Breathing Life into the New European Research Area and the ERA Policy Agenda Through Engaging Awareness-Raising Initiatives

Project Information

INSPIRING ERA

Grant agreement ID: 101131556

DOI

10.3030/101131556

EC signature date 11 October 2023

Start date 1 December 2023

End date 30 November 2026

Funded under

• Reforming and enhancing the European R&I System

Total cost

€ 2 166 762,50

EU contribution

€ 2 166 762,50

Coordinated by

DEUTSCHES ZENTRUM FUR LUFT - UND RAUMFAHRT EV
Germany

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - INSPIRING ERA (Breathing Life into the New European Research Area and the ERA Policy Agenda Through Engaging Awareness-Raising Initiatives)

Reporting period: 2023-12-01 to 2025-05-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

The European Research Area (ERA) is a shared framework that supports a more unified, open, and impactful research and innovation (R&I) ecosystem across Europe. To further this ambition, the European Commission and EU Member States adopted the ERA Policy Agenda 2022–2024, with 20 concrete actions to align national efforts, accelerate knowledge circulation, and improve R&I conditions for researchers, institutions, and citizens. However, implementing these actions effectively across countries and stakeholder communities remains a challenge due to gaps in awareness, coordination, and mutual learning.

INSPIRING ERA is a Horizon Europe Coordination and Support Action (CSA) running from December 2023 to November 2026. Its mission is to accelerate the uptake and valorisation of ERA Policy Agenda outcomes by supporting Member States, Associated Countries, and stakeholder organisations in their implementation efforts. The project fosters a collaborative culture through mutual learning, community building, and strategic communication. It acts as a bridge between EU-level policies and national-level action, aiming to “breathe life” into ERA by transforming policies into practices and engaging a wide community of users and beneficiaries.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

INSPIRING ERA has made significant strides:

- It established a central Information Hub to monitor and process updates from the ERA Policy Platform, ensuring that new developments inform communication, community outreach, and policy support across the project’s work packages.
- The project launched a robust community-building effort, mapping key stakeholder groups such as researchers, funders, policymakers, civil society, and industry, and reaching over 1,000 active subscribers through newsletters, events, and social media engagement.
- Nine Mutual Learning Events (IEEs) are being organised, with topics including research careers, gender equality, citizen engagement, and research assessment. These events support the exchange of good practices and inform further policy recommendations.
- A major highlight was the ERA Conference 2024, which gathered over 1,000 participants online and onsite. Co-organised with the European Commission, it showcased ERA successes and opened dialogues across sectors.
- INSPIRING ERA developed and shared accessible communication tools such as newsletters, explainer materials, and fact sheets. These outputs are shared both via the project website and cross-linked with the ERA Policy Platform to avoid duplication and reinforce visibility.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

INSPIRING ERA introduces innovative formats to enhance ERA implementation:

- The INSPIRING ERA Exchange Guidelines provide a reusable toolkit for organising effective learning events, fostering peer-to-peer exchange across institutions and countries.
- The project uses digital tools to scrape, analyse, and synthesise content from the ERA Policy Platform, improving thematic alignment and dissemination efficiency.
- INSPIRING ERA’s bottom-up engagement model—focused on researchers, early-career voices, and practitioners beyond traditional policy circles—enriches the policy feedback loop with grounded, real-world input.

To ensure uptake and long-term impact, the project has built relationships with other ERA-related initiatives such as CoARA, TRAMI, and ERA LEARN, and actively supports dissemination of results through policy briefs, events, and stakeholder exchanges.