ERA PRIORITY 2: Taking up together the challenges posed by the twin green and digital transition, and increasing society’s participation in the ERA

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

Key findings Action 10: Make EU research and innovation Missions and European Partnerships key contributors to the ERA

Progress has been made in achieving the objectives set out for this ERA Action. These initiatives have enhanced the critical role of Missions and Partnerships in advancing EU policy objectives and contributed to tackle the key challenges.

Advancing EU Missions:

The Mutual Learning Exercise on Missions was implemented between May 2023 and November 2024 and supported the development of effective national frameworks for implementing EU Missions.
Main work on EU Missions to share information, create awareness and build ownership of EU Missions at national level, regional and community level has been continuing the Working Groups of the Strategic Configuration of the Horizon Europe Programme Committee.
The five EU Mission Implementation Platforms, Climate ADAPT (Climate Adaptation), NetZeroCities (Cities), Mission Ocean and Waters’ platform (Oceans and Waters), the Mission Soil Platform (Soil), and Cancer Mission Implementation (Cancer), contribute to the achievement of the missions’ objectives. Each serve as knowledge hubs, fostering strategic alignment between EU, national, and regional activities, stakeholder engagement and community management, coordination of relevant CSAs, knowledge dissemination and communication, support for the uptake and diffusion of solutions produced by the mission, etc.
Citizen-focused platforms, including the Citizen Resilience Scan (Climate Adaptation Mission) and NetZeroCities (Cities Mission), engaged communities in participatory policy-making.
Two European Mission Forums were held to enhance mission coordination and engagement.
The TRAMI project (2022-2024) supported missions with the launch of tools like the Mission Data Platform (November 2023), enabling governance monitoring and facilitating mutual learning, also via the European Mission Network (EMiN) to connect key players from the business sector, academia, civil society organisations as well as governmental actors.
The 2023 EU Missions Assessment Report and EC Communication and Staff Working Document highlighted the importance of public awareness, governance and its ability to leverage other sources of funding, including private funding to enhance mission impact.

Strengthening European Partnerships:

The Partnership Knowledge Hub (PKH) offered an important coordination and cooperation platform to strengthen the partnership landscape, enabling the exchange of views between the EC and the Member States and Associated Countries, including through regular workshops focusing on relevant topics such as the administrative burden or the phasing out strategy, and the development of an Opinion Report (2023) that further shape the partnership landscape.
A dedicated expert group supported the monitoring and evaluation efforts, producing a Biennial Monitoring Report (2024) that assessed Partnership alignment with EU objectives. It states that “European Partnerships continue to be a cornerstone of ERA by aligning R&I agendas, improving skills and increasing the absorption capacities of European businesses. The European Partnerships allow the EU to team up with public and private partners to help speed up the development of new solutions for the green and digital transitions and to strengthen Europe’s resilience.”
Annual European Partnership Stakeholder Forums facilitated knowledge-sharing with the stakeholder community and provided actionable insights to enhance governance and strategic alignment.

Next, Missions will continue to diversify funding strategies beyond R&I programmes, while addressing challenges related to governance, and alignment with policy actions, and enhancing citizen engagement and work on the monitoring framework to maximise their long-term societal impact by 2030. European Partnerships seek to improve portfolio coordination, better alignment with EU and national policies, while further improving performance measurement and monitoring framework, to maximise their impact and address strategic priorities effectively and further leverage co-investments.

Action 11: An ERA for green energy transformation

Key findings Action 11: An ERA for green transformation

ERA Action 11 has advanced the EU’s green energy transition by prioritising investments in research and innovation to support climate objectives and sustainable growth:

The revision of the Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan aligned its objectives with the European Green Deal and REPowerEU. Providing a policy framework for Green Energy, the plan now focuses on digitalisation, circularity, and skills development, with enhanced monitoring and reporting mechanisms.
The ERA pilot on green hydrogen resulted in a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA), supported by the Temporary Working Group (TWG) under the SET Plan and the Horizon Europe SET4H2 project. These initiatives promote collaboration, infrastructure scaling, and cross-sector partnerships.
Three EC Staff Working Documents outlined strategies for hydrogen valleys, solar energy innovation, and broader clean energy objectives, reinforcing the EU’s position in global energy innovation.
The ERA4FutureWork initiative aims to guide R&I funding for the future of work, producing a SRIA through workshops and consultations that emphasise ethical, adaptive, and collaborative environments in digital and AI-driven workplaces.

The initiatives under ERA Action 11 have strengthened cooperation among policy-makers, industry, and academia to drive the adoption of low-carbon technologies and establish Europe as a global leader in green energy innovation. Yet, the green energy transformation still faces challenges in ensuring coherence among Member State efforts, aligning national and EU priorities, and fostering synergies with the Clean Hydrogen JU. Regulatory hurdles and delays in the permit process remain a bottleneck for hydrogen deployment. Sustained Member State engagement, streamlined governance, and enhanced stakeholder participation are essential to maximise the transformative potential of these efforts.

Action 12: Accelerate the green/digital transition of Europe’s key industrial ecosystem

Key findings Action 12: Accelerate the green/digital transition of Europe’s key industrial ecosystems

The initiatives under ERA Action 12, implemented during the monitoring period, have driven significant advancements in accelerating the green and digital transitions of Europe’s industrial ecosystems:

Two Mutual Learning Exercises on Industrial Decarbonisation and the Whole-of-Government Approach in R&I produced actionable recommendations for decarbonisation strategies, stakeholder engagement, and cross-sector collaboration.
The ERA technology roadmaps on low-carbon and circular technologies and business models have been widely disseminated, supported by a digital interactive map of over 180 EU-funded clean technology demonstrators, and alongside the launch of the R&I Deployment Agenda to accelerate industrial decarbonisation investments of energy-intensive industries.
Several initiatives and studies have enabled to enhance the understanding on the role, opportunities and challenges of Technology Infrastructures in Europe, preparing the evidence basis for a common European approach to TIs as well as to strengthen their alignment with EU industrial strategies.
Jointly with stakeholders, the Commission has taken action to foster synergies and exchange on R&I needs for industrial transformation.
The Industry 5.0 Community of Practice engaged over 200 members and published its first report, while the Human-Centric ERA Technology Roadmap has also enabled to support human centric industry transformation.

These efforts have enhanced the coordination and dialogue between public authorities and industrial stakeholders, increasing the uptake of iR&I results to accelerate industrial transformation. and thus contributing to Europe’s competitiveness and strategic autonomy in achieving the green and digital transitions. Meeting the ambitious objectives of ERA Action 12 requires sustained industry engagement and tackling barriers to R&I uptake. Increasing alignment amongst Member States and with private stakeholders remains crucial.

Action 13: Empower Higher Education Institutions

Key findings Action 13: Empower Higher Education Institutions

ERA Action 13 seeks to empower European universities to lead the green and digital transitions. This action strengthens universities’ roles as innovation hubs, fosters collaboration with non-academic organisations, and supports the development of institutional frameworks for research excellence and impact:

The European Universities Initiative has expanded to 65 alliances involving 570 higher education institutions and almost 2,200 partners, fostering cross-border academic collaboration, strengthening research careers, and promoting institutional reform.
Launched to enhance collaboration between universities, particularly in Widening Countries, the European Excellence Initiative focuses on research careers, knowledge valorisation, Open Science, and shared infrastructures. A total of 12 new projects started in 2024, with additional calls planned for 2025.
The ERA Forum sub-group on ‘Universities for ERA’ developed an action plan to improve coordination between Member States and the EU, aligning Horizon Europe and Erasmus+ initiatives to boost research capacity and excellence.
The Digital Education Action Plan and ESTEAM fests were developed to enhance digital competencies and increase female participation in STEM.
Launched in 2024, the Talent Ecosystem Pilot connects universities with private sector organisations to equip researchers with skills for careers beyond academia.

ERA Action 13 has advanced cross-border collaboration through dedicated initiatives such as the European Universities Initiative and the European Excellence Initiative. However, sustaining these efforts beyond EU project-based funding remains a challenge, as does ensuring stronger engagement from Member States in collaborative programmes. Enhancing mutual learning and exploring diverse funding mechanisms will be critical to sustaining institutional reforms.

Action 14: Bring science closer to citizens

Key findings Action 14: Bring science closer to citizens

ERA Action 14 seeks to enhance public engagement in research and innovation, fostering trust, collaboration, and societal uptake of scientific solutions. The Action promotes co-creation, outreach initiatives, and citizen science projects to connect individuals and communities with the research ecosystem.

The Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! initiative has been expanded to 13 countries, involving over 16,000 students and 800 schools sampling more than 350 rivers and coasts. The initiative generated open-access data, scientific publications, and widespread public awareness of plastic pollution. A handbook of lessons learned and a Coastal Booklet were developed to support further scaling.
The European City of Science 2024 (Katowice, Poland) featured a year-long programme of events, including the European Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), the European Union Contest for Early-Career Researchers (EU TalentOn) and the EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF), which attracted broad participation, with over 3,500 attendees and 130 sessions highlighting science’s societal impact.
The Mutual Learning Exercise on Public Engagement in R&I, launched in January 2024 and concluded in January 2025. It involved eight countries in discussions to identify best practices, challenges, and framework conditions for public engagement. Four thematic reports were produced.

ERA Action 14 advanced public participation in science through initiatives like Plastic Pirates and the European City of Science. However, challenges remain, including the uncertain sustainability of initiatives like Plastic Pirates. Addressing these gaps, integrating lessons learned, expanding engagement with Widening Countries and ensuring sustainable funding for impactful projects are key opportunities to enhance the reach and impact of public engagement in science.