A new European Research Area (ERA)

On September 30, the European Commission presented a new communication on the European Research and Innovation Area, entitled A new ERA for Research and Innovation. This document aims to outline the future of research in the European area, as well as Europe's current social, ecological, and economic challenges. It should be noted that the definition of legislation for shared competences in the area of research in the common European space was one of the resolutions of the Treaty of Lisbon in 2007. 

This new communication aims to improve the European landscape in terms of innovation and research, accelerate the transition to leadership in digital technology and the fight against climate change, combat the social and economic consequences of the new coronavirus, and improve the resilience of the European continent against future crises.

The new European Research Area has four objectives. The first is to prioritize investment and reforms in research and innovation, with a view to transitioning to a greener model. The goal is to reach 5% of GDP allocated to joint operations by member states in scientific partnerships and development programs by 2030, using funds from Horizon Europe, the Research and Innovation funding program for 2021-2027, reinforced by the Next Generation EU plan. In 2017, the European Union invested, on average, 2% of member states' GDP in research and innovation. The second point aims to guarantee researchers in the European area access to infrastructure of excellence. It also provides for countries within the European space that are below average in terms of investment in science to see their budget for the sector increased by 50%. Still on this point, it is expected that countries with below-average scientific publication will be able to reduce the gap between them and the European average by a third over the next five years. A third point provides that the results of research and innovation in the European common space can be transferred to the economy through the creation of common technological plans and the creation of a European-level networking platform. Finally, the fourth objective is to strengthen cross-border mobility for researchers and promote free access to scientific knowledge and production.

About the European Research Area:

Launched in 2000 with the aim of better organizing and integrating innovation systems and strengthening cooperation between member states in the field of science, it has been instrumental in promoting the free movement of researchers, technology, and knowledge throughout the common space, as well as the sharing of resources between countries.

In 2018, the Council of the European Union decided that this area needed to be reformulated. This led to a new Communication from the Commission in 2020.

The regulation and management of funding for research and innovation in the European Research Area is carried out under the Horizon Europe framework and reinforced by Next Generation EU.