up  to  65  000  researchers  (including  25  000  PhD 
candidates under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for their training, skills and career 
development,  mobility  across  borders,  disciplines  and  sectors),  a  new  smaller  Horizon 
Europe funding scheme has been launched to support intersectoral mobility (ERA Talents). 
Temporary cross-sectoral mobility is also encouraged by the Next Generation Innovation 
Talents Scheme.  

Protecting European values and principles in the performance of R&I, such as open 
science, research integrity and ethics, transparency, diversity and gender equality – as laid 
out in the Pact for Research and Innovation - makes Europe a more attractive place for 
researchers  and  businesses  from  around  the  world.  Since  2020  the  Commission  has 
continued to lead the way in promoting the free flow of knowledge and data through 
its open science policy, with a focus on supporting open access to publications, open data 
and FAIR (52) data management, public engagement, and the development  of skills and 
training  for  open  science.  As  of  2024  a  total  of  21  Member  States  have  put  in  place  a 
national policy for open access to scientific publications, compared to 14 in 2020, and 13 
Member States have a policy on research data management, double the number in 2020. 

The European Open Science Cloud is a notable initiative that aims to support collaboration 
across  borders  and  disciplines.  It  offers  seamless  access  to  quality  data  and  digital 
services based on the federation of data repositories and services of research infrastructure. 
It also provides an environment in which researchers and innovators can publish, find and 
re-use each other’s data and tools. The European Open Science Cloud EU Node, providing 
a  full  spectrum  of  scientific  tools  for  researchers  across  Europe,  became  operational  in 

(46)  https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/statistics/policy-support-facility/mutual-learning-

exercise-research-careers  

(47) https://coara.eu/about/  
(48) https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/  
(49) https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/ 
(50)https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/jobs-research/researchcomp-european-competence-framework-
researchers_en 
(51)  Data  from  the  Research  and  Innovation  Careers  Observatory  (ReICO)  will  indicate  the  progress  in  terms  of 

researchers’ skills and intersectoral mobility. 
(52) Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable. 

11 

 
 
2024 as the first node of the cloud and will help to address the crucial need for improved 
data sharing. It will be supported by the Open Research Europe (53) open access publishing 
service launched by the Commission in 2021 as an optional and cost-free service allowing 
beneficiaries  of  EU  programmes  to  comply  with  their  obligation  to  make  their  peer-
reviewed  scholarly  research  freely  available  online.  To  support  a  responsible  use  of 
Artificial Intelligence in science in line with EU values and principles, the ERA Forum 
developed  and  published  in  2024  living  guidelines  (54)  for  researchers,  research 
organisations and funders. 

To strengthen gender equality and inclusiveness in R&I policy, the development of a 
gender equality plan has been introduced as an eligibility criterion for all public bodies, 
higher  education  institutions  and  research  organisations  applying  to  Horizon  Europe. 
Another eligibility criterion for Horizon Europe is a requirement to take into account the 
gender dimension in the content of R&I activities. In addition, thanks to the work done 
under the ERA Policy Agenda, the Commission has drawn up an EU Baseline on a Strategy 
for  a  Zero-Tolerance  Code  of  Conduct  to  counteract  gender-based  violence,  including 
sexual  harassment. According to  data from  2023, there are  signs of progress on gender 
equality  in  R&I (55).  Gender  balance  has  almost  been  achieved  at  the  level  of  PhD 
graduates in Europe (at present slightly more men than women graduate with PhDs). There 
has  also  been  a  slight  increase  in  the  proportion  of  women  holding  senior  academic 
positions and contributing to scientific publications. Nevertheless, significant gender gaps 
remain  in  R&I,  particularly  in  the  fields  of  science,  technology,  engineering  and 
mathematics (STEM) (56). 

The Commission continuously invests in research and education projects on  ethics and 
research integrity, to assist in the strengthening of the relevant frameworks. To support 
the research community in promoting research integrity and excellence, various toolboxes 
and educational materials have been developed. Additionally, the Commission facilitates 
the operations of several European and global networks on ethics, research integrity and 
research quality.  

As global tensions rise and the strategic importance of R&I grows, ensuring the security 
of  European  research  is  paramount.  To  address  this  challenge,  the  EU  must  balance 
openness and collaboration with the protection of critical knowledge and technology. In 
line with the Council Recommendation on Enhancing Research Security (57), the ERA 
will  strengthen  support  for  researchers  and  institutions  using  a  coordinated  approach, 
including  by  setting  up  a  European  Centre  of  Expertise  on  Research  Security.  This 
Centre will serve as a hub for knowledge exchange, risk assessment and capacity building, 
ensuring that European research remains open, collaborative and secure.  

Following  calls  from  the  European  Parliament,  which  has  adopted  a  resolution  on  the 
‘Promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU’ (58), the Commission has also 
committed to preparing a possible legal initiative on freedom of scientific research in the 
EU (59).  

For the ERA to  be fully effective and support excellent  R&I, it  also  needs  world-class 
research and technology infrastructure to be accessible to European researchers and 

(53) https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/  
(54) https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/2b6cf7e5-36ac-41cb-aab5-0d32050143dc_en  
(55)  For  recent  figures  on  progress:https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1d49ca62-ec09-11ee-8e14-
01aa75ed71a1/language-en 
(56)  She  Figures  2021  https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-law-and-publications/publication-detail/-/publication/67d5a207-
4da1-11ec-91ac-01aa75ed71a1  
(57)OJ C, C/2024/3510, 30.5.2024. 
(58) https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0022_EN.html 
(59) Based on an external study for the European Commission to be completed by May 2025 and aiming to provide a solid 
de jure and de facto assessment of the protection and promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU.  

12 

 
 
innovators.  Most  individual  Member  States  do  not  have  the  necessary  financial  or 
organisational resources  to  build, operate and upgrade  such infrastructure, whether  it is 
single  site,  distributed  across  Europe,  or  virtual.  In  order  to  best  support  the  further 
integration and strengthening of world-class European research infrastructure, the 
Commission regularly carries out an assessment of the needs and performance of existing 
structures.  The  Roadmap  of  the  European  Strategy  Forum  on  Research  Infrastructures 
(ESFRI) is updated on the basis of such analysis, prioritising the facilities and services that 
reinforce European scientific and technological competitiveness. The landscape analysis 
issued  by  ESFRI  in  2024 (60)  provides  a  comprehensive  picture  of  a  dynamic  research 
infrastructure ecosystem  in  Europe,  ranging  from  pan-European ESFRI  Landmarks and 
ERICs (61) to EIROforum (62) members and national research infrastructure. The ESFRI 
Roadmap alone reflects a total of more than EUR 25 billion of investment and more than 
EUR 2 billion in operating costs every year, with most funding mobilised at national level. 
Horizon  Europe  allocates  in  its  work  programme  EUR  2.4  billion  to  research 
infrastructures,  alongside  the  Cohesion  Policy  Funds  and  RRF  contributions.  Horizon 
Europe  also  supports  transnational  access  to  European  research  infrastructure  for  more 
than  6 000  researchers  every  year.  The  European  Commission,  via  its  Joint  Research 
Centre (JRC), also provides access to its unique research infrastructures for research (63) 
and training and capacity building  (64). In  recent  years, 17 JRC research infrastructures 
have opened access to more than 560 users from over 130 institutions across 33 countries. 

In parallel, technology infrastructure also plays an important role in supporting the 
innovation capacity and competitiveness of the industrial sector, in the form of pilot 
lines,  testing  facilities,  clean  rooms,  demonstration  sites  and  living  labs.  They  can  be 
sector-specific or technology-focused and are usually hosted and operated by research and 
technology organisations and technical universities. In line with the ERA Policy Agenda, 
a comprehensive analysis of the policy and funding landscape for technology infrastructure 
was developed, identifying the main weaknesses and deficiencies. A European approach 
to  technology  infrastructure  was  also  tested  in  two  specific  areas:  (1)  setting-up  open 
innovation  test  beds  to  develop  advanced materials, and (ii) establishing a roadmap  for 
investment  in  relevant  infrastructure  for  the  European  aviation  sector.  Cross-sectoral 
collaborative  work  on  a  comprehensive  European  strategy  to  improve  the  quality, 
availability and accessibility of technology infrastructure is also ongoing, in particular 
for SMEs and start-ups. 

Universities,  in  their  position  at  the  crossroads  of  education,  research,  innovation,  and 
serving society and the economy, are uniquely placed to support the ERA. With the aim of 
facilitating  the  adaptation  of  universities  to  changing  needs  and  conditions,  the 
Commission  adopted  a  Communication  on  a  European  Strategy  for  universities  in 
2021 (65).  An  ERA  Forum  subgroup  has  developed  recommendations  on  supporting 
excellence in R&I in the university sector, and on the institutional change needed. 

In order to track all policy developments and their impact on R&I careers, including 
on  skills  training  and  intersectoral  mobility,  in  2024  the  Commission  launched  a  new 
Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (66) in partnership with the OECD. This 
will help to identify areas in which further action is needed. 

(60) https://landscape2024.esfri.eu/media/coqdoq0q/20240604_la2024.pdf 
(61) European Research Infrastructure Consortia 
(62) European Intergovernmental Research Organisation forum 
(63)  https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/tools-and-laboratories/open-access-jrc-research-infrastructures_en 
(64)  https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/tools-and-laboratories/training-programmes/open-access-jrc-research-

infrastructures-training-and-capacity-building_en 

(65) COM (2022) 16 final 
(66)  ERA Talent Platform - Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO) (europa.eu) . 

13 

 
 
 
 
Remaining scope for action  

Overall, knowledge circulation within the EU has improved, due to the combined impact 
of past and recent initiatives. Nevertheless, despite the progress made, several important 
challenges remain.  

Administrative  and  legal  obstacles  such  as  disparities  in  career  development 
opportunities and the lack of a level playing field across sectors and countries remain. 
These obstacles make research careers less attractive and hamper the mobility of R&I 
talent  across  Member  States  and  between  business  and  academia.  There  is  also  still 
scope for stronger action to develop inclusive gender equality plans and policies that 
address  intersecting inequalities and discrimination  on  the grounds of  gender, gender 
orientation, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and other aspects. Moreover, there remain 
persistent  and  growing  skills  shortages  in  certain  areas  such  as  clean  energy  and 
artificial  intelligence  that  need  to  be  addressed  if  Europe  is  to  remain  competitive  in 
emerging  technologies  and  harness  the  full  potential  of  the  green  and  digital 
transformation.  

To ensure that Europe continues to  lead the way in  addressing the ethical  challenges 
raised by new technologies and ensure the protection of EU values and fundamental 
rights  in  research,  the  ERA  should  ensure  that  researchers,  research  and  innovation 
processes and the R&I system, independent of their source of funding, comply with the 
highest  ethics  and  integrity  standards.  This  implies  ensuring  that  the  respect  of  EU 
values is not globally context-dependent so as to notably ensure an Ethics by Design 
approach throughout the ERA.  

Despite making progress in accepting and practising open science, Europe still lacks the 
necessary federated and interoperable digital infrastructure to share research data and 
services  across  countries  and  scientific  disciplines.  It  also  lacks  fit-for-purpose 
copyright, data and digital regulation to unlock knowledge and data currently behind 
paywalls or insufficiently exploited due to legal challenges. The EU has recently adopted 
the European Data Governance Act and the European Data Act, which are significant 
advances in fostering data sharing.  (67) 

Budget  constraints  increasingly  prevent  funding  bodies  and  countries  from  awarding 
matching  costs  for 
the  construction,  operation,  and  upgrading  of  research 
infrastructures.  Alignment  and  coordination  between  EU,  national  and  regional 
funding is needed to both: (i) reduce the risk of fragmentation and dilution of resources; 
and (ii) address new challenges linked to transnational access, new user communities, 
digitalisation,  research  security,  economic  competition  and  regulatory  barriers.  The 
technology infrastructure landscape remains fragmented, with a high concentration of 
facilities in the most industrially developed countries and regions of the EU, while only 
a few countries have dedicated national  policies addressing  technology  infrastructure 
and facilitating the use of such infrastructure by companies. 

2.5. 

 Conclusion 

The vision for the ‘New European Research Area’ outlined in the 2020 Communication 
responded to the pressing challenges facing the EU, in particular the need for resilience 
and recovery following the COVID-19 crisis, combined with the essential role of R&I in 
underpinning the green and digital transitions. The rationale remains equally valid now, 
namely to create an environment for research and innovation that: (i) maximises economies 

(67)  Regulation  (EU) 2022/868  of  the  European  Parliament  and  of  the  Council  of  30 May  2022  on  European  data 

governance and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (Data Governance Act) (Text with EEA relevance) 

14 

 
 
of  scale  and  cooperation  across  the  whole  of  the  EU  and  beyond;(ii)  nurtures  the  full 
diversity  of  European  talent;  (iii)  provides  European  researchers  with  the  best  possible 
working  conditions;  and  (iv)  ensures  that  the  excellent  results  produced  by  European 
researchers benefit both the economy and society. 

By establishing new governance structures and a policy agenda with concrete actions, the 
EU  injected  fresh  momentum  into  the  ERA  completion,  aligning  policies,  regulatory 
frameworks  and  funding  programmes.  Notable  progress  has  been  made  through 
collaboration  with  Member  States,  particularly  in  addressing  the  fragmentation  of  R&I 
systems. Initiatives have focused  on careers, infrastructure, open science, building  trust 
through citizen engagement and mobilising resources for thematic cooperation. The joint 
priority-setting  process,  co-created  between  Member  States,  stakeholders  and  the 
Commission,  has  fostered  a  sense  of  ownership  and  increased  commitment  to 
implementation. 

Despite  this  progress,  the  EU  still  cannot  rely  on  a  fully  effective  ERA  capable  of 
attracting, retaining and nurturing its talent under optimal conditions. As highlighted in the 
Draghi  report,  the  quality  of  European  research  is  high  but  numerous  barriers  remain. 
These barriers include: (i) inadequate prioritisation of R&I in public budgets (with only 
five countries meeting the 3% GDP target for public and private R&D investment); (ii) 
insufficient  coordination  of  R&I  policies  across  ERA  countries;  (iii)  persistent 
fragmentation  of  R&I  systems  and  regulations;  (iv)  performance  disparities;  and  (v) 
administrative  burden.  These  factors  continue  to  hinder  Europe’s  competitiveness.  In 
addition, while the launch of the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe was 
a significant step towards supporting deep tech innovators, barriers still exist that make it 
difficult to deploy and exploit R&I results, and scale up innovative companies in Europe. 
Completing  the  Single  Market  and  the  Capital  Markets  Union  is  key  to  tackling  the 
innovation gap between the EU and other major economies. 

The persistence of these challenges, weaknesses and disparities across and within Member 
States prevents the EU from leveraging its full scientific potential for the benefit of the 
economy and society. Enrico Letta’s report on the single market (68) emphasised the crucial 
role  of  the  ERA,  as  enshrined  in  the  Treaty,  in  developing  a  ‘5th  Freedom  to  enhance 
research,  innovation  and  education  in  the  Single  Market’  and  bolstering  Europe’s 
innovation  capacity.  To  build  a  stronger  EU  rooted  in  scientific  excellence  and 
technological leadership, continued political commitment and cooperation are key. This 
would allow the EU to secure its place at the forefront of global innovation, ensuring a 
future in which its talent thrives and delivers lasting benefits for all. 

(68) https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/ny3j24sm/much-more-than-a-market-report-by-enrico-letta.pdf 

15 

 
 
ANNEX 1: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2020 ERA COMMUNICATION ROADMAP THROUGH THE ERA POLICY AGENDA 2022-24  

STRATEGIC 
OBJECTIVE 

Prioritising 
investment 
and reforms 

ROADMAP ACTION (ERA 
COMMUNICATION 2020) 

(1) 

Re-affirm  the  3% 
GDP  EU  R&D  investment 
target and propose a new EU 
1.25%  GDP  public  effort 
target  to  be  achieved  by 
Member States by 2030 

(2) 

Launch  of  ERA 
Forum  for  Transition, 
to 
support  Member  States  in 
and 
coordination 
the 
prioritisation  of  national 
R&I funding, and reforms 

ERA POLICY AGENDA ACTIONS 

The Pact for Research and Innovation reaffirms the importance of prioritising investment and reforms (3rd chapter):  ‘Member States 
should contribute to the Union-level target of investing 3 % of Union GDP in R&D by setting, on a voluntary basis, national targets for 
their total expenditure on R&D’. 
Action 20: Support research and innovation investments and reforms. While no specific ERA action was undertaken to support stronger 
R&I investment and reforms, in the context of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, several Member States have 
used  this  funding  to  boost  their  R&I  investments  and,  in  some  instances,  start  implementing  important  reforms  to  consolidate  a 
fragmented R&I system, improve science-business linkages or boost innovation. Strengthening these efforts, especially at the end of the 
Recovery and Resilience Facility period in mid-2026, will be crucial to constructing a stronger ERA. 

The ERA Forum for Transition was created in early 2022 and later replaced by the ERA Forum, which is responsible for implementing 
the ERA Policy Agenda. It consists of Member States, associated countries and stakeholders. 

Planned to be completed under Action 20 of the ERA Policy Agenda, however, Member States did not commit to pursuing this goal. 

Improving 
access 
excellence 

to 

(3) 

Support  Member 
States who are below the EU 
average R&D investment as 
a  share  of  GDP  to  increase 
their 
in 
R&D  by  50%  in  the  next  5 
years 

investment 

total 

(4) 

Set  up  a  dedicated 
work  stream  in  the  ERA 
Forum  for  Transition  for 
to  excellence  and 
access 
lower-performing 
support 
R&I  Member  States 
to 
their  number  of 
increase 

Action 16: Improve EU-wide access to excellence: 

–  The ERA Forum Subgroup on Access to Excellence - R&I and Cohesion Managing Authorities' Network (RIMA) was set up 

in June 2023. 

–  RIMA brings together research and innovation policy actors and managing authorities to assess the innovation divide, increase 

excellence and capitalise on existing widening instruments. 

16 

 
 
STRATEGIC 
OBJECTIVE 

ROADMAP ACTION (ERA 
COMMUNICATION 2020) 

highly cited publications by 
one-third over 5 years 

ERA POLICY AGENDA ACTIONS 

(5) 

industrial 
roadmap 

Develop  common 
technology 

results 

Translating 
R&I 
into 
economic 
results 

Action 10: Make EU R&I missions and partnerships key contributions to the ERA: 

–  The Transnational Cooperation on the Missions Approach (TRAMI) project was launched to support the Missions. 
–  The European Mission Network brought together key players from the private sector, academia, civil society organisations and 

governments. 

–  European Partnerships (EP) played a central role in delivering the ERA, for example through the Sustainable Blue Economy 
Partnership (SBEP). The Partnership Knowledge Hub (PKH) was set up to support the Commission and Member States in 
implementing and coordinating the EPs. 

Action 11: An ERA for the green transition: 

–  The ERA pilot on Green Hydrogen was set up, along with the Implementation Working Group on  Hydrogen, which aim to 

implement the respective Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). 

–  The  SET  Plan  was  revised,  aligning  it  with  current  EU  policies,  complemented  by  an  SET  Plan  Conference  and  a 

Communication. 

–  The ERA sub-action 11.3 on the Future of Work was set up to inform policies and guide research and innovation funding for 
the  future  of  work  via  a  Strategic  Research  and  Innovation  Agenda  (SRIA).The  SRIA  is  the  outcome  of  workshops  and 
consultations and provides an overview of the current state of R&I on the future of work, highlighting existing efforts and 
identifying areas for further research. 

– 

Action 12: Accelerate the green/digital transition of Europe's key industrial ecosystems: 

–  Three  ERA  industrial  technology  roadmaps  were prepared.  (on  low-carbon  technologies  in  energy  intensive  industries;  on 

circular technologies; and on human-centric technology for Industry 5.0).  

–  A policy agenda was developed the Industry 5.0 paradigm (human-centricity, sustainability and resilience) which focuses on 

the skills, organisational capacity and operational models that support the twin transition in European industry. 

–  A  Commission  report  on  Scaling  up  innovative  technologies  for  climate  neutrality  maps  demonstrators  in  184  EU-funded 

projects developing climate neutrality technologies in energy-intensive industries.  

–  Two mutual learning exercises (MLEs): Whole-of-government approach in R&I (topic on ‘Green Transition’), and on Industrial 

Decarbonisation. 

17 

 
 
 
STRATEGIC 
OBJECTIVE 

ROADMAP ACTION (ERA 
COMMUNICATION 2020) 

ERA POLICY AGENDA ACTIONS 

(6) 

Develop  and  test  a 
in 
networking  framework 
support  of  Europe’s  R&I 
ecosystems,  building  on 
existing  capacities,  in  order 
to strengthen excellence and 
the  value  of 
maximise 
knowledge 
creation, 
circulation and use 

(7) 

Update 

and 
develop  guiding  principles 
for  knowledge  valorisation 
and a code of practice for the 
smart  use  of 
intellectual 
property 

Deepening 
the ERA 

(8) 
support 
career development 

New 
of 

toolbox 
in 
researchers’ 

–  A report with comprehensive analysis of the policy and funding landscape for technology infrastructures identified the main 

weaknesses and deficiencies. 

–  A roadmap for the update/construction of aviation research and technology infrastructures at EU level was published to support 

the clean transition of the EU aviation industry. 

Action 15: Build up R&I ecosystems to improve excellence and competitiveness: 

–  Under  the  widening  component  of  Horizon  Europe,  25  Excellence  Hubs  have  been  created  that  will  strengthen  regional 
innovation  excellence  through  innovation  ecosystems  in  widening  countries  and  beyond,  by  teaming  up  with  and  creating 
robust linkages between academia, businesses, local governments and civil society. 

–  The Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) initiative aims to reduce the fragmentation of R&I ecosystems. 148 regions have been 
selected to receive an RIV label and have committed to: (i) strengthening their R&I ecosystem; (ii) enhancing the coordination 
and  directionality  of  their  R&I  policy  and  investment  towards  key  EU  priorities;  and  (iii)  engaging  in  R&I  collaboration 
between more and less advanced regions with complementary smart specialisations. 

–  A pilot was launched in 2022 to test the concept of ERA Hubs as an opportunity to create a framework for both multi-level 
governance and a multi-stakeholder approach, the role of which in addressing societal challenges is increasingly recognised.  
–  Through the open access to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) research infrastructures programme, the JRC facilitated access to 
researchers  from  institutions  located  in  the  Widening  Participation  and  Spreading  Excellence  list  of  countries,  by  waiving 
access costs and supporting travel and subsistence to carry experimental research and receive training and capacity building at 
JRC research infrastructures. 

Action 7: Upgrade EU guidance for better knowledge valorisation: 

–  Council Recommendation on guiding principles for knowledge valorisation for a unified approach to policy principles and 
measures for national, regional and local policymakers to optimise the translation of R&I outcomes into impactful solutions 
for society. 

–  A  Code  of  Practice  on  intellectual  asset  management  and  standardisation  offers  guidance  for  R&I  actors  on  managing 

intellectual assets and standardisation. 

–  Awareness-raising  campaigns  to  support  the  implementation  of  the  guiding  principles,  and  the  codes  of  practice  started  in 

spring 2023. 

–  An MLE was also organised on knowledge valorisation involving 16 Member States and two associated countries. 

Action 4: Promote attractive research careers, talent circulation and mobility: 

–  Adoption on 18 December 2023 of the Council Recommendation on a European framework to attract and retain research, 

innovation and entrepreneurial talent in Europe, with a new European Charter for Researchers. 

18 

 
STRATEGIC 
OBJECTIVE 

ROADMAP ACTION (ERA 
COMMUNICATION 2020) 

ERA POLICY AGENDA ACTIONS 

–  Launch of the ResearchComp (European Competence Framework for Researchers) website on 13 June 2023. 
–  Launch on 10 June 2024 of the ERA Talent Platform and the revamped European EURAXESS Portal – Researchers in Motion 

to support researchers and innovators throughout their career.  

–  Two  MLEs  under  the  Horizon  Europe  Policy  Support  Facility  (Knowledge  Valorisation  and  Inter-Sectoral  Mobility; 

implementation of the Council Recommendation).  

–  Launch of a Horizon Europe WIDERA pilot call on Talent Ecosystems for early-career researchers. 
–  Launch of the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory, to be implemented together with the OECD. 
–  RESAVER  is  supported  for  broader  adoption,  geographical  expansion,  and  continuous  improvement  of  its  offerings  in 

countries where it is already operational. 

–  The revamped and updated HR Excellence in Research award Portal is now a full initiative under the ERA Talent Platform. 

Action 17: Enhance public research institutions' strategic capacity: 

–  A set of recommendations for targeted actions at national and European level were developed to increase recognition of the 

profession and the range and accessibility of research managers’ training activities. 

–  Horizon Europe funds key projects on research management, with the aim of developing a dedicated competence framework. 

This objective is addressed under three ERA Policy Agenda actions. 
Action 1: Enable open science, including through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC): 

–  Building up the EOSC as part of the co-programmed European Partnership. 
–  New national strategies for Open Science policy for mainstreaming open science practices and FAIR principles across national 

research funding programmes. 

–  EOSC Observatory serving as a one-stop-shop providing intelligence on Open Science implementation. 
–  EOSC Catalogue of best practices with illustrative examples on practices targeting publications, data, software, infrastructure. 

Action 2: Propose an EU copyright and data legislative framework fit for research: 

–  Studies on EU copyright and data legislation and its impact on access to resources for scientific research, reuse of scientific 

publications, and research data sharing and reuse.  

Study on: (i) improving access to and reuse of research results; (ii) identifying barriers and challenges; and (iii) presenting options for 
measures to strengthen the free circulation of knowledge (these measures include the introduction of an EU-wide secondary publication 
right and other measures to strengthen open-ended and flexible research exceptions). 
Action 3: Reform the assessment system for research, researchers and institutions: 

19 

funded 

Launch,  via 

(9) 
the 
Horizon 
Europe 
Programme,  a  platform  of 
peer-reviewed  open  access 
publishing; analyse authors’ 
rights  to  enable  sharing  of 
publicly 
peer-
reviewed  articles  without 
restriction; 
a 
European  Open  Science 
is  offering 
Cloud 
accessible, 
findable, 
interoperable  and  reusable 
research  data  and  services 
(Web 
and 
of  FAIR); 
science 
incentivise  open 

Ensure 

that 

 
STRATEGIC 
OBJECTIVE 

ROADMAP ACTION (ERA 
COMMUNICATION 2020) 

ERA POLICY AGENDA ACTIONS 

practices  by  improving  the 
research assessment system. 

–  Agreement on reforming research assessment (July 2022), establishing a common direction for reforms, while respecting the 

signatory organisations’ autonomy. As of August 2024, it had been signed by 768 organisations.  

–  As of August 2024, 91 organisations have published an Action Plan to detail how they intend to implement the commitments 

(10) 

the 
Implement 
EFSRI  White  Paper  and 
updated 
an 
establish 
for 
structure 
governance 
research  and  technological 
infrastructure. 

(11)  Develop a roadmap 
of  actions 
for  creating 
synergies  between  higher 
education 
research, 
and 
notably building on the dual 
role of universities.  

contained in the Agreement.  

–  The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) was established in December 2022, bringing together a broad 

range of stakeholders. As of August 2024, 676 organisations had joined. 

–  CoARA has established 13 Working Groups to identify good practices and recommendations on several aspects of research 
assessment. 16 groups, each bringing together the signatories from a given country (so-called ‘National Chapters’) will facilitate 
reforms at national level. 

–  National dialogues have been initiated to identify potential legal and administrative barriers and solutions. 

Action 8: Strengthen research infrastructures: 

–  Analysis of the European Research Infrastructure landscape, with a new methodology, issued in June 2024. 
–  Revision of the European Charter of Access to Research Infrastructures, expected end-2024. 
–  Update of the ESFRI Roadmap to be launched in October 2024. 
–  Commission report on the application of the ERIC Regulation, issued in August 2023. 
–  ESFRI-EOSC Task Force set up in June 2023. 

Action 13: Empower higher education institutions: 

–  The ERA Forum Subgroup on ‘Universities for ERA’ has set out an action plan with recommendations for short- medium- and 
long-term actions for better coordination  between Member States and the EU to  foster excellence. A number of  EU-level 
actions are being implemented under the WIDERA work programme of Horizon Europe. 

–  The Communication on a European strategy for universities published in 2022,  aiming to boost the European dimension in 
higher education and research. The European strategy for universities includes cross references to the ERA and relevant ERA 
actions promoting a transformation of universities in order to increase their excellence in R&I (e.g open science, academic 
careers). In recognition of the importance of the R&I dimension of higher education institutions, this is complemented under 
Horizon  Europe  by  the  European  Excellence  Initiative  and  other  dedicated  calls  under  the  WIDERA  work  programme  of  
Horizon Europe.  

Action 6: Protect academic freedom in Europe: 

20 

 
 
 
STRATEGIC 
OBJECTIVE 

ROADMAP ACTION (ERA 
COMMUNICATION 2020) 

ERA POLICY AGENDA ACTIONS 

(12)  Develop 

inclusive 
gender  equality  plans  with 
Member 
and 
stakeholders to promote EU 
gender equality in R&I 

States 

Horizontal 

States 

(13)  Organise 

with 
Member 
and 
stakeholders  Europe-wide 
participatory  citizen  science 
raise 
campaigns 

to 

–  Staff  working  document  on  tackling  foreign  interference  in  research  and  innovation  in  2022,  providing  a  comprehensive 

strategy for higher education institutions and organisations performing research. 

–  European strategy for universities, committing to ensuring academic freedom in higher education institutions. 
–  European Parliament Forum for Academic Freedom initiated in November 2022, with the aim of creating the annual Academic 

Freedom Monitor. 

–  MLE on Tackling Foreign Interference in R&I, with a strong emphasis on the protection of institutional autonomy and academic 

freedom. 

–  Adoption of Council Recommendation on Enhancing Research Security that strikes a balance between being open and safe, 
while respecting and safeguarding crucial principles such as academic freedom, institutional autonomy and non-discrimination. 

Action 5: Promote gender equality and foster inclusiveness: 

–  Gender equality in Horizon Europe is addressed by introducing: 

•  gender equality plans (GEPs) as an eligibility criterion for certain categories of legal entities;  

• 

the default requirement for the integration of a gender dimension into R&I content; 

•  a  target  of  50%  women  on  Horizon  Europe-related  boards,  in  expert  groups  and  on  evaluation  committees,  and  the 

introduction of a gender balance among research teams as a ranking criterion for proposals with the same score. 

–  Report ‘Approaches to inclusive gender equality in Research and Innovation’ on emerging practices and policies at EU and 

national levels. 

–  Drafted report on the impact of GEPs across the ERA. 
–  The  EU  Award  for  Gender  Equality  Champions  was  established  to  recognise  the  outstanding  results  of  institutions  in 

implementing GEPs. 

–  The ERA Forum Subgroup on Inclusive Gender Equality: 

•  Task force on the gender dimension in R&I and Task Force on gender-based violence;  

•  Zero-Tolerance  Code  of  Conduct,  counteracting  gender-based  violence,  including  sexual  harassment  in  the  EU  R&I 

System. 

Action 14: Bring science closer to citizens: 

–  MLE on citizen science initiatives – policy and practice was developed, with the aim of facilitating the exchange of citizen 

science information, experiences and lessons learned. 

–  MLE on public engagement – policy and practice fostering public participation in R&I policies.  

21 

 
STRATEGIC 
OBJECTIVE 

ROADMAP ACTION (ERA 
COMMUNICATION 2020) 

ERA POLICY AGENDA ACTIONS 

awareness  and  encourage 
networking 

–  Initiatives  completed/ongoing:  European  City  of  Science  in  Leyden  (2022)  and  Katowice  (2024),  EU  TalentOn,  European 

Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! citizen science initiative. 

(14)  Develop 

and 
priorities 

with 
Member States an approach 
implement 
to 
set 
strategic 
that 
deliver  on  the  ERA  agenda 
through the ERA Forum for 
Transition and by means of a 
Pact for R&I in Europe. 

–  Eurobarometer survey on ‘European citizens’ knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology’ (2021) showing that 9 

in 10 EU citizens expect a range of technologies currently under development to have a positive effect on society. 

In the context of the ERA Forum, Member States, the European Commission and stakeholders collaborated to define strategic priorities 
for the ERA Policy Agenda and to coordinate joint efforts in implementing its actions. 
Many  of  the  ERA  Policy  Agenda  actions  contribute  to  this  roadmap  action.  Only  actions  not  described  above  are  included  in  this 
overview. 
Action 9: Promote a positive environment and level playing field for international cooperation based on reciprocity: 

–  The ERA Forum Standing Subgroup on the Global Approach.  
–  Multilateral Dialogue on Principles and Values for International Cooperation in R&I with key non-EU partners. 
–  An international ministerial conference endorsed a Ministerial Statement on principles and values for international cooperation 

in R&I (the ‘Brussels Statement’ (16/02/2024)). 

–  Ongoing  development  of  a  European  Framework  for  Science  Diplomacy,  and  a  Team  Europe  Approach  Initiative  on 

cooperation with Africa.  

–  Recommendation on a Team Europe approach towards China under preparation. 

Action 19: Establish an effective ERA monitoring system: 

–  New ERA monitoring and evaluation framework, with key monitoring tools and mechanisms as part of the implementation of 

other actions. 

–  The ERA Policy Platform was launched, and EU-level report, ERA Scoreboard and Dashboard 2023, ERA Country Reports 

were published. 

Action  18:  Support  the  development  of  EU  Member  States’  national  processes  for  ERA  implementation.  This  Action  has  not  been 
implemented due to a lack of support by MS. 

22