- Enabling open science via sharing and re-use of data, including through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)
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Open science is essential for increasing accessibility, transparency and collaboration in research. Therefore, this structural policy aims at making open science practices the ‘new normal’. It seeks to create a better EU legal framework for open sharing, seamless access and reliable re-use of research data and other digital research objects used and produced along the research life cycle.
Building on the progress achieved in delivering ERA action 1 and action 2 during 2022-2024, this structural policy sets out the following concrete outcomes for the next period:
- develop a high-value EOSC federation and increase its uptake;
- increase the amount and productivity of FAIR research data in Europe;
- identify areas for measures and initiatives to enable an EU copyright and data framework fit for research;
- assess the impact of open science policies and practices based on an open science policy intelligence platform.
- Strengthening sustainability, accessibility and resilience of research infrastructures in the ERA
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Since 2000, the Commission with European countries and relevant stakeholders have worked towards an effective landscape of research infrastructures, notably through the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). To make sure that top-quality, sustainable research infrastructures are open and accessible to researchers in Europe, continuous efforts are needed. Research infrastructures are a key component of the ERA and indispensable elements of economic growth and societal wellbeing.
This ERA structural policy therefore includes (1) long-term, re-current and (2) short-term activities:
(1) Long-term:
- a long-term EU strategy for research infrastructures including a new, strategic approach for EU support to research infrastructures;
- an ESFRI roadmap 2026 and key elements for the 2028 landscape analysis;
- monitoring of ESFRI landmarks;
- stakeholder engagement (event/activity reports).
(2) Short-term, reports with recommendations on
- financing, including synergies with national and regional funding, EU and other sources;
- international cooperation, taking research security considerations into account;
- an impact assessment of ESFRI;
- resilience and greening of European research infrastructures;
- further strengthening of ERICs as part of the RI ecosystem.
- Strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the ERA, notably with an intersectional approach
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Achieving gender equality, equal opportunities, and inclusiveness—along with integrating the gender dimension into research and innovation (R&I) content—requires a structural approach. This means transforming the entire European R&I system. Such structural change can only happen through the shared commitment of R&I organisations, their funders, national authorities, and the European Commission.
An ERA Forum sub-group on Inclusive Gender Equality in the European Research Area will support the achievement of the following outcomes between 2025-2027:
- devise a monitoring and evaluation approach for effective implementation of inclusive GEPs;
- develop guidelines for implementing an intersectional approach in R&I policy, including in the collection, selection and analysis of indicators;
- design a monitoring and evaluation approach increasing the uptake of the integration of the gender dimension in R&I content;
- enhanced gender mainstreaming mechanism for synergies with other ERA actions at the EU and national level;
- implement the Code of Conduct on gender-based violence in R&I developed by Action 5 of the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024;
- principles developed for gender budgeting and expenditures tracking in R&I.
- Making research careers more attractive and sustainable, and support mobility
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Research careers are a key part of strong and competitive research and innovation systems in Europe. By offering attractive career paths, Europe can attract, nurture, and retain top research and innovation talent, ensuring its continued competitiveness on the global stage.
In the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024, ERA activities on research careers saw a very high support by European countries and stakeholders. This structural policy builds on those achievements with the objective of ensuring continued collective efforts in driving forward initiatives and reforms. The outcomes are:
- co-created guidelines for the implementation of the Council Recommendation on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe, for better quality jobs and a better functioning research labour market;
- a community of practice to share experiences and strengthen research careers at European, national, regional, and organizational level;
- a consolidated Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO) with the involvement of relevant actors outside the R&I community, and jointly eliminating gaps;
- recommendations for better career development and career progression, including European tenure-track like models and related assessment and funding mechanisms;
- co-created investment pathways, joining and coordinating forces and co-designing initiatives to reduce precarity and ease career paths to non-academic research careers.
- Reforming research assessment
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Current research assessment systems are still based on a limited set of research outputs and activities, mainly publications, and dominated by the inappropriate usage of a number of indicators gauging the quality, performance and impact of research. Reforming research assessment is necessary to encourage diverse research paths, promote quality over quantity and improve inclusivity.
Between 2022 and 2024, ERA Action 3 already achieved three main successes: an agreement on reforming research assessment in July 2022, the establishment of Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) , its working groups and national chapters. A critical issue in the coming years will be to provide adequate support to reforms and understand how much change in relation to research assessment systems will effectively have been implemented. The proposed activities for 2025-2027 s aim to lead to the following expected outcomes:
- knowledge, awareness, and engagement to research assessment practices and reforms raised by CoARA, research organisations (including research performing, research funding and research assessment organisations), national authorities and EU institutions;
- support, mapping and an analysis of the changes made to in national frameworks and in individual research institutions;
- the identification of any remaining gaps in reforms and of any measures still needed at all levels (institutional, national, and European).
- Upscaling knowledge valorisation capacities and activities
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The EU faces challenges in translating research and innovation results into societal use and economic value and in retaining value within the EU, which is vital for the functioning of the internal market. Filling in the gaps in the knowledge valorisation landscape requires multifaceted approach and long-term commitment.
This structural policy will seek to close such gaps in the European knowledge landscape by pursuing the following outcomes:
- European scheme on responsible licensing principles and shared data-governance approach to facilitate greater cross-sectoral collaboration and benefit for both businesses and society, taking research security considerations into account;
- ‘learning labs for value creation’ to develop skills on knowledge valorisation and entrepreneurship through targeted trainings, peer-learning and contact with role models;
- policy guidance on increasing and accelerating the uptake of R&I results of a multidisciplinary nature in the European Research Area, based on a Commission background study and on work to create a dedicated community;
- a comprehensive measurement framework capturing the broad spectrum of knowledge valorisation activities to monitor the performance of the ERA in this field.
- Implementing the Global Approach to R&I
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There is a need for a more comprehensive, effective and coordinated approach to the engagement with EU partner countries and regions in R&I cooperation to avoid duplication and to have more impact to face global challenges and to protect the Union’s strategic interests, values and principles in the current challenging geopolitical context. This structural policy guarantees that the ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027 takes the international dimension into account, as a cross-cutting, long-term and fundamental characteristic of the research and innovation ecosystem.
The ERA Forum Standing subgroup on the Global Approach to R&I cooperation will pursue the following outcomes:
- a European framework for science diplomacy (2025);
- a roadmap for multilateral dialogue on values and principles for international cooperation in research and innovation (2025);
- new pilot initiatives of the Team Europe approach, including Latin America and Caribbean in 2025 and India in 2026; and expanding current Team Europe approaches to Africa and China;
- an opinion on how to organise international R&I cooperation activities with third countries under the next framework programme.
- Making the strategic energy technology (SET) plan a key thematic component of the ERA
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Launched in 2007 as a first step to establish a research and innovation-driven energy technology policy for Europe, the SET Plan is a long-term structure to create synergies and improve coordination between national and European energy research policies.
The SET Plan Steering Group is an already active group under the Net-Zero Industry Act. As an ERA structural policy, it will be a driver for better connecting clean energy research and innovation goals with broader research and innovation perspectives. The following outcomes are pursued:
- alignment of all domain/technology-specific Strategic Research & Innovation Agendas and implementation plans to the new EU priorities and development of Implementation Plans;
- policy recommendations to better include the following areas in the energy R&I framework of SET plan: circularity and materials substitution; R&I for societal needs; digitalisation; skills; market uptake;
- improved monitoring of progress, through the SET plan information system.
- Improving the articulation between R&I and higher education within the ERA and unleashing the full potential of European R&I ecosystems
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Linking and combining the higher education’s four missions—education, research, innovation, and service to society—can improve quality across all areas. This structural policy aims to create a more systematic approach at the EU-level to promote awareness and strengthen the connection between research and education.
Involving both research and higher education representatives, this structural policy aims at the following outcomes:
- development of recommendations drawn up to design and implement strategies at institutional, regional, national and European level;
- the identification of current legal obstacles at regional, national, and European levels; of principles and main components necessary for the development of the legal framework for establishing the fifth freedom; recommendations for consolidating European HEIs at the forefront of global R&I;
- the identification of policies, mechanisms and incentives to foster more robust cooperation between HEIs and the other R&I actors;
- an ambitions roadmap adopted for ERA/EEA (higher education-related) strategic alignment.
- Enhancing trust in science through citizen participation, engagement and science communication
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Recent years have been increasingly characterised by concerns over the possible erosion of public trust in science and its impact on democratic governance. Involving citizens in R&I and openly communicating scientific knowledge are key parts of a strong, trustworthy, and sustainable research and innovation system that supports democracy.
Building on the achievements of ERA action 14 (2022-2024), this structural policy represents a multi-faceted approach with a view to enhancing trust in science and aims to generate the following outcomes:
- inclusive engagement guiding principles: develop common approaches for public engagement in R&I and science communication;
- activities connecting researchers and young people: innovative ways of effectively and inclusively engaging and involving young people with science, by inviting practitioners to provide best national practices and build on the work to develop handbooks and guidelines under EU funded projects;
- connect science and citizens, organise activities connecting and strengthening local R&I communities with different stakeholders and citizens around the topic of science and its role in society;
- mutual learning exercise on trust in science, consolidating and sharing knowledge on how to build, measure and enhance trust through public engagement;
- a mechanism and funding scheme designed to scale up of best practices of national citizen participation and engagement initiatives to EU level.
- Improve EU access to excellence
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Improving access to research excellence across Europe remains a challenge, especially when it comes to better connecting EU, national, and regional funding programmes. The EU’s structural policy addresses this by encouraging closer cooperation between those managing the European Regional Development Fund and Horizon Europe, both at national and EU levels.
Continuing the work of the ‘RIMA’ subgroup under the ERA Forum, bringing together national R&I authorities and managing authorities of cohesion policy programmes, the following outcomes are pursued:
- recommendations drafted on improving access to excellence and securing coherence and synergies between programmes;
- progress report on implementing of the recommendations from the RIMA phase 1 survey under the current legal framework (e.g., communication, capacity building, long-term planning, data accessibility and data-driven approach, implementation rules, and coordination models between the two communities);
- advice on building stronger synergies in the future between Cohesion Policy, in particular on smart specialisation while using synergies with actions funded under the ‘Widening’ part of the programme, and the framework programme;
- exchanges of best practices to improve access to excellence, in particular national policies, actions and instruments that facilitate access to scientific and innovation networks, and policy suggestions, especially for collaboration across Member States.