On 28 February 2025, the European Commission adopted the proposal for the next European Research Area (ERA) Policy Agenda 2025–2027, marking a pivotal step in the evolution of research and innovation (R&I) policy in Europe. This new agenda builds on the achievements of the first ERA Policy Agenda (2022–2024), reflecting a growing ambition to create a more resilient, inclusive, and impactful R&I landscape across the EU.
A Co-Creation for Europe’s Future
The new ERA Policy Agenda was developed collaboratively with EU Member States through the ERA Forum, involving over 120 organisations and stakeholders. It sets out a framework for 11 long-term structural ERA policies and 8 ERA actions within a three-year work plan. These are grounded in the four priority areas of the Pact for R&I and reflect a strong emphasis on translating R&I excellence into societal and economic impact, in line with key EU priorities such as the green and digital transitions, resilience, and global competitiveness.
EPA 2025-2027 – ERA Structural Policies
- Enabling open science via sharing and re-use of data, including through the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC)
- Strengthening sustainability, accessibility and resilience of research infrastructures in the ERA
- Strengthening gender equality and inclusiveness in the ERA, notably with an intersectional approach
- Making research careers more attractive and sustainable, and support mobility
- Reforming research assessment
- Upscaling knowledge valorisation capacities and activities
- Implementing the Global Approach to R&I
- Making the strategic energy technology (SET) plan a key thematic component of the ERA
- Improving the articulation between R&I and higher education within the ERA and unleashing the full potential of European R&I ecosystems
- Enhancing trust in science through citizen participation, engagement and science communication
- Improve EU access to excellence.
EPA 2025-2027 – ERA Actions
- Applying equity in open science
- Advancing the European Science for Policy (S4P) ecosystem
- Facilitating and accelerating the responsible use of AI in science in the EU
- Enhancing research security
- Accelerating R&I investments for Europe’s industrial transformation and competitive sustainability
- Accelerating new approach methodologies (NAMs) to advance biomedical research and testing of medicinal products and medical devices
- Developing a coherent and coordinated framework for a European approach to integrity and ethics in R&I in the face of emerging challenges.
- Empowering R&I: A new era in research management.
Key Priorities of the 2025–2027 Agenda
The agenda is structured around four strategic priorities:
- Deepening a truly functioning internal market for knowledge – improving cross-border cooperation, removing barriers, and fostering open science and mobility.
- Taking up together the green and digital transitions, and other societal challenges – aligning R&I efforts with EU missions and transitions, particularly climate neutrality and digitalisation.
- Enhancing access to excellent research and innovation for all – strengthening inclusiveness and cohesion by supporting underrepresented regions and institutions.
- Advancing concerted investments and reforms in R&I – ensuring sustainable and strategic R&I funding and aligning national and EU-level policies.
What’s New in This Agenda?
Several innovations reflect evolving R&I priorities:
- A consolidated set of 11 long-term structural policies and 8 time-bound ERA actions, designed to be impactful, deliverable, and co-created
- Flexible implementation (“variable geometry”) enabling tailored participation by Member States
- Stronger support for intellectual asset management and research security
- Enhanced frameworks for science-for-policy and societal engagement
- Focused efforts on responsible AI use and research integrity
This setup marks a shift toward a more agile, results-oriented ERA, with dedicated monitoring through: an ERA Scoreboard, a regular ERA monitoring report, Country-specific ERA implementation reviews, the ERA Policy Platform to support data exchange and transparency.
Supporting a Stronger European Research Area
The ERA Policy Agenda 2025–2027 will be formally endorsed through a Council Recommendation and adopted by the Competitiveness Council under the Belgian Presidency. Member States are encouraged to voluntarily implement the structural policies and actions under the Pact for R&I, ensuring flexibility, co-creation, and tangible impact.
To achieve the 3% R&D investment target (still unmet at 2.3% of GDP), joint efforts are needed to enhance both public and private funding. This includes reforms to boost national innovation systems and maximise return on investment.
Member States and the Commission will continue to promote the inclusion of Horizon Europe-associated countries and EU-level stakeholder organisations in the ERA implementation process. Stakeholder categories within the ERA Forum will also be reviewed to ensure broader representation.
This renewed agenda is a call to action for stakeholders across Europe to contribute to building a more dynamic and effective European Research Area—an ERA that inspires, includes, and innovates.
🔗 Read the full announcement on the European Commission’s website
