European Research Area

The European Research Area (ERA) is a system of scientific research programmes integrating the European Union's scientific resources. Since its creation in 2000, the structure has been concentrated on multi-national co-operation in the fields of medical, environmental, industrial and socio-economic research. The ERA can be likened to a research and innovation equivalent of the European "common market" for goods and services. Its purpose is to increase the competitiveness of European research institutions by bringing them together and encouraging a more inclusive way of work, similar to what already exists among institutions in North America and Japan. Increased mobility of knowledge workers and deepened multilateral co-operation among research institutions among the Member States are central goals of the ERA.

Focus areas

In 2002, the European Union announced that its support would focus on the following areas that it believed to be of particular importance from which value could be drawn:

* genomics and biotechnology for health;
* Information Society Technologies;
* nanotechnologies, intelligent materials and new production processes;
* aeronautics and space;
* food safety and health risks;
* sustainable development;
* citizens and governance in the European knowledge-based society.

See also

* Lisbon Strategy
* Bologna process
* Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development
* Sixth Framework Programme
* Seventh Framework Programme
* Directorate-General of the Joint Research Centre
* Directorate-General for Research
* ERAWATCH Network (EWN)
* Euroscience
* European Research Council (ERC)
* European Institute of Technology (EIT)
* European Research Advisory Board (EURAB)
* European Council of Applied Sciences and Engineering (Euro-CASE)
* European Clinical Research Infrastructures Network (ECRIN)

External links

* [http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/ ERA homepage]
* [http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/leaflet/en/index_en.html Leaflet discussing the ERA]