University association says ERA must better support the ‘full range of research’
Plans for the European Research Area—a policy initiative to enable the free flow of knowledge and to raise research standards—put forward by the European Commission and EU member state governments focus too much on innovation, the European University Association has complained.
The Commission and Council of the EU plans for the ERA, laid out on 30 September and 1 December, both “focus to a great extent on innovation”, the EUA said in a position paper it published on 3 December.
Instead, the plans should pay more attention to “the full range of research activities” and the “diverse landscape” of organisations involved in R&D, it said.
“Frontier research is critical to develop robust and resilient research and innovation systems, and to pave the way for disruptive innovation,” the EUA said.
“It is crucial that the ERA leverages the contributions of all research and innovation stakeholders, from universities and research funding organisations to industry and civil society, in a truly co-created and co-designed process.”
The EUA also called for “inclusive governance” of the ERA, “sustainable funding” for it, and “a broad and forward-looking definition of excellence” to underpin it.
Other priorities for the association included boosting training for early career researchers and promoting the publication of research papers with open access.