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CESAER, EUA, LERU, and Science Europe release this joint statement calling on European policy makers to provide new momentum for the European Research Area (ERA). The ERA is a treaty obligation of the European Union and today, more than ever, greater commitment to research is needed to tackle the challenges that Europe faces. By strengthening the ERA, and increasing funding for research, European policy makers would be giving Europe the resources it needs to embark on another 60 years of peace and prosperity.

This report analyses the underlying preconditions and efficiency of Lead Agency Procedure (LAP), based on the evidence available from the many LAP partnerships among Science Europe’s members. It also contains policy recommendations for research organisations so that they gain a more accurate understanding of the Lead Agency principles and are made more able to judge on its scope and limitations.

This position statement highlights the added value of Joint Programming Initiatives (JPIs) as perceived by Science Europe Member Organisations, and makes two recommendations on the future of joint programming: one with regards to the evaluation of JPIs, and a second one concerning their governance. The aim is to stimulate other stakeholders – including the European Commission – to join in this discussion.

In this paper produced by the Scientific Committee for the Life, Environmental and Geo Sciences, the Committee argues that in order to strengthen international collaborative research, the national research funding organisations should consider increasing their efforts to widen the participation of various European countries and global partners in multilateral schemes, whilst fostering interdisciplinarity and knowledge integration. Moreover, a bottom-up approach should be adopted in order to collect research proposals that contain novel ideas and solutions, captured directly from the research community and users, thus enabling open innovation.

The 2012 Communication ‘A Reinforced European Research Area Partnership for Excellence and Growth’ laid out the current approach for realising a European Research Area (ERA). As this approach is now being reviewed by the European institutions, Science Europe puts forward its analysis of Priority One of the Communication, in order to start a fruitful dialogue with the European institutions on the future of ERA policy. This analysis provides a practical example as to why the current ERA Communication approach needs to be thoroughly reviewed if ERA policy is to have a real impact.

In a globalised research ecosystem, collaboration is key. This collaboration also brings challenges linked to the diversity of scientific and legal environments. The aim of this practical guide is to provide better and more efficient means for research organisations to apply a set of optional models for cross-border collaboration and to help them achieve more successful and easier implementation.

The Roadmap, approved by the Science Europe General Assembly in November 2013, is Science Europe’s action plan to contribute to the elements of a successful research system. It acts as a framework for voluntary collective activity, providing a long-term strategy for the association. The ‘Priority Action Areas’ are those in which Science Europe members believe that there is a potential to achieve tangible and substantive progress, and where they can add real value by working together.