On 22 October, the European Commission released a new communication on the European Research Area (ERA), marking its first major update since 2020. The ERA, an initiative initially launched in 2000, is the EU’s policy framework aimed at creating a single, borderless market for research, innovation, and technology across the Union. The recent communication, titled "Strengthening Europe’s Research and Innovation: The ERA’s Journey and Future Directions", provides a non-binding evaluation of the progress achieved and outlines areas for further improvement.

The previous 2020 communication, "A New European Research Area for Research and Innovation", sought to revitalise the ERA by calling for increased member state investment in research and innovation (R&I), as well as enhanced collaboration, mobility, and networking among research bodies. This led to a new policy and governance framework, Council recommendations, and the establishment of a Policy Agenda for the 2022–2024 period.

The current communication reflects recommendations from recent landmark publications, including those by von der Leyen and Draghi, which emphasise the crucial role of R&I in fostering EU growth and competitiveness. Key priorities mentioned include the need for increased investment, as the EU still falls short of its target to allocate 3% of GDP to R&D and has yet to meet its goal of committing at least 5% of national public R&D funding to joint cross-border programmes or European partnerships. Additional structural reforms and regulatory adjustments are also highlighted as being needed to support innovation across member states.

Regarding access to excellence, the document finds that while scientific networks for cooperation have been reinforced, notably through widening, COST, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions, additional work is needed to reduce the administrative burden and better circulate information to researchers. On innovation across Europe, it anticipates that the establishment of Regional Innovation Valleys will play a pivotal role and highlights the growing impact of the European Innovation Council (EIC) and its Transition Scheme, now Europe’s largest deep-tech investor, in driving R&I outcomes into the economy. However, it calls for increased venture capital to scale up breakthrough innovations and greater regulatory alignment across member states.

A key recommendation finally relates to addressing disparities in research career opportunities, promoting mobility across the Union—home to roughly 25% of the world’s researchers—and ensuring inclusion, diversity, and a commitment to open science principles. It also advocates for making research and technology infrastructures more sustainable and accessible.

Connected with this communication, the upcoming ERA Policy Agenda for 2025–2027 is in preparation, building on the 2020 one, and further legislative developments related to the ERA also include a forthcoming "European Research Area Act", as mentioned in the mission letter for the Commissioner-designate for Start-Ups, Research and Innovation.