Annexes to COM(2024)490 - - Main contents

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dossier	COM(2024)490 - .
document	COM(2024)490
date	October 22, 2024

Agreement and Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) (⁴⁷) as a key milestone for reforming the way research projects, researchers and research institutions are assessed. This reform is expected to raise the quality and impact of research and the attractiveness of research careers by creating strong incentives and rewards for the creation of a more inclusive, open and effective research environment. The reform will make it easier to better recognise the diversity of research practices, activities and outputs beyond traditional metrics based on authoring articles that are published in scientific journals.

To support the implementation of this new European framework, the Commission launched the ERA Talent Platform (^⁴⁸) as the new single information gateway for researchers and research organisations in Europe. In parallel, to facilitate mobility and career development, the Commission strengthened EURAXESS (^⁴⁹), a platform for research job offers and funding, which registers more than 14 000 organisations, 110 000 researchers and an average of over 63 000 job opportunities every year. To support researchers’ skills and intersectoral mobility, the Commission also drew up the European Competence Framework for Researchers (⁵⁰), taken as a reference tool by an increasing number of institutions and researchers (⁵¹). In parallel, in addition to the existing Horizon Europe support provided to up to 65 000 researchers (including 25 000 PhD candidates under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions for their training, skills and career development, mobility across borders, disciplines and sectors), a new smaller Horizon Europe funding scheme has been launched to support intersectoral mobility (ERA Talents). Temporary cross-sectoral mobility is also encouraged by the Next Generation Innovation Talents Scheme.

Protecting European values and principles in the performance of R&I, such as open science, research integrity and ethics, transparency, diversity and gender equality – as laid out in the Pact for Research and Innovation - makes Europe a more attractive place for researchers and businesses from around the world. Since 2020 the Commission has continued to lead the way in promoting the free flow of knowledge and data through its open science policy, with a focus on supporting open access to publications, open data and FAIR (⁵²) data management, public engagement, and the development of skills and training for open science. As of 2024 a total of 21 Member States have put in place a national policy for open access to scientific publications, compared to 14 in 2020, and 13 Member States have a policy on research data management, double the number in 2020.

The European Open Science Cloud is a notable initiative that aims to support collaboration across borders and disciplines. It offers seamless access to quality data and digital services based on the federation of data repositories and services of research infrastructure. It also provides an environment in which researchers and innovators can publish, find and re-use each other’s data and tools. The European Open Science Cloud EU Node, providing a full spectrum of scientific tools for researchers across Europe, became operational in 2024 as the first node of the cloud and will help to address the crucial need for improved data sharing. It will be supported by the Open Research Europe (^⁵³) open access publishing service launched by the Commission in 2021 as an optional and cost-free service allowing beneficiaries of EU programmes to comply with their obligation to make their peer-reviewed scholarly research freely available online. To support a responsible use of Artificial Intelligence in science in line with EU values and principles, the ERA Forum developed and published in 2024 living guidelines (^⁵⁴) for researchers, research organisations and funders.

To strengthen gender equality and inclusiveness in R&I policy, the development of a gender equality plan has been introduced as an eligibility criterion for all public bodies, higher education institutions and research organisations applying to Horizon Europe. Another eligibility criterion for Horizon Europe is a requirement to take into account the gender dimension in the content of R&I activities. In addition, thanks to the work done under the ERA Policy Agenda, the Commission has drawn up an EU Baseline on a Strategy for a Zero-Tolerance Code of Conduct to counteract gender-based violence, including sexual harassment. According to data from 2023, there are signs of progress on gender equality in R&I (^⁵⁵). Gender balance has almost been achieved at the level of PhD graduates in Europe (at present slightly more men than women graduate with PhDs). There has also been a slight increase in the proportion of women holding senior academic positions and contributing to scientific publications. Nevertheless, significant gender gaps remain in R&I, particularly in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) (⁵⁶).

The Commission continuously invests in research and education projects on ethics and research integrity, to assist in the strengthening of the relevant frameworks. To support the research community in promoting research integrity and excellence, various toolboxes and educational materials have been developed. Additionally, the Commission facilitates the operations of several European and global networks on ethics, research integrity and research quality.

As global tensions rise and the strategic importance of R&I grows, ensuring the security of European research is paramount. To address this challenge, the EU must balance openness and collaboration with the protection of critical knowledge and technology. In line with the Council Recommendation on Enhancing Research Security (⁵⁷), the ERA will strengthen support for researchers and institutions using a coordinated approach, including by setting up a European Centre of Expertise on Research Security. This Centre will serve as a hub for knowledge exchange, risk assessment and capacity building, ensuring that European research remains open, collaborative and secure.

Following calls from the European Parliament, which has adopted a resolution on the ‘Promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU’ (⁵⁸), the Commission has also committed to preparing a possible legal initiative on freedom of scientific research in the EU (⁵⁹).

For the ERA to be fully effective and support excellent R&I, it also needs world-class research and technology infrastructure to be accessible to European researchers and innovators. Most individual Member States do not have the necessary financial or organisational resources to build, operate and upgrade such infrastructure, whether it is single site, distributed across Europe, or virtual. In order to best support the further integration and strengthening of world-class European research infrastructure, the Commission regularly carries out an assessment of the needs and performance of existing structures. The Roadmap of the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) is updated on the basis of such analysis, prioritising the facilities and services that reinforce European scientific and technological competitiveness. The landscape analysis issued by ESFRI in 2024 (⁶⁰) provides a comprehensive picture of a dynamic research infrastructure ecosystem in Europe, ranging from pan-European ESFRI Landmarks and ERICs (^⁶¹) to EIROforum (^⁶²) members and national research infrastructure. The ESFRI Roadmap alone reflects a total of more than EUR 25 billion of investment and more than EUR 2 billion in operating costs every year, with most funding mobilised at national level. Horizon Europe allocates in its work programme EUR 2.4 billion to research infrastructures, alongside the Cohesion Policy Funds and RRF contributions. Horizon Europe also supports transnational access to European research infrastructure for more than 6 000 researchers every year. The European Commission, via its Joint Research Centre (JRC), also provides access to its unique research infrastructures for research (⁶³) and training and capacity building (⁶⁴). In recent years, 17 JRC research infrastructures have opened access to more than 560 users from over 130 institutions across 33 countries.

In parallel, technology infrastructure also plays an important role in supporting the innovation capacity and competitiveness of the industrial sector, in the form of pilot lines, testing facilities, clean rooms, demonstration sites and living labs. They can be sector-specific or technology-focused and are usually hosted and operated by research and technology organisations and technical universities. In line with the ERA Policy Agenda, a comprehensive analysis of the policy and funding landscape for technology infrastructure was developed, identifying the main weaknesses and deficiencies. A European approach to technology infrastructure was also tested in two specific areas: (1) setting-up open innovation test beds to develop advanced materials, and (ii) establishing a roadmap for investment in relevant infrastructure for the European aviation sector. Cross-sectoral collaborative work on a comprehensive European strategy to improve the quality, availability and accessibility of technology infrastructure is also ongoing, in particular for SMEs and start-ups.

Universities, in their position at the crossroads of education, research, innovation, and serving society and the economy, are uniquely placed to support the ERA. With the aim of facilitating the adaptation of universities to changing needs and conditions, the Commission adopted a Communication on a European Strategy for universities in 2021 (⁶⁵). An ERA Forum subgroup has developed recommendations on supporting excellence in R&I in the university sector, and on the institutional change needed.

In order to track all policy developments and their impact on R&I careers, including on skills training and intersectoral mobility, in 2024 the Commission launched a new Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (⁶⁶) in partnership with the OECD. This will help to identify areas in which further action is needed.

Remaining scope for action

Overall, knowledge circulation within the EU has improved, due to the combined impact of past and recent initiatives. Nevertheless, despite the progress made, several important challenges remain.

Administrative and legal obstacles such as disparities in career development opportunities and the lack of a level playing field across sectors and countries remain. These obstacles make research careers less attractive and hamper the mobility of R&I talent across Member States and between business and academia. There is also still scope for stronger action to develop inclusive gender equality plans and policies that address intersecting inequalities and discrimination on the grounds of gender, gender orientation, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation and other aspects. Moreover, there remain persistent and growing skills shortages in certain areas such as clean energy and artificial intelligence that need to be addressed if Europe is to remain competitive in emerging technologies and harness the full potential of the green and digital transformation.

To ensure that Europe continues to lead the way in addressing the ethical challenges raised by new technologies and ensure the protection of EU values and fundamental rights in research, the ERA should ensure that researchers, research and innovation processes and the R&I system, independent of their source of funding, comply with the highest ethics and integrity standards. This implies ensuring that the respect of EU values is not globally context-dependent so as to notably ensure an Ethics by Design approach throughout the ERA.

Despite making progress in accepting and practising open science, Europe still lacks the necessary federated and interoperable digital infrastructure to share research data and services across countries and scientific disciplines. It also lacks fit-for-purpose copyright, data and digital regulation to unlock knowledge and data currently behind paywalls or insufficiently exploited due to legal challenges. The EU has recently adopted the European Data Governance Act and the European Data Act, which are significant advances in fostering data sharing. (⁶⁷)

Budget constraints increasingly prevent funding bodies and countries from awarding matching costs for the construction, operation, and upgrading of research infrastructures. Alignment and coordination between EU, national and regional funding is needed to both: (i) reduce the risk of fragmentation and dilution of resources; and (ii) address new challenges linked to transnational access, new user communities, digitalisation, research security, economic competition and regulatory barriers. The technology infrastructure landscape remains fragmented, with a high concentration of facilities in the most industrially developed countries and regions of the EU, while only a few countries have dedicated national policies addressing technology infrastructure and facilitating the use of such infrastructure by companies.

5. Conclusion

The vision for the ‘New European Research Area’ outlined in the 2020 Communication responded to the pressing challenges facing the EU, in particular the need for resilience and recovery following the COVID-19 crisis, combined with the essential role of R&I in underpinning the green and digital transitions. The rationale remains equally valid now, namely to create an environment for research and innovation that: (i) maximises economies of scale and cooperation across the whole of the EU and beyond;(ii) nurtures the full diversity of European talent; (iii) provides European researchers with the best possible working conditions; and (iv) ensures that the excellent results produced by European researchers benefit both the economy and society.

By establishing new governance structures and a policy agenda with concrete actions, the EU injected fresh momentum into the ERA completion, aligning policies, regulatory frameworks and funding programmes. Notable progress has been made through collaboration with Member States, particularly in addressing the fragmentation of R&I systems. Initiatives have focused on careers, infrastructure, open science, building trust through citizen engagement and mobilising resources for thematic cooperation. The joint priority-setting process, co-created between Member States, stakeholders and the Commission, has fostered a sense of ownership and increased commitment to implementation.

Despite this progress, the EU still cannot rely on a fully effective ERA capable of attracting, retaining and nurturing its talent under optimal conditions. As highlighted in the Draghi report, the quality of European research is high but numerous barriers remain. These barriers include: (i) inadequate prioritisation of R&I in public budgets (with only five countries meeting the 3% GDP target for public and private R&D investment); (ii) insufficient coordination of R&I policies across ERA countries; (iii) persistent fragmentation of R&I systems and regulations; (iv) performance disparities; and (v) administrative burden. These factors continue to hinder Europe’s competitiveness. In addition, while the launch of the European Innovation Council under Horizon Europe was a significant step towards supporting deep tech innovators, barriers still exist that make it difficult to deploy and exploit R&I results, and scale up innovative companies in Europe. Completing the Single Market and the Capital Markets Union is key to tackling the innovation gap between the EU and other major economies.

The persistence of these challenges, weaknesses and disparities across and within Member States prevents the EU from leveraging its full scientific potential for the benefit of the economy and society. Enrico Letta’s report on the single market (⁶⁸) emphasised the crucial role of the ERA, as enshrined in the Treaty, in developing a ‘5th Freedom to enhance research, innovation and education in the Single Market’ and bolstering Europe’s innovation capacity. To build a stronger EU rooted in scientific excellence and technological leadership, continued political commitment and cooperation are key. This would allow the EU to secure its place at the forefront of global innovation, ensuring a future in which its talent thrives and delivers lasting benefits for all.
ANNEX 1: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 2020 ERA COMMUNICATION ROADMAP THROUGH THE ERA POLICY AGENDA 2022-24

Strategic objective	Roadmap Action (ERA Communication 2020)	ERA Policy Agenda actions
Prioritising investment and reforms	1. Re-affirm the 3% GDP EU R&D investment target and propose a new EU 1.25% GDP public effort target to be achieved by Member States by 2030	The Pact for Research and Innovation reaffirms the importance of prioritising investment and reforms (3rd chapter): ‘Member States should contribute to the Union-level target of investing 3 % of Union GDP in R&D by setting, on a voluntary basis, national targets for their total expenditure on R&D’. Action 20: Support research and innovation investments and reforms. While no specific ERA action was undertaken to support stronger R&I investment and reforms, in the context of the implementation of the Recovery and Resilience Facility, several Member States have used this funding to boost their R&I investments and, in some instances, start implementing important reforms to consolidate a fragmented R&I system, improve science-business linkages or boost innovation. Strengthening these efforts, especially at the end of the Recovery and Resilience Facility period in mid-2026, will be crucial to constructing a stronger ERA.
2. Launch of ERA Forum for Transition, to support Member States in the coordination and prioritisation of national R&I funding, and reforms	The ERA Forum for Transition was created in early 2022 and later replaced by the ERA Forum, which is responsible for implementing the ERA Policy Agenda. It consists of Member States, associated countries and stakeholders.
Improving access to excellence	3. Support Member States who are below the EU average R&D investment as a share of GDP to increase their total investment in R&D by 50% in the next 5 years	Planned to be completed under Action 20 of the ERA Policy Agenda, however, Member States did not commit to pursuing this goal.
4. Set up a dedicated work stream in the ERA Forum for Transition for access to excellence and support lower-performing R&I Member States to increase their number of highly cited publications by one-third over 5 years	Action 16: Improve EU-wide access to excellence: - The ERA Forum Subgroup on Access to Excellence - R&I and Cohesion Managing Authorities' Network (RIMA) was set up in June 2023. - RIMA brings together research and innovation policy actors and managing authorities to assess the innovation divide, increase excellence and capitalise on existing widening instruments.
Translating R&I results into economic results	5. Develop common industrial technology roadmap	Action 10: Make EU R&I missions and partnerships key contributions to the ERA: - The Transnational Cooperation on the Missions Approach (TRAMI) project was launched to support the Missions. - The European Mission Network brought together key players from the private sector, academia, civil society organisations and governments. - European Partnerships (EP) played a central role in delivering the ERA, for example through the Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP). The Partnership Knowledge Hub (PKH) was set up to support the Commission and Member States in implementing and coordinating the EPs. Action 11: An ERA for the green transition: - The ERA pilot on Green Hydrogen was set up, along with the Implementation Working Group on Hydrogen, which aim to implement the respective Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA). - The SET Plan was revised, aligning it with current EU policies, complemented by an SET Plan Conference and a Communication. - The ERA sub-action 11.3 on the Future of Work was set up to inform policies and guide research and innovation funding for the future of work via a Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (SRIA).The SRIA is the outcome of workshops and consultations and provides an overview of the current state of R&I on the future of work, highlighting existing efforts and identifying areas for further research. Action 12: Accelerate the green/digital transition of Europe's key industrial ecosystems: - Three ERA industrial technology roadmaps were prepared. (on low-carbon technologies in energy intensive industries; on circular technologies; and on human-centric technology for Industry 5.0). - A policy agenda was developed the Industry 5.0 paradigm (human-centricity, sustainability and resilience) which focuses on the skills, organisational capacity and operational models that support the twin transition in European industry. - A Commission report on Scaling up innovative technologies for climate neutrality maps demonstrators in 184 EU-funded projects developing climate neutrality technologies in energy-intensive industries. - Two mutual learning exercises (MLEs): Whole-of-government approach in R&I (topic on ‘Green Transition’), and on Industrial Decarbonisation. - A report with comprehensive analysis of the policy and funding landscape for technology infrastructures identified the main weaknesses and deficiencies. - A roadmap for the update/construction of aviation research and technology infrastructures at EU level was published to support the clean transition of the EU aviation industry.
6. Develop and test a networking framework in support of Europe’s R&I ecosystems, building on existing capacities, in order to strengthen excellence and maximise the value of knowledge creation, circulation and use	Action 15: Build up R&I ecosystems to improve excellence and competitiveness: - Under the widening component of Horizon Europe, 25 Excellence Hubs have been created that will strengthen regional innovation excellence through innovation ecosystems in widening countries and beyond, by teaming up with and creating robust linkages between academia, businesses, local governments and civil society. - The Regional Innovation Valleys (RIVs) initiative aims to reduce the fragmentation of R&I ecosystems. 148 regions have been selected to receive an RIV label and have committed to: (i) strengthening their R&I ecosystem; (ii) enhancing the coordination and directionality of their R&I policy and investment towards key EU priorities; and (iii) engaging in R&I collaboration between more and less advanced regions with complementary smart specialisations. - A pilot was launched in 2022 to test the concept of ERA Hubs as an opportunity to create a framework for both multi-level governance and a multi-stakeholder approach, the role of which in addressing societal challenges is increasingly recognised. - Through the open access to the Joint Research Centre (JRC) research infrastructures programme, the JRC facilitated access to researchers from institutions located in the Widening Participation and Spreading Excellence list of countries, by waiving access costs and supporting travel and subsistence to carry experimental research and receive training and capacity building at JRC research infrastructures.
7. Update and develop guiding principles for knowledge valorisation and a code of practice for the smart use of intellectual property	Action 7: Upgrade EU guidance for better knowledge valorisation: - Council Recommendation on guiding principles for knowledge valorisation for a unified approach to policy principles and measures for national, regional and local policymakers to optimise the translation of R&I outcomes into impactful solutions for society. - A Code of Practice on intellectual asset management and standardisation offers guidance for R&I actors on managing intellectual assets and standardisation. - Awareness-raising campaigns to support the implementation of the guiding principles, and the codes of practice started in spring 2023. - An MLE was also organised on knowledge valorisation involving 16 Member States and two associated countries.
Deepening the ERA	8. New toolbox in support of researchers’ career development	Action 4: Promote attractive research careers, talent circulation and mobility: - Adoption on 18 December 2023 of the Council Recommendation on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talent in Europe, with a new European Charter for Researchers. - Launch of the ResearchComp (European Competence Framework for Researchers) website on 13 June 2023. - Launch on 10 June 2024 of the ERA Talent Platform and the revamped European EURAXESS Portal – Researchers in Motion to support researchers and innovators throughout their career. - Two MLEs under the Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility (Knowledge Valorisation and Inter-Sectoral Mobility; implementation of the Council Recommendation). - Launch of a Horizon Europe WIDERA pilot call on Talent Ecosystems for early-career researchers. - Launch of the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory, to be implemented together with the OECD. - RESAVER is supported for broader adoption, geographical expansion, and continuous improvement of its offerings in countries where it is already operational. - The revamped and updated HR Excellence in Research award Portal is now a full initiative under the ERA Talent Platform. Action 17: Enhance public research institutions' strategic capacity: - A set of recommendations for targeted actions at national and European level were developed to increase recognition of the profession and the range and accessibility of research managers’ training activities. - Horizon Europe funds key projects on research management, with the aim of developing a dedicated competence framework.
9. Launch, via the Horizon Europe Programme, a platform of peer-reviewed open access publishing; analyse authors’ rights to enable sharing of publicly funded peer-reviewed articles without restriction; Ensure a European Open Science Cloud that is offering findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable research data and services (Web of FAIR); and incentivise open science practices by improving the research assessment system.	This objective is addressed under three ERA Policy Agenda actions. Action 1: Enable open science, including through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC): - Building up the EOSC as part of the co-programmed European Partnership. - New national strategies for Open Science policy for mainstreaming open science practices and FAIR principles across national research funding programmes. - EOSC Observatory serving as a one-stop-shop providing intelligence on Open Science implementation. - EOSC Catalogue of best practices with illustrative examples on practices targeting publications, data, software, infrastructure. Action 2: Propose an EU copyright and data legislative framework fit for research: - Studies on EU copyright and data legislation and its impact on access to resources for scientific research, reuse of scientific publications, and research data sharing and reuse. Study on: (i) improving access to and reuse of research results; (ii) identifying barriers and challenges; and (iii) presenting options for measures to strengthen the free circulation of knowledge (these measures include the introduction of an EU-wide secondary publication right and other measures to strengthen open-ended and flexible research exceptions). Action 3: Reform the assessment system for research, researchers and institutions: - Agreement on reforming research assessment (July 2022), establishing a common direction for reforms, while respecting the signatory organisations’ autonomy. As of August 2024, it had been signed by 768 organisations. - As of August 2024, 91 organisations have published an Action Plan to detail how they intend to implement the commitments contained in the Agreement. - The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) was established in December 2022, bringing together a broad range of stakeholders. As of August 2024, 676 organisations had joined. - CoARA has established 13 Working Groups to identify good practices and recommendations on several aspects of research assessment. 16 groups, each bringing together the signatories from a given country (so-called ‘National Chapters’) will facilitate reforms at national level. - National dialogues have been initiated to identify potential legal and administrative barriers and solutions.
10. Implement the EFSRI White Paper and establish an updated governance structure for research and technological infrastructure.	Action 8: Strengthen research infrastructures: - Analysis of the European Research Infrastructure landscape, with a new methodology, issued in June 2024. - Revision of the European Charter of Access to Research Infrastructures, expected end-2024. - Update of the ESFRI Roadmap to be launched in October 2024. - Commission report on the application of the ERIC Regulation, issued in August 2023. - ESFRI-EOSC Task Force set up in June 2023.
11. Develop a roadmap of actions for creating synergies between higher education and research, notably building on the dual role of universities.	Action 13: Empower higher education institutions: - The ERA Forum Subgroup on ‘Universities for ERA’ has set out an action plan with recommendations for short- medium- and long-term actions for better coordination between Member States and the EU to foster excellence. A number of EU-level actions are being implemented under the WIDERA work programme of Horizon Europe. - The Communication on a European strategy for universities published in 2022, aiming to boost the European dimension in higher education and research. The European strategy for universities includes cross references to the ERA and relevant ERA actions promoting a transformation of universities in order to increase their excellence in R&I (e.g open science, academic careers). In recognition of the importance of the R&I dimension of higher education institutions, this is complemented under Horizon Europe by the European Excellence Initiative and other dedicated calls under the WIDERA work programme of Horizon Europe. Action 6: Protect academic freedom in Europe: - Staff working document on tackling foreign interference in research and innovation in 2022, providing a comprehensive strategy for higher education institutions and organisations performing research. - European strategy for universities, committing to ensuring academic freedom in higher education institutions. - European Parliament Forum for Academic Freedom initiated in November 2022, with the aim of creating the annual Academic Freedom Monitor. - MLE on Tackling Foreign Interference in R&I, with a strong emphasis on the protection of institutional autonomy and academic freedom. - Adoption of Council Recommendation on Enhancing Research Security that strikes a balance between being open and safe, while respecting and safeguarding crucial principles such as academic freedom, institutional autonomy and non-discrimination.
12. Develop inclusive gender equality plans with Member States and stakeholders to promote EU gender equality in R&I	Action 5: Promote gender equality and foster inclusiveness: - Gender equality in Horizon Europe is addressed by introducing: - gender equality plans (GEPs) as an eligibility criterion for certain categories of legal entities; - the default requirement for the integration of a gender dimension into R&I content; - a target of 50% women on Horizon Europe-related boards, in expert groups and on evaluation committees, and the introduction of a gender balance among research teams as a ranking criterion for proposals with the same score. - Report ‘Approaches to inclusive gender equality in Research and Innovation’ on emerging practices and policies at EU and national levels. - Drafted report on the impact of GEPs across the ERA. - The EU Award for Gender Equality Champions was established to recognise the outstanding results of institutions in implementing GEPs. - The ERA Forum Subgroup on Inclusive Gender Equality: - Task force on the gender dimension in R&I and Task Force on gender-based violence; - Zero-Tolerance Code of Conduct, counteracting gender-based violence, including sexual harassment in the EU R&I System.
Horizontal	13. Organise with Member States and stakeholders Europe-wide participatory citizen science campaigns to raise awareness and encourage networking	Action 14: Bring science closer to citizens: - MLE on citizen science initiatives – policy and practice was developed, with the aim of facilitating the exchange of citizen science information, experiences and lessons learned. - MLE on public engagement – policy and practice fostering public participation in R&I policies. - Initiatives completed/ongoing: European City of Science in Leyden (2022) and Katowice (2024), EU TalentOn, European Union Contest for Young Scientists (EUCYS), Plastic Pirates – Go Europe! citizen science initiative. - Eurobarometer survey on ‘European citizens’ knowledge and attitudes towards science and technology’ (2021) showing that 9 in 10 EU citizens expect a range of technologies currently under development to have a positive effect on society.
14. Develop with Member States an approach to set and implement strategic priorities that deliver on the ERA agenda through the ERA Forum for Transition and by means of a Pact for R&I in Europe.	In the context of the ERA Forum, Member States, the European Commission and stakeholders collaborated to define strategic priorities for the ERA Policy Agenda and to coordinate joint efforts in implementing its actions. Many of the ERA Policy Agenda actions contribute to this roadmap action. Only actions not described above are included in this overview. Action 9: Promote a positive environment and level playing field for international cooperation based on reciprocity: - The ERA Forum Standing Subgroup on the Global Approach. - Multilateral Dialogue on Principles and Values for International Cooperation in R&I with key non-EU partners. - An international ministerial conference endorsed a Ministerial Statement on principles and values for international cooperation in R&I (the ‘Brussels Statement’ (16/02/2024)). - Ongoing development of a European Framework for Science Diplomacy, and a Team Europe Approach Initiative on cooperation with Africa. - Recommendation on a Team Europe approach towards China under preparation. Action 19: Establish an effective ERA monitoring system: - New ERA monitoring and evaluation framework, with key monitoring tools and mechanisms as part of the implementation of other actions. - The ERA Policy Platform was launched, and EU-level report, ERA Scoreboard and Dashboard 2023, ERA Country Reports were published. Action 18: Support the development of EU Member States’ national processes for ERA implementation. This Action has not been implemented due to a lack of support by MS.

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34() Implementing the actions - European Commission (europa.eu)

35() https://cetpartnership.eu/

36() Including for instance the Chips Joint Undertaking, Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking, Clean Hydrogen Joint Undertaking, and co-programmed partnerships such as Processes 4 Planet (processing industries), Clean Steel, Batt4EU (industrial batter value chain), 2ZERO (zero emissions road transport), Made in Europe (advanced manufacturing) or co-funded partnership with Member States such as European Clean Energy Transition Partnership, as well as the Knowledge and Innovation Communities of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT).

37() Industrial alliances - European Commission (europa.eu)

38()eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:52024DC0028

39()EuroHPC Joint Undertaking. Homepage - EuroHPC JU (europa.eu)

40()https://strategic-technologies.europa.eu/get-funding_en

41() Science, Research and Innovation Performance (SRIP) Report 2024, Chapter 5, p. 328.

42() Science, Research and Innovation Performance (SRIP) Report 2024, Chapter 5, p. 331

43()https://european-union.europa.eu/priorities-and-actions/actions-topic/single-market_en

44() OJ C, C/2023/1640, 29.12.2023.

45() Updating the 2005 Charter and Code for researchers.

46()https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/statistics/policy-support-facility/mutual-learning-exercise-research-careers

47() https://coara.eu/about/

48() https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/

49() https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/

50()https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/jobs-research/researchcomp-european-competence-framework-researchers_en

51()Data from the Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO) will indicate the progress in terms of researchers’ skills and intersectoral mobility.

52() Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable.

53() https://open-research-europe.ec.europa.eu/

54() https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/document/2b6cf7e5-36ac-41cb-aab5-0d32050143dc_en

55() For recent figures on progress:https://op.europa.eu/en/publication-detail/-/publication/1d49ca62-ec09-11ee-8e14-01aa75ed71a1/language-en

56() She Figures 2021 https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-law-and-publications/publication-detail/-/publication/67d5a207-4da1-11ec-91ac-01aa75ed71a1

57()OJ C, C/2024/3510, 30.5.2024.

58() https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0022_EN.html

59⁽⁾ Based on an external study for the European Commission to be completed by May 2025 and aiming to provide a solid de jure and de facto assessment of the protection and promotion of the freedom of scientific research in the EU.

60() https://landscape2024.esfri.eu/media/coqdoq0q/20240604_la2024.pdf

61() European Research Infrastructure Consortia

62() European Intergovernmental Research Organisation forum

63()https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/tools-and-laboratories/open-access-jrc-research-infrastructures_en

64()https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/tools-and-laboratories/training-programmes/open-access-jrc-research-infrastructures-training-and-capacity-building_en

65() COM (2022) 16 final

66()ERA Talent Platform - Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO) (europa.eu) .

67()Regulation (EU) 2022/868 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2022 on European data governance and amending Regulation (EU) 2018/1724 (Data Governance Act) (Text with EEA relevance)

68() https://www.consilium.europa.eu/media/ny3j24sm/much-more-than-a-market-report-by-enrico-letta.pdf

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