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 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, such as the European Green Deal, the EU's digital strategy or post-pandemic recovery.

Benefits of partnerships for the scientific community

FCT's participation in the 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 science and technology system finds a wide range of opportunities in these partnerships, not least because of the possibility of Portugal influencing strategic European and international research and innovation agendas.

The most important benefits include:

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.

See each Partnership's page for more information, such as the scientific areas that can be funded or whether there are any open applications:

Partnerships in theHorizon 2020 and Horizon Europe framework programs

The previous Framework Program, Horizon 2020 (H2020), proposed an inclusive and open approach to excellence in R&I in European regions and strengthened support for partnerships with the public and private sectors, with a view to pooling resources and building more effective programs. A broad model of partnerships was proposed and Public-Public Partnerships (P2P) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), among others, were launched.

Following the evaluation of H2020, 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 Partnerships, capable of having a strong impact on the area they target.

Results-oriented, the European Partnerships pursue a more ambitious strategic scope, aligned with the HE Strategic Plan, more coherent, with common criteria for the life cycle of the partnerships, and more synergistic, with links to other relevant EU initiatives (including the European Missions).

ransition from Horizon 2020 partnerships to Horizon Europe European Partnerships

FCT's participation in the Partnerships and the funding allocated to Portuguese institutions participating in joint transnational projects within the scope of these partnerships is in line with the principles and purposes outlined in Council of Ministers Resolution no. 78/2016, which stresses the urgency of consolidating and deepening Portugal's integration into the ERA, and is aligned with FCT's Thematic Agendas for Research and Innovation.

FCT's participation in Partnerships

FCT represents Portugal, alone and/or in association with other national institutions, in the following types of partnerships:

Co-funded partnerships: these are a combination of national and EU public funding sources and/or other sources of R&I funding. These consortia involve Member States, research funders and other public entities. The consortia draw up joint research agendas that are implemented through joint transnational Calls and other joint activities.

Co-funded partnerships in which FCT participates:

Institutionalized partnerships: based on Articles 185 or 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and the regulation of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT) for the Knowledge and Innovation Communities (KIC).

The preparation of institutionalized partnerships requires new EU legislation and the creation of specific legal structures (funding bodies) on the basis of Articles 185 and 187 of the TFEU. As such, each institutionalized partnership must be justified with an impact assessment before legislative proposals are prepared.

Institutionalized partnerships in which the FCT participates:

Partnerships without co-financing: these are based on funding from member states without financial participation from the European Commission, although with its support.

Partnerships without co-funding in which the FCT participates:

You can consult the funding opportunities in the list of Calls in progress.