Research and innovation investments should not count towards EU deficit rules until targets are met, says European Economic and Social Committee

The EU should exploit EIT networks in Widening countries, says ERA opinion author Paul Rübig

Areas for legislation to advance the European Research Area will be finalised over the next 12 months

Research lobbies press for a strong ERA Act, as the Commission concedes that voluntary action is “insufficient” to address structural barriers

Proposals build on Teaming actions and EIC pre-accelerator calls. Meanwhile, ERA fellowships and the hop-on facility will be phased out

An informal task force set up in the European Parliament will advise on making Widening a stronger presence in the next research Framework Programme

A survey of ten pilot projects finds significant obstacles to the introduction of joint European degrees

Details emerge on who will be on Ekaterina Zaharieva’s team, but last minute tweaks are expected ahead of official confirmation

Member states want to reinforce the European Research Area, but concrete measures will have to wait until next year