Coimbra Group and 15 other organisations call for structured and sustained inclusion of R&I stakeholders in ERA governance
04 October 2021
The Coimbra Group, together with 15 Research and Innovation (R&I) organisations, today sent a joint letter to Slovenian Minister of Education, Science and Sport, Simona Kustec, and Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, calling for the inclusion of R&I stakeholders in the co-creation and implementation of the European Research Area (ERA) governance system.
Evoking the calls for stakeholders’ involvement in the Communication ‘A new ERA for Research and Innovation’ and in the subsequent Council Conclusions, the 16 organisations express their support to the Slovenian Presidency’s proposal, as outlined in the draft Council Conclusions of 7 September 2021, in which the European Commission is invited to:
- ensure appropriate representation at its meetings of the following sectors: universities, research and technology organisations, R&I-intensive businesses, individual researchers and innovators, research infrastructures and R&I-funding organisations;
- set up an open online voluntary stakeholder register to increase transparency in the identification of the ERA stakeholders involved in the work of the ERA Forum and its subgroups.
The ERA governance proposal will be finalised at the next meeting of the Competitiveness Council on 25-26 November 2021, which brings together EU ministers responsible for trade, economy, industry, research and innovation.
Including stakeholders in the development of ERA policies and legislation in a structured and sustained way is essential to help the design and take up of ERA policies.
The letter has been signed by the legal representatives of the following organisations:
European University Association, AURORA, CESAER, ECIU, EuroTech Universities, The Guild, UNICA, YERUN, Science Europe, European Alliance for Social Sciences and Humanities, European Council of Doctoral Candidates and Junior Researchers, EuroScience, Initiative for Science in Europe, Marie Curie Alumni Association, Young Academy of Europe and, of course, the Coimbra Group.
The letter is available here.
