EUREKA NEWS

ERA Conference reveals results of the public consultation

date of publication > 06-February-2012

On 30 January 2012, the European Commission organised the “ERA Conference 2012” gathering stakeholders from the Institutions, the Member States, industry and academia in Brussels. The aim of this high-level conference was to present the results of the public consultation 'ERA Framework: Areas of untapped potential for the development of the European Research Area' closed on 30 November 2011 and discuss on the upcoming European Research Area Framework 2014-2020. The Conference was opened by Research and Innovation Commissioner Máire Geoghegan-Quinn who called for smarter, sharper and more focused research area to generate greater competitiveness in Europe. She highlighted the Commission’s ambition to close the Innovation divide through Horizon 2020 and synergies with the Structural funds.

The consultation received more than 600 responses from a wide range of stakeholders (researchers, academia, public administrations and the business sector). The consultation report shows the existing barriers which need to be removed to strengthen efficient researchers’ mobility, cross border cooperation, knowledge transfer, open access of public funded research and wide access of research infrastructures.

The results were presented and discussed at the various workshops divided by theme and highlighted the following main findings:

• More political will is required for national funding agencies to support joint research programmes;

• Better access to information on initiatives available for cross-border operation;

• Awareness of researchers about Intellectual Property and Knowledge Transfer opportunities is weak;

• National Open Access policies and their coordination in the ERA  are insufficient; 

• More information, simplification and transparency about ERA instruments and initiatives are needed;

• Realistic milestones, deliverables and common indicators to improve the evaluation and monitoring of ERA initiatives;

• Higher participation of stakeholders in ERA processes is needed;

• The achievement of ERA needs a strengthened political commitment both at national and EU level.

At the concluding session, Maria da Graça Carvalho MEP (EP’s Rapporteur of 'Simplifying the implementation of the research framework programmes') highlighted the importance of using existing instruments and called for further simplification and accessibility regarding the rules of participation to actively contribute in the ERA.

Director of Planning at the Planning bureau of Cyprus and also EUREKA High-level representative Costas Iacovou announced that one of the main priorities of the forthcoming Cypriot EU Presidency will focus on research cooperation and an ERA Conference following the adoption of the associated proposal will take place in this framework.

Robert-Jan Smits, Director General at Commission’s DG Research, called on stakeholder associations to also commit to the prompt implementation of ERA and announced that the EC will publish its proposal for the ERA in June 2012.

With the Eurostars Programme having been cited by the Commission earlier last week as an ‘example’ for the specific programme to address SMEs under the forthcoming ‘Horizon 2020’ framework programme for research and innovation funding (2014-2020), EUREKA followed with particular interest the outcome of the consultation.