Universities are key players in Europe’s research and innovation landscape. EUA, therefore, welcomes the revival of the European Research Area (ERA), where research-based knowledge is mobilised for a better and more sustainable future. In this EUA position, the Association offers a detailed list of recommendations for the ERA.
Notably, EUA calls for an ERA that is ambitious in delivering benefits to society, diverse and open to the world. The right mix of curiosity-driven and mission-oriented R&I and a clear set of shared core values should drive the new ERA. Open Science and interdisciplinary approaches should be mainstreamed. Partnership and collaboration with other sectors should be facilitated and public engagement should be encouraged. Academic career assessment structures and practices should evolve and contribute to a seamless research-based knowledge area. For all this to become a reality, necessary framework conditions should be put in place, namely significant funding and shared political commitment and synergies between the European, national and regional policy levels.
The article was first published on 05 March 2020 by EUA.
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