European Research Area Partnerships

The European Research Area Partnerships (ERA) are initiatives through which the European Commission and public and/or private partners commit to supporting the development and implementation of a Research and Innovation (R&I) program.

Created in 2000 in the wake of the Lisbon Strategy, the partnerships make a significant contribution to achieving the European Union's (EU) political priorities in accordance with the EU's Strategic Agenda.

Following the evaluation of the previous Framework Program, Horizon 2020, which proposed a broad model of partnerships, launching, among others, Public-Public Partnerships and Public-Private Partnerships, the European Commission decided to deepen the strategic dimension of partnerships, improve their openness and transparency and link them to the EU's political priorities. This approach, formalized in the new Horizon Europe (HE) Framework Programme, focuses on fewer and larger partnerships, now called European Partnershipscapable of making a strong impact in the area they target.

See the European Partnerships in which FCTalone and/or in association with other national institutions, represents Portugal.

Benefits of ERA partnerships for the scientific community

FCT's participation in the European Research Area Partnerships allows the national scientific community to obtain funding to develop its research in international consortia, through the projects supported following the joint transnational Calls launched.

The national scientific and technological system finds a wide range of opportunities in these partnerships, not least because Portugal can influence strategic European and international research and innovation agendas:

• effective international collaboration, through the coordination and participation of national researchers in international projects (such as the exchange of scientists and students, training and the initiation of new lines of research);
• the participation of the national scientific community in large-scale international projects with access to cutting-edge R&I infrastructures that Portugal does not have;
• the affirmation of the national community in an international context through the coordination of joint transnational projects;
• promoting the national scientific community by taking part in international evaluation panels, scientific advisory committees, thematic workshops, etc;
• o networkingthe sharing of knowledge and the creation/consolidation of international networks with the participation of national scientists;
• increasing the impact of the research produced.

History of ERA Partnerships

Over time, the framework programs have proposed inclusive and open approaches to excellence in R&I in European regions and strengthened support for the European Research Area's partnerships with the public and private sectors, with a view to pooling resources and building more effective programs.

Various partnership instruments have been launched with FCT participation, such as ERA-NETS - European Research Area Networks, EJPs - European Joint Programs, JTIs - Joint Technology Initiatives, Article 185 Initiatives, JPIs - Joint Programming Initiatives and International Consortia.

Some of these instruments are still active and can be consulted on the pages indicated on the FCT website.