Commission adopts proposal for the next European Research Area Policy Agenda 2025-2027

Today, the European Commission adopted its proposal for a Council Recommendation on the European Research Area Policy Agenda 2025-2027. 

The proposal stems from close coordination between the Commission, Member States, Horizon Europe Associated Countries and European stakeholders, who have collaboratively shaped the content of the nextERA Policy Agenda in the ERA Forum. Like for the first ERA Policy Agenda 2022-2024, the outlined ERA activities serve as a three-year roadmap, coordinating efforts to achieve progress in a variety of topics, from promoting open science principles to reforming research assessment. Their aim is to translate the priority areas for joint action of the Pact for research and innovation (R&I) into tangible outcomes, contributing to the EU countries’ long-term vision for cooperation in this area.

2025 is a milestone year for the ERA, as we are also celebrating 25 years of working together to achieve a single market for research and innovation, continuing to work on structural, economic and policy change in the ERA.

Key elements of the ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027

The next ERA Policy Agenda has three building blocks:

• The policy narrative sets the scene for the broader goals and ambitions and highlights the achievements and lessons learnt.
• The body outlines ERA structural policies, which are long-term policies embedded in national and European policy, such as open science, research infrastructures and research careers. It also lays out concise, policy-driven and goal-oriented ERA actions, which aim to provide added value for the EU, Member States and stakeholders on areas where joint action is needed. They address current challenges such as artificial intelligence in science, research security, and science for policy. Envisaged outcomes include a joint roadmap on AI in science, structural cooperation with policy-makers and experts around the theme of research security and an observatory of the European science-for-policy landscape.
• The annex includes a one-page workplan on each proposed structural policy and action. They are based on the longer co-created explanatory documents of the ERA Forum.

Next steps

The adoption of the second ERA Policy Agenda 2025-27 by the Council is expected in May, under the Polish Presidency.

Background

The European Research Area (ERA) aims to create a unified research and innovation market by aligning national and EU policies, improving research infrastructures, and promoting open science and international collaboration. The ERA was officially launched in 2000, following its proposal by the European Commission in a communication titled ‘Towards a European Research Area’, further endorsed by the European Council and is enshrined as an objective in Article 179 of the Lisbon Treaty. 

The current ERA policy framework is the result of a revitalisation process started in 2021, which lead to a new ERA governance, the Pact for R&I and the first ERA Policy Agenda 2022-24. 

More information

Proposal for a Council Recommendation on the ERA Policy Agenda 2025-2027

ANNEX (Detailed explanation of ERA structural policies and ERA actions)

European Research Area Platform

Questions and Answer