ERA Initiatives
Here you will find links to a wide range of initiatives supporting implementation of the European Research Area, including projects, networks and associations. The list will grow over time, so if you know of an initiative to add to the page, please get in touch via info@inspiring-era.eu.
Open Science & Knowledge Sharing
Open access repositories
OAPEN Foundation: not-for-profit organisation based in the Netherlands dedicated to open access, peer-reviewed books, promoting and supporting the transition to open access for academic books by providing open infrastructure services to stakeholders in scholarly communication.
OpenAIRE: is a non-profit organization with a mission to ensure a permanent open scholarly communication infrastructure to support European research.
FAIR data & EOSC initiatives
EOSC Association – Advancing Open Science in Europe: The EOSC Association works to advance Open Science in the service of creating new knowledge, inspiring education, spurring innovation and promoting accessibility and transparency.
Open Science-related Horizon Europe projects
ZOOOM Project: Project raising awareness on the importance of intellectual property generation and management in collaborative innovation ecosystems which rely on open source software, open (source) hardware and open data.
OPUS.eu – Open and Universal Science Project: Project developing coordination and support measures to reform the assessment of research and researchers towards a system that incentivises and rewards researchers to take up Open Science practices.
DIOSI: Project developing and implementing hands-on training on Open Science and Open Innovation for early career researchers creating a virtuous circle between training and evaluation.
Research Careers
Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA): The European Union’s reference programme for doctoral education and postdoctoral training.
https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/
A global network of MSCA alumni (MCAA): International non-profit organization fostering a diverse alumni community of former MSCA-funded researchers, providing lifelong career development, networking, and advocacy to support members across all career paths while maximizing their positive impact on society.
https://www.mariecuriealumni.eu/
EURAXESS: Researcher mobility portal
https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/
Research Assessment
The Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA): Collective of organisations committed to reforming the methods and processes by which research, researchers, and research organisations are evaluated.
Policy & Governance Support
Science for Policy Networks
ERA Policy Agenda (2022-2024): The first ERA Policy Agenda sets out voluntary ERA actions to contribute to the priority areas defined in the Council Recommendation on a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe (Pact for R&I).
https://european-research-area.ec.europa.eu/policy-agenda-2022-2024
European Research Executive Agency (REA): funding body mandated by the European Commission to support the EU R&I policy, with the mission to build a greener Europe with prosperous, inclusive societies and economies that take full advantage of the digital age.
https://rea.ec.europa.eu/index_en
European Research Area & Innovation Committee (ERAC): The EU’s strategic policy advisory committee on topics related to research and innovation (R&I) within the European Research Area (ERA).
Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (SAPEA): Part of the Scientific Advice Mechanism with a role to provide independent, high-quality reviews of the evidence to inform the policy recommendations made by the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors.
https://scientificadvice.eu/about-us/sapea/academies-and-networks/
EU Observatory on Research Careers (ReICO): joint initiative by the European Commission and the OECD, partly funded by the Horizon Europe Programme, with aim to be the premier source for reliable data and information on careers in R&I.
https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/reico/
Mutual Learning Exercises (MLEs) in ERA implementation: MLEs tackle specific R&I challenges of interest to several MemberStates and Associated Countries through hands-on, project-based exchanges to identify good practices, lessons learned, and success factors based on robust evidence.
ERA in Horizon Europe: This information tool, provided by the ERA Policy Platform, offers key insights into how Horizon Europe supports various ERA Actions, making it a valuable resource for ERA implementation.
https://european-research-area.ec.europa.eu/era-horizon-europe
Projects
EU-LIFE: Alliance of independent European research institutes in the life sciences contributing to the improvement of research by influencing European science policies and by developing, implementing and disseminating best practices in the organisation and management of research institutes.
widerAdvanceFacility: EU-funded project focusing on research valorisation, specifically supporting researchers in Widening countries and Outermost Regions by providing training, networking, and tools to maximize the use and impact of their research, aligning with the European Commission’s goals.
https://www.linkedin.com/company/wideradvance-facility/posts/?feedView=all
BEYOND Bad Apples: Project investigating the root causes of research misconduct, developing methodologies creating and enhancing training materials, while joining the ongoing work in Europe towards nourishing a research culture that follows the highest standards of research ethics and research integrity and fosters public trust in science.
REINFORCING: Project supporting organizations and institutions in Europe to transition to a new paradigm where responsibility and openness drive research and innovation processes, while making the digital and green transitions fair and inclusive.
Funding & Support Platforms
European Research Council (ERC): The ERC is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research which funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe.
https://erc.europa.eu/homepage
National contact points for Horizon Europe: The network of NCPs is the main structure to provide guidance, practical information and assistance on all aspects of participation in Horizon Europe.
NCP_WIDERA.NET: EU-funded project of National Contact Points for Widening participation and strengthening the European Research Area (WIDERA) under the Horizon Europe Framework Programme.
Horizon Europe Funding & Tenders Portal: Publishing available EU funding opportunities, enabling to search for calls for proposals within various topics of interest, find partners and submit a proposal.
https://ec.europa.eu/info/funding-tenders/opportunities/portal/screen/home
Information hubs
The Western Balkans Info Hub: Powered by the EU-funded project POLICY ANSWERS, the Information Hub provides information on R&I (as well as education, culture, youth and sport) for the Western Balkans.
https://westernbalkans-infohub.eu/
ERA-LEARN: EU-funded CSA project acting as a support platform providing research funding organisations, policy makers and researchers with general information and services on R&I partnership initiatives.
The Transnational cooperation on the Missions approach (TRAMI): EU-funded project focused on making missions work by creating communities of practice, sharing knowledge and providing mutual learning.
https://www.trami5missions.eu/
The European Mission Network (EMiN): Facilitated by TRAMI, EMiN is an emerging cross-sectoral community of practice acting as a central information and exchange platform for the benefit of EU Missions actors across Europe and across EU Missions.
https://www.trami5missions.eu/about-emin
R&I Ecosystems & Excellence & Research Management
COOPERATE: EU-funded project with the overall objective of developing and piloting the ERA Hub concept, based on the vision and success stories developed within the EuroTech Universities Alliance and their R&I ecosystems.
https://www.cooperate-project.eu/
ERA_FABRIC: EU-funded implementing the ERA Hubs concept across different geographies and structures in Europe.
The European Regions Research and Innovation Network (ERRIN): Brussels-based network of around 120 regional organisations from 20+ European countries, enhancing local R&I capacities while advocating for regional interests in EU R&I policy and programmes.
CARDEA: Group of professionals working within the framework of the HR Excellence in Research initiative to improve the development of research staff, with the overall aim of enabling the professionalisation of research management as a valued career choice within the ERA.
Research Infrastructures
The European Research Infrastructure Consortium (ERIC): ERIC is a specific legal form that facilitates the establishment and operation of new or existing Research Infrastructures with European interest on a non-economic basis.
The ERIC Forum Implementation Project: Horizon2020 project that brings together the ERIC community to strengthen its coordination and enhance collaborations between the partners.
https://www.eric-forum.eu/about-the-eric-forum-implementation-project/
Research & Innovation Projects
Horizon Europe projects
Please refer to the Open Science section for Open Science-related Horizon Europe projects.
Gender Equality
GENDERACTIONplus: project contributing to the coordination of gender equality and inclusiveness objectives of the new ERA through the development of two Communities of Practice, one for national authorities and the second for Research Funding Organisations.
INSPIRE: Europe’s Centre of Excellence on inclusive gender equality in R&I.
https://www.inspirequality.eu/
UniSAFE: project supporting higher education, research organisations and policymakers in eradicating gender-based violence in the European academic and research area.
Green Transformation and the twin transition in Europe’s Industrial Ecosystem
H2 Energy Applications in Valley Environments for Northern Netherlands (HEAVENN): HEAVENN comprises a wide range of projects aimed at developing a fully operational green hydrogen chain in the Northern Netherlands (with a view to replicating this concept in Europe and beyond).
GIANT LEAPS: Project accelerating the transition from animal-based to alternative dietary proteins to work towards a safe, health-promoting and sustainable food system.
HiLASE: Advanced next-generation laser facility in the Czech Republic that aims to become a Centre of Excellence by fostering innovation, bridging academia and industry, and enhancing regional competitiveness through cutting-edge diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL) technology.
https://www.hilase.cz/en/projekty/hilase-centre-of-excellence/
InnoRenew CoE: Independent research institute established through the InnoRenew project, its research targets renewable materials and sustainable buildings, specifically innovative approaches to wood and its use, with the goal of transferring scientific knowledge into industrial practice.
XR4Human: Project co-creating living guidance documents on ethical and related policy, regulatory, governance, and interoperability issues of XR technologies whilst building public trust and acceptance and a strong and competitive European XR ecosystem.
Citizen Engagement
OTTER: EU-funded project promoting education outside the classroom to help students improve their science knowledge, get closer to STEAM subjects, fight plastic pollution and become better citizens.
Plastic Pirates – Go Europe!: European Citizen Science Campaign in which school classes and youth groups collect plastic samples from streams and rivers, document their findings, and provide the collected data to researchers for further analysis.
https://www.plastic-pirates.eu/en
European Science Engagement Association (EUSEA): A fast-growing European network of public engagement professionals in the fields of research, innovation and education who share the common goal of involving societal actors in the lifecycle of knowledge creation.
National Research Initiatives
General
Latvijas Jauno zinātnieku apvienība: The Latvian Association of Young Researchers (LJZA) unites young scientists from various fields and represents their interests.
https://jauniezinatnieki.lv/en/
The Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF): Swiss agency, mandated by the Swiss Federal Government, promoting scientific research in all disciplines and supporting development and international integration of Swiss research.
Open Science
Slovenska skupnost odprte znanosti: Slovenian Open Science Community
Gender Equality
Metavorhaben meta-IFiF: The meta-project ‘Innovative Women in Focus’ of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research is responsible for networking research and implementation projects, supporting visibility and representation of women in science, research and innovation.
https://www.innovative-frauen-im-fokus.de
Citizen Engagement
The National Institute for Science Communication (NaWik): NaWik, based in Germany, provides training and other educational formats for scientists, students and public relations professionals on effective and comprehensive science communication.
ESCI: German non-profit organisation that supports researchers in communicating better and more effectively with the public, bridging the gap between science and society.
Berlin School of Public Engagement and Open Science: The Berlin School creates incentives, opportunities, and competencies for collaboration and provides training and consultancy for researchers at all career levels in research institutions worldwide, and to public engagement professionals in Germany.
https://www.museumfuernaturkunde.berlin/en/science/berlin-school-public-engagement-und-open-science
Research Management
Forschungs – und Transfermanagement (FORTRAMA): The association of German-speaking research and transfer managers focusing on research management, knowledge and technology transfer, promotion of young researchers and third-party funding management.
International, Regional & Cross-Border Networks
ERA-related university alliances
Coimbra Group: Association of long-established European multidisciplinary universities of high international standard, creating special academic and cultural ties, influencing European educational and research policy and developing best practice through mutual exchange of experience.
The European University Association (EUA): The association represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and the exchange of information on higher education and research policies.
Una.Resin: EU-funded project instigating and growing pilot initiatives to build a common Una Europa eco-system of research and innovation.
https://www.una-europa.eu/about/una.resin
1Europe: Una Europa’s Erasmus+ pilot project set out to establish a Europe-wide living lab for testing and scaling Joint Innovative Formats (JIFs) for education and mobility, with an ambition to turn the European Higher Education Area into reality.
https://www.una-europa.eu/about/1europe-1
The Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE): YUFE is one of the dynamic European University Alliances that aims to shape a holistic and inclusive future for European students, learners and their society, and become a successful model of a socially responsible European University.
