LINO

Today and tomorrow, the conference “New European Research Area – Towards Responsible Knowledge-Driven Society of the 3rd Millenium” takes place in Brdo, Slovenia. The conference will bring together policy makers, researchers and innovators from across the EU to discuss the design and implementation of the new European Research Area (ERA).

Based on excellence, competitive, open and talent-driven, the new European Research Area will improve Europe’s research and innovation landscape, accelerate the green and digital transition, support the EU’s recovery from the coronavirus crisis, and strengthen its resilience against future crises.

Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth said:

The European Research Area provides the foundation for research and innovation cooperation in Europe and beyond. Realising a more impactful ERA is only possible if we are all working together. I very much welcome this conference as a great opportunity for exchange with Member States, stakeholder communities, industrial sectors and policymakers at all levels.

The event comes at a timely moment, as the first two milestones of the new European Research Area – the Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe and the new ERA governance framework, including the first ERA policy agenda – are expected at the end of November. The contribution of stakeholders to the discussions are crucial to make the new ERA a success.

Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Simona Kustec, Slovenian Minister of Education, Science and Sport, will open the event, followed by a ministerial roundtable. On the second day, stakeholder workshops on ERA in relation to Research Infrastructures, prospective research careers, open science and the economy give the opportunity to focus on different aspects of the proposed Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe and the new ERA policy agenda.

Background

The Commission Communication on “A new ERA for Research and Innovation” of September 2020, endorsed by Council Conclusions on the new ERA in December 2020, set out the new vision for the ERA. It includes four strategic objectives:

Prioritise investments and reforms in research and innovation;
Improve access to excellent facilities and infrastructures for researchers across the EU;
Boost the market uptake of research and innovation results;
Strengthen the mobility of researchers and free flow of knowledge and technology.

In 2021, the ERA Forum for Transition was established. It is an informal Commission expert group, where the Commission, Member States’ and European Economic Area country experts together kick-started the work on the new ERA.