european research area priorities

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The new European Research Area

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• Published: 2021
• Corporate author(s): Directorate-General for Research and Innovation ( European Commission )
• Themes: Scientific and technical research
• Subject: EU research policy , gender equality , innovation , investment , knowledge management , open science , research staff , single market , technology
• Released on EU Publications: 2021-10-12

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New EC Study: Improving Access to and Reuse of Research Results, Publications and Data for Scientific Purposes

Today, the European Commission released a study focused on enhancing access to and reuse of research findings, encompassing publications and data for scientific endeavours. This marks a significant step under the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2022-2024 on an EU copyright and data legislative and regulatory framework fit for research.  

The study has pinpointed obstacles and hurdles to accessing and reusing publicly funded research outcomes, assessed the impacts of the EU copyright framework on research, and identified pertinent provisions for research within EU data and digital legislation. Building upon this analysis, it proposes a range of legislative and non-legislative actions to enhance the unrestricted dissemination of knowledge, thereby bolstering the European Research Area. 

Researchers commonly face barriers such as their organisations lacking subscriptions, challenges obtaining permissions from copyright owners, and concerns regarding potential copyright infringement. Research-performing organisations highlight difficulties stemming from copyright laws, not only in accessing and reusing publicly funded research outcomes but also in disseminating results through open access channels.

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• European Research Area

A new ERA for Research and Innovation

The European Research Area (ERA) aims to increase collaboration between the national research systems and to ensure better policy coordination between the Member States and the EU. Originally launched in 2000, the ERA was renewed in 2020, starting with the adoption of the Commission’s Communication on A new ERA for Research and Innovation . The revitalised ERA’s ambition is to better address the societal, ecological and economic challenges, based on three pillars established in November 2021: new ERA governance involving the ERA Forum; adoption of a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe ; and a new ERA Policy Agenda with 20 concrete ERA actions for 2022-2024.

In this frame, the ERA Forum serves for the Commission and EU countries to co-design and coordinate the implementation of the ERA actions, prepare future updates of the policy agenda and ensure the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

ERRIN's recommendations on the future of the European Research Area

• ERRIN's work on ERA
• Activity highlights

ERRIN's work on ERA

ERRIN has been observing ERA since before the start of the renewal process and actively contributing to its developments, including to the Commission’s Communication from 2020. ERRIN welcomed the communication, where multi-level governance and a systemic approach are key components. The network is an active stakeholder in the ERA Forum, within the Research and Technology Performing Organisations (RTPO) category. Regarding the ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024 , as an organisation, we are committed to the following ERA actions, linking to EU Missions and Widening as two main network priorities:

• Action 10: sub-action on EU Missions
• Action 11: sub-action on ERA4FutureWork
• Action 15: Regional and national R&I ecosystems (ERA Hubs)
• Action 16: Access to excellence

ERA Action 15 and a pilot project dedicated to the ERA Hubs concept and rollout are of particular interest to ERRIN. ERA Hubs are an opportunity to create a framework for both multi-level governance and multi-stakeholder approach, whose role in addressing societal challenges is increasingly recognised. This action should also be seen as an essential foundation and point of reference for supporting more thematic ecosystem approaches such as Hydrogen Valleys or Renewable Energy Valleys.

Linking to Action 16, since 2023 ERRIN is part of a new ERA Forum sub-group ‘Access to excellence’ – ‘R&I and Cohesion Managing Authorities’ Network (RIMA) launched to kick-off its implementation.

Moreover, ERRIN aims to follow a number of other ERA actions, such as action 12: Accelerate the green/digital transition of Europe’s key industrial ecosystems.

Currently, we are also involved in the process of shaping the next ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027 in the ERA Forum, engaging ERRIN members in the reflections.

Furthermore, our network is a partner of the Knowledge Exchange Platform , relaunched as KEP 2.0 in 2020 to support regions and cities in promoting science and research locally.

Since 2020 ERRIN has formulated several input papers concerning the ERA including on the future of the ERA in June 2020, on the ERA governance in April 2021 and on the roll-out of ERA Hubs in October 2021. Over the years, multiple meetings around ERA have been organised by the ERRIN Policy Working Group, with most recent ones in 2023 on ERA Policy Agenda going forward ; and on ERA Hubs: Defining the concept .

In 2023, Two European projects were launched under the call “ Testing of the ERA Hub concept – pilot phase ” – ERA FABRIC and COOPERATE – both led by ERRIN members. ERRIN Director Pirita Lindholm is currently part of the ERA_FABRIC Advisory Board.

Regarding ERRIN’s involvement in the process of developing the next ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027, the network has so far submitted an initial contribution to the gap analysis in 2023 and answered ERA Forum survey to evaluate the proposed new ERA Actions in January 2024, while remaining actively involved in the ERA Forum meeting discussions.

ERRIN's policy messages

To strengthen and make the ERA more impactful, the following points should be considered:

• Broadening the scope of ERA by explicitly including innovation
• Integrating a place-based research and innovation ecosystem approach
• Applying a truly multi-level governance model where the regional and local levels are included
• Creating a working group to further elaborate the ERA Hubs, to bring the ecosystem perspective to the ERA to map existing initiatives, structures and networks; create a better understanding of the local and regional research and innovation ecosystems; and identify gaps and areas where further support should be provided to ecosystems.

Moreover, with regard to the ERA Forum, ERRIN recommends:

• Improving overall organisation of the stakeholder engagement, which should be much more flexible in the ERA Forum and the specific ERA actions, including the revision of the stakeholder categories
• Strengthening communication and involvement of stakeholders at member state level
• Increasing ownership and engagement of the stakeholders in individual actions
• Further focusing of the work of the Forum and limiting the number of the ERA actions that require active engagement of everyone
• Co-creating the core set of ERA policy actions within the ERA Forum

Latest Updates

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NEIA implementation report & Regional Innovation Valleys update

On 20 March, the Commission published the first report on the state of play of the New European Innovation Agenda, following its launch in July 2022. The document outlines the progress and achievements with regard to the 25 actions under Agenda’s five flagships, including the Regional Innovation Valleys. On the same day, an EU R&I Days debate on the way forward for RIVs was also held.

Horizon Europe strategic plan 2025-2027 is out

On 20 March, the Commission adopted the second Horizon Europe strategic plan. The plan sets out three key strategic orientations for the EU's research and innovation funding for the last three years of the programme (2025-2027). Find out what novelties the new strategic plan brings.

Call for short position papers on HE & FP10 from the Commission Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe

The Expert Group on the Interim Evaluation of Horizon Europe, which will advise the Commission on the future European Framework Programme for R&I (FP10), is calling for 2-page position papers from institutional actors addressing four predefined questions. The aim is to further involve key stakeholders in the Group's work, benefiting from their insights and feedback.

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Marching towards FP10 – ERRIN activity update

As we enter March and approach the European R&I Days, several ERRIN activities planned for 2024 with a link to FP10 have already taken place, and more are on their way. Have a look at an update with the outcomes of our recent work on the next European Framework Programme for R&I, next steps and opportunities to get involved.

EU's Knowledge Ecosystems: A Regional Stakeholder Survey

The ERA FABRIC project, which aims to define the ERA Hubs concept across Europe, launched a survey for regional stakeholders to identify the most recurrent characteristics and parameters of excellence of European knowledge ecosystems. ERA Hubs concept remains of particular interest for ERRIN. The survey will be open until 10 March 2024.

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​ ©European Union / Andrea Santin Fernández

Local and regional leaders discussed and shared their best practices on the crucial role of knowledge in strengthening innovation ecosystems at a seminar held at the European Committee of the Regions (CoR) on 14 May. The event, organised jointly by the CoR Commission for Social Policy, Education, Employment, Research and Culture (SEDEC) and by European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, provided a platform for regions and cities to exchange experiences on translating knowledge into practical and innovative solutions.

At the seminar "Knowledge valorisation for the regional and local R&I ecosystems" organised under the Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEP) 2.0 framework, experts and policymakers shared their experiences, challenges, and innovative and sustainable solutions to enhance the social and economic impact of research and innovation in local and regional ecosystems.

The debate focused on the importance of effectively using research knowledge to create social and economic value by developing sustainable products, services, and policies that respond to society's current needs and improve citizens' lives. The critical role that regional and local authorities play in implementing policies to support this transformation and R&I programs was highlighted in the seminar.

Participants shared practical experiences from taking part in the Mutual Learning Exercise (MLE) on Knowledge Valorisation launched in 2023 by the European Commission. This initiative aims to help Member States and associated countries to improve their policies and public support for the adoption and dissemination of knowledge, focussing on skills, intersectoral cooperation and incentive systems. Enhancing the way knowledge is shared so that it serves citizens by creating new solutions to Europe's current problems is one of the key strategies of the New European Innovation Agenda, created in 2022.

The Knowledge Exchange Platform (KEP) 2.0 , jointly developed by the European Committee of the Regions and the European Commission Directorate-General for Research and Innovation, is a renewed initiative aimed at fostering dialogue and the exchange of new solutions and best practices in research and innovation.

Tanya Hristova (BG/EPP), chair of the SEDEC Commission and mayor of Gabrovo said: “The topic 'knowledge valorisation' speaks a lot to me as an elected local politician. It combines well with the overall objectives of the year-long cooperation that we have with DG R&I - namely, the knowledge exchange platform (KEP). This is a two-way process, where research results are shared with or demonstrated at the regional level. While local stakeholders also have the opportunity to bring to the attention of innovators and scholars their needs and aspirations, arising bottom up, at the city and regional level."

To re-watch the seminar on "Knowledge valorisation for the regional and local R&I ecosystems" and its sessions and case studies, click here .​

Enhancing research accessibility and reuse: new study outlines strategic measures

Today, the European Commission published a study aimed at improving access to and reuse of research results, including publications and data for scientific purposes. This marks a significant step under the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2022-2024 on an EU copyright and data legislative and regulatory framework fit for research. 

The study has identified barriers and challenges to access and reuse of publicly funded research results, evaluated effects of the EU copyright framework on research, and identified relevant provisions for research in EU data and digital legislation. On this basis, it presents options for legislative and non-legislative measures to strengthen the free circulation of knowledge and thereby contribute to reinforce the  European Research Area .

Iliana Ivanova , Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: 

“The European Union has been pioneering open science policies and actions for over a decade. At the heart of our ambitious open science policy lies a simple but powerful belief: Publicly funded research should be a public resource. In our ongoing efforts under the European Research Area and its Policy Agenda, we collaborate closely with Member States, Associated Countries and stakeholders to create an environment where knowledge flows freely to benefit the society”.

The most common barriers encountered by researchers include lack of subscriptions by their organisations, inability to get permissions from the copyright owner, and fear of copyright infringement. Research performing organisations report challenges emerging from copyright law, not only in accessing and re-using publicly funded research results, but also in making results available in open access. 

Special focus has been placed in investigating the situation in EU Member States that had introduced a Secondary Publication Right (SPR), including Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium and Austria. SPR grants authors the right to freely share their published articles under certain conditions, alongside the initial publication in scientific journals. The study found that most research performing organisations in these Member States consider SPR to have at least a moderate impact on their research activities, including the share of research publications in open access. However, the study indicates that many researchers remain unaware of this right and a majority of research performing organisations consider certain provisions of national SPR legislation to be limiting factors. For example, the need to respect embargo periods and the fact that SPR is applicable only to the author-accepted manuscript, not the version of record, for publication. 

The study presents options for legislative and non-legislative measures. It also outlines a diversity of stakeholders’ perspectives on the options proposed, indicating the need for further analysis and discussions. Measures explored encompass the introduction of an EU-wide Secondary Publication Right and provisions that could be included in such legislation, spanning from the type of scientific output to the embargo period to be allowed. Other proposed measures focus on strengthening open-ended and flexible research exceptions. This could be achieved by introducing a fully harmonised, mandatory, and general exemption for scientific research, by clarifying lawful forms of access, and by removing excessive barriers posed by technological protection measures. Lastly, options explored also include giving guidance on current text and data mining provisions, to raise awareness and facilitate implementation by the research community. 

Finally, the study provides an analysis of provisions relevant to researchers and research organisations in EU data and digital legislation, examine the interplay against different legislative instruments, and present the main opportunities and challenges. The findings identify a growing entanglement of provisions relating to research activities and put forward recommendations. 

The study was commissioned as part of Action 2 of the  ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024 . It has been carried out by a consortium led by PPMI Group, and including as partners the Institute for Information Law of the University of Amsterdam, the Centre for IT & IP Law at KU Leuven, and the Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies.

It also responds to the  Council Conclusions of May 2023 on ‘High-quality, transparent, open, trustworthy and equitable scholarly publishing’, which encouraged the Commission to examine and propose measures at EU level.

More information  

Study: Improving access to and reuse of research results, publications and data for scientific purposes

Executive Summary 

European Research Area Platform

EU open science policy

Press contact:

EC Spokesperson for Research, Science and Innovation

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