topic Research

European Research Area

Cutting-edge research has a long tradition in Europe. European research teams are leading in many areas of science and technology. However, as centres of excellence are scattered right across Europe without being networked in a suitable manner, their potential cannot be fully exploited in many cases. Even though joint actions have already been launched at European and EU level, it is now time to promote a future-oriented research and innovation policy and establish a European Research Area as an equivalent to the Common Market for goods and services.

The European Research Area (ERA)

On 18 January 2000, EU Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin presented the communication entitled "Towards a European research area". This triggered a broad discussion aimed at creating a "borderless area" for European science. The main objectives of this political initiative are to make better use of scientific resources for securing jobs in Europe, to increase competitiveness, improve coordination of research activities at national and European level, develop human resources and increase the attractiveness of the European research environment for the best researchers in the world. The most important instrument for establishing a European Research Area is the EU Research Framework Programme.

Another goal is to increase the overall expenditure on research and development (R&D) and to ensure that innovations will account for 3% of the gross domestic product in the EU by the year 2010. The German Federal Government also pursues this three per cent of GDP target.

Cooperation between the member states is based on the open method of coordination, which was formally introduced as a new, supplementary political instrument in the EU with the Conclusions of the Lisbon European Council in March 2000 and of the Gothenburg Council in June 2001. The main feature of the open method of coordination is voluntary cooperation between individual member states and the exchange of experience and best practice.
Within the framework of the EU, in European organisations and research establishments and in multilateral organisations, the Federal Republic of Germany is contributing substantially to the design and implementation of European and international science, research and technology policy.

In order to keep the best research talent in Europe and attract bright minds from other parts of the world, efforts must be made to ensure that researchers throughout the EU are offered adequate training and attractive career opportunities and that obstacles to mobility are removed. For that purpose, the European Commission published its communication "Better careers and more mobility: a European partnership for researchers" in May 2008. The European partnership for researchers is based on a number of existing initiatives including the European Charter for Researchers and Code of Conduct for the Recruitment of Researchers as well as the "scientific visa" package adopted in 2005 to allow fast-track admission and residence of third country researchers.

A Steering Group on Human Resources and Mobility (SGHRM) was set up in 2002 in order to make progress in this field. The group is composed of representatives of the member states and the European Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/research/era/areas/researchers/researchers_en.htm). The members inform each other about national activities that are being or have been implemented under the partnership for researchers as well as related measures and exchange views on best practice.

The SGHRM is one of five working groups which serve to realise the European Research Area in a joint effort together with the member states and the European Commission. The other four working groups are addressing the handling of intellectual property by public research institutions, the legal framework for pan-European research infrastructures, joint programming and programmes, and international scientific and technological cooperation.

The paper outlining the German contribution to the European partnership for researchers (Deutscher Beitrag zur "Europäischen Partnerschaft für die Forscher: Bessere Karrieremöglichkeiten und mehr Mobilität") summarizes the progress already made with measures taken at national level and describes future activities in four central areas:

1. Systematically opening the recruitment procedures for researchers
2. Meeting the needs of mobile researchers as regards social security and supplementary pensions
3. Improving employment and working conditions to make scientific careers more attractive
4. Enhancing the training, expertise and experience of researchers

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  topic Ministry

  Cooperation with European Countries

  Cooperation with European countries is very important to Germany. A major part of this cooperation is multilateral and aims to actively shape the European Research Area. Bilateral cooperation focuses on establishing and developing partnership relations between stakeholders in the research community, facilitating coordination processes at all levels and promoting the generation of synergy between projects and partners. Joint initiatives and the identification of topics that are of mutual interest contribute to European strategy development and to shaping the European Research Area.
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  topic Research

  EU Research Framework Programme

  The EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation is the world's largest funding programme for research projects. The BMBF supports national efforts to ensure excellent research at a European level. Various advisory services are offered to German applicants, for example, by the Federal Government's National Contact Points for the Research Framework Programme (NCPs).
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