This October, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the upcoming European Research Area (ERA) Act, a legislative initiative aimed at strengthening Europe’s research and innovation ecosystem and closing the innovation gap with other global economic powers. A few days ago, the ERIC Forum submitted its contribution to help shape this important policy framework.
The consultation, which runs until 23 January 2026, sought input from research infrastructures, institutions, enterprises, and other stakeholders on key challenges facing European research. The planned ERA Act will address long-standing issues, including fragmented regulatory frameworks, uneven R&D investment across Member States, and barriers to cross-border mobility and knowledge sharing.
Research & Development
The ERIC Forum took the opportunity to highlight once again the need to boost investments in R&D while reducing disparities between Member States. On this matter, the 3% of GDP should be seen as a baseline for investments rather than an endpoint.
According to the Forum, what is currently missing is a stronger focus on targeted and sustained funding for the European research infrastructures (RIs). RIs are essential enablers of excellence, innovation and competitiveness, providing shared capacities, data, services and expertise that no single Member State can develop alone. When adequately supported, they provide stable, long-term conditions for excellent research and help ensure that public R&D funding delivers lasting value.
Alignment of R&I investments, policies and programmes
The ERIC Forum also acknowledged the need for greater alignment of R&I investments, policies and programmes between the EU and Member States, recognising that differences in budgetary timelines, funding cycles and priorities pose significant challenges to coordination.
These challenges are particularly acute for European research infrastructures and ERICs, whose mandates have expanded significantly over time. While they are increasingly expected to contribute to excellence, innovation and EU strategic priorities, EU and national funding remain insufficient and not well-aligned in relation to these expectations.
Consequently, more targeted and better-aligned investment at both levels is needed to secure their long-term sustainability and systemic impact.
Future investments in research infrastructures should also avoid duplicating existing capacities. Rather than creating parallel or overlapping initiatives, EU and national funding should focus on strengthening, upgrading and extending existing research infrastructures, including through new or additional long-term commitments where needed. This would maximise the impact of past investments and ensure efficient use of public resources.
The ERIC Forum also called for the simplification of the European Partnership instrument and for a stronger role of ERA governance structures in setting priorities in collaboration with key stakeholders such as research infrastructures.
Careers and Mobility in the ERA
The ERIC Forum community highlighted persistent challenges to researcher mobility across the ERA, such as the limited portability of employment conditions, in particular, social security and pension rights. Divergent national systems make it difficult for researchers and research professionals to move between countries without losing entitlements, which discourages mobility and long-term career planning, especially in distributed RIs.
In addition, the ERIC Forum argued for a broader understanding of research careers, encompassing not only researchers but also research support staff and professionals who enable research and innovation activities. It also advocated for greater standardisation of employment rules and contractual regimes across the ERA, including clearer and more consistent contractual frameworks and the wider use of EU-level tools that help ensure minimum standards across countries and sectors. The ERIC Forum 2 project is also specifically working on this topic through a dedicated Work Package, examining the possibility of creating a common European employment contract for all the ERICs.
Finally, the Forum noted that researcher mobility would be further supported by the development of a harmonised framework of job titles and job descriptions at the European level. Common references would make skills and experience more transparent and comparable, supporting mobility not only between Member States but also across sectors, including academia, research infrastructures and industry.
ERIC Regulation
The ERIC Forum community noted that the ERIC Regulation could be further adapted to reflect the evolving role and operational realities of ERICs. It highlighted the need for greater harmonisation of the legal status of ERICs across Member States, as differences in national recognition continue to create administrative burden and legal uncertainty.
The Forum also pointed to the potential benefits of allowing third countries and intergovernmental organisations to join ERICs as founding members, such as strengthening international cooperation, boosting competitiveness and scientific excellence. It also underlined the need for clearer provisions on applicable law and jurisdiction.
Finally, it observed that the current Regulation does not fully reflect the role of ERICs in innovation and cooperation with industry and suggested reviewing the existing provisions on economic activities.
A commitment for research
The Commission expects to adopt the ERA Act in 2026 as part of the Competitiveness Compass for the EU. As representatives of Europe’s research infrastructure landscape, the ERIC Forum’s participation in this consultation reflects the commitment of research infrastructures to contributing to a more integrated and effective European Research Area.
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