Eureka pledges to support the ERA

Eureka has an important role to play in the construction of the European Research Area, “As a facilitator and mediator across different programmes and projects, particularly in view of its experience in organising research cooperation among European countries in the field of industrial R&D,” the ministerial representatives concluded in a position statement.

The statement adds that while Eureka’s role as a truly independent platform must be preserved by all means, coordination between Eureka and EU policies should lead to synergies that drive forward the European Research Area. An example is the Eurostars programme, which provides dedicated research funding for SMEs.

The ministers welcomed the dramatic and positive turn around brought by the successful launching of the Eurostars programme. This resulted in 192 new individual bilateral and multilateral projects with a total estimated budget of €324 million, and 86 Eurostars projects, with a total estimated budget of €128 million.

A further 45 new Cluster projects with a total estimated budget of €995 million were announced at the conference. The chairmanship of Eureka has now passed from Portugal to Germany.