VSNU

European research policy

The European Research Area (ERA)

For a number of years now, the Dutch research universities, supported by the VSNU, have been doing their utmost to facilitate an internationally oriented knowledge economy in the Netherlands. Free mobility for researchers is an important element in the Dutch but also in the European knowledge economy. The European Research Area (ERA) was established in 2000.

As one of the pillars of the "Lisbon Strategy" for growth and jobs, its aims are:

to enable researchers to move freely within and interact with the European research institutions and facilities;

to help the spread and exchange of knowledge and its use for social, business and policy purposes;

to create synergy effects and to improve coordination of national and regional research programmes in a common effort to face today's major challenges;

and to forge partnerships with partners around the world in order to give Europe its proper place in the progress of knowledge, global development and the solution of global issues. Further information can be found on the website of the European Commission.

In 2007, the European Commission published a Green Paper on the ERA addressing the achievements so far, opportunities for further development and points of discussion. The VSNU contributed to the public consultation with the position paper "The European Research Area: New Perspectives. Contribution to the ERA Green Paper Consultation", together with the Royal Netherlands Academy for Arts and Sciences, KNAW, and the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO. In the position paper, the three organisations emphasised that strategic cooperation and innovation have been helped by the ERA but that formidable challenges remain. A focus on excellent research, attention to the knowledge triangle of research, education and innovation as well as the involvement of stakeholders, particularly research organisations, are some of the most crucial elements in further developing the ERA.