ESF and EUROHORCs set out joint vision for European Research Area
The European Heads of Research Councils (EUROHORCs) and the European Science Foundation (ESF) have set out their shared vision and an action plan for the future of the European Research Area (ERA). In a policy briefing published on 25 June, the two organisations lay out the needs and requirements that have to be reached if the EU is to create an ERA which is truly competitive on a global scale within the next five to 10 years. This vision is complemented by a road map of actions which need to be undertaken by EUROHORCs and ESF member organisations, as well as other partners. In a joint statement, ESF President Professor Ian Halliday and the President of the EUROHORCs, Professor Pär Omling state that: 'EUROHORCs and ESF are committed to play a key role in shaping this ERA and this Road Map is the proof of that commitment. This policy briefing is a result of our analysis of what is needed and how our members, together with other partners, could contribute.' The two parties also came forward with a number of suggestions for the EU, including the notion that the EU should inject more resources into basic research through programmes such as the European Research Council (ERC), that efforts should be undertaken to reduce the EU's bureaucracy, and that the EU should put pressure on its Member States to remove the barriers to the mobility of researchers. The statement also sets out a 10 point vision list. Items on this list include effective European research policy, which will capitalise on cultural, geographic and scientific diversity and creating a single labour market for researchers. This policy paper was created following a request by the EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik for public comments and recommendations for the Green Paper on the ERA.