ESFRI publishes position paper on the ERA Act

The European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI) has published a new position paper on the European Research Area (ERA) Act, outlining its perspectives and recommendations ahead of the forthcoming legislative initiative. 

In the paper, ESFRI welcomes the ERA Act as a key opportunity to strengthen the European Research Area and enable the so-called 'fifth freedom', the free movement of researchers, scientific knowledge, and technology across Europe. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in shaping Europe’s Research Infrastructure (RI) ecosystem, ESFRI highlights the central role of Research, Technology, and Digital Infrastructures in fostering excellence, innovation, talent attraction, and competitiveness. 

The Position Paper focuses on two main policy blocks of the future ERA Act:

- Stronger alignment of investments, policies, and programmes, calling for improved coordination of Research and Technology Infrastructures, consolidation of the RI landscape, and better integration of national and European funding streams, including within the next Framework Programme (FP10).   

- Improved framework conditions for researchers and research organisations, with emphasis on enhancing geographical and intersectoral mobility, addressing legal and administrative barriers, and exploring targeted improvements to the ERIC legal framework. 

Through this contribution, ESFRI aims to support a more coherent, sustainable, and integrated European infrastructure ecosystem, aligned with ERA objectives and capable of addressing Europe’s long-term scientific and societal challenges. 

The position paper can be downloaded here:

ESFRI Position on the ERA Act