These proposals aim to achieve the economic, social and environmental targets outlined by the Lisbon Strategy for Growth and Jobs Drawing upon the Strategy, the European Commission has decided to direct research towards the political objectives contained in it. Freedom for people, infrastructures, organisations, funding and knowledge are the key ideas underlying the Green Paper.
These are the main axes:
Adequate flow of competent researchers, with high levels of mobility between institutions, disciplines, sectors and countries;
World class research infrastructures, integrated, networked and accessible to research teams from across Europe and the world, notably -thanks to new generations of electronic communication infrastructures;
Excellent research institutions, engaged in effective public-private co-operation and partnerships;
Effective knowledge-sharing notably between public research & industry, as well as with the public at large;
Well-coordinated research programmes and priorities, including jointly-programmed public research investment at European level with common priorities;
Public consultation
The Green Paper on the European Research Area (ERA) will be accompanied by an online public consultation regarding what should be done to create a unified and attractive European Research Area. The consultation will remain open for 4 months (1st of May 2007 - 31st of August 2007).
The consultation is intended for research institutions,researchers, industry, civil society organisations, national and regional public authorities as well as the general public. The Commission will use the results of the debate to prepare initiatives that will be proposed in 2008.
EU official documents include:
Green Paper’ The European Research Area: New Perspectives’
Background document produced by the European Commission
Commission unveils its vision for the future of the European Research Area
