Annexes to COM(2017)35 - European Research Area: time for implementation and monitoring progress

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dossier COM(2017)35 - European Research Area: time for implementation and monitoring progress.
document COM(2017)35 EN
date January 26, 2017
agreements between EU Member States and international partner countries.

The analysis shows a substantive annual growth rate of 4.1 % for co-publications with non-ERA partners in the years 2005-2014 19 . This was slightly higher than the growth rate in the same period for co-publications with ERA partners where the growth rate was 3.6 %.

Main findings show that international collaborations with third countries are developing, although Western European nations are leading the way and a gap is opening with the other ERA countries. In addition, international recruitment is advancing as well, although once again Western Europe is leading the charge on this front, and pulling away from the other countries. A broader focus geographically of human resourcing will be important to address the disparities in the research environment.

Most ERA NAPs are focusing on the development of strategies to facilitate intra-EU cooperation, information measures and measures to increase outreach and networking. There is a growing recognition among Member States of the relevance of international cooperation and for joint action in particular vis-a-vis the emerging science nations.

Overall Conclusion

Analysis shows that many Member States experience substantial progress concerning their international cooperation capacities over the last years. It seems that the added value from joint approaches in international cooperation between the Member States and the EU as one strategy element beside the existing bilateral cooperation is no longer questioned. Especially smaller Member States underline the need for and the added value of joint approaches in particular vis-a-vis the large existing and emerging science nations.

3. CONCLUSIONS

The report confirms that ERA has made strong progress over the last years. All headline indicators show progress over time according to the EU-28 averages, although large disparities, both in performance levels as in growth rates between countries, exist. (See overview table of the growth rates).

That institutional contexts vary between countries indicates that there is still much room for further progress on all priorities. The EU and its Member States still have not fully implemented ERA as envisaged in the 2012 Communication. Further work is needed by different actors. ERA 'top-scores' can be used as potential benchmarks for countries lagging behind.

The ERA NAPs that have been published by Member States and Associated Countries are a clear proof of political ownership on all ERA priorities and show a high level of ambition to make further progress on ERA.

The Commission’s policy agenda on Open Science, Open Innovation and Open to the World will also open up ERA to future challenges, like digitalisation and global networks. This reconfirms that the ERA concept evolves over time. New challenges arise and it is up to governments to define how to take advantage of opportunities . There are new barriers to tear down. A successful ERA will lead to Open Innovation, Open Science and Open to the World.

At the same time focus should now turn towards reinforced implementation to deliver on all ERA priorities. This is the responsibility of Member States, with monitoring and policy support from the Commission.

The ERA Stakeholders' Organisations sustained their efforts towards the implementation of ERA priorities 20 . Their commitment was underlined by the signing of a new Joint Statement by the Presidents of the five organisations represented in the ERA Stakeholders' Platform and Commissioner Moedas in June 2015. In addition, the ERA Stakeholders' Platform welcomed new members in 2016, thereby broadening its spectrum of actors. EIRMA, ERF-AISBL, ERRIN, EU-LIFE and TAFTIE were granted observer status after they adopted ERA action plans.

The integration of the monitoring of the ERA Roadmap in the current progress report is a powerful tool to help Member States and Associated Countries define and implement the necessary ERA reforms at national level. Also streamlining with other reports on ERA priorities could be considered. Using the ERA Monitoring Mechanism as a backbone could further strengthen the quantitative foundation of ERA NAPs. The ERA monitoring process could further be strengthened by mutual learning exercises on the basis of a combination of the ERA NAPs and the complementary country snapshots for the next ERA Progress Report.

CountryHeadline Indicators 21
JRC Res
Excellence
(2010-2013)
GBARD
transnat
(2010-2014)
EURAXESS
job postings
(2012-2014)
Women Grade A
(2007-2014)
Public or Private research insitutions co-op (2008-2012)Higher educ-
private co-op
(2008-2012)
Non-ERA pubs
per 1000 res
(2005-2014)
EU-286.4%7.8%7.8%3.4%3.5%1.3%4.1%
AT2.6%3.4%2.3%6.0%14.7%1.7%2.9%
BE9.5%1.0%1.8%6.4%0.4%-1.2%3.0%
BG0.6%16.0%-2.0%5.5%-9.3%-1.7%1.4%
CH4.2%:4.6%-1.9%::1.4%
CY8.7%0.7%-1.4%4.6%11.2%-6.5%8.4%
CZ1.9%-3.4%-39.1%1.7%-2.3%2.3%6.3%
DE6.0%-1.1%8.5%5.9%::0.0%
DK8.4%-3.7%3.0%5.4%-7.2%-4.6%3.5%
EE3.8%25.7%13.7%3.2%10.0%8.8%8.4%
EL5.5%-12.6%-8.8%4.3%:::
ES5.9%6.2%21.3%1.9%13.1%11.9%9.1%
FI5.6%-0.2%-29.4%2.5%-0.1%-1.5%8.9%
FR6.2%:16.7%2.5%-1.6%-2.9%4.2%
HR5.2%22.5%308.2%6.4%-2.2%-0.1%6.3%
HU5.2%3.8%-29.4%-0.7%-2.6%-2.3%3.0%
IE7.3%5.7%17.2%12.7%::6.2%
IS::::::9.9%
IT5.6%18.1%10.7%2.1%12.2%0.2%2.9%
LT-0.6%24.8%-19.2%12.3%2.9%9.3%7.7%
LU13.6%35.2%-26.0%8.6%-12.0%-12.3%13.8%
LV4.1%47.1%72.3%2.8%0.1%-9.8%13.8%
MT8.0%-100.0%:34.6%-0.6%7.6%16.4%
NL9.1%10.4%13.4%6.3%::5.4%
NO7.1%-3.9%11.2%5.4%0.8%0.3%6.0%
PL3.6%76.8%-4.7%1.6%-3.8%-3.0%3.0%
PT4.7%1.4%31.0%2.0%3.5%1.2%11.1%
RO1.3%9.5%-34.8%-1.1%22.9%-4.0%8.6%
RS-1.5%:-12.1%:::4.6%
SE5.2%-2.5%17.0%4.3%8.9%4.2%3.8%
SI-1.0%-18.4%21.2%6.0%::5.3%
SK4.0%15.7%111.8%3.3%-11.5%0.1%1.6%
UK9.1%11.0%4.9%:::5.7%


(1)

COM(2012)392 final

(2)

COM(2014)575 final

(3)

Doc. 9351/15. A description of these indicators is included in the statistical ERA Monitoring handbook which is part of the accompanying Science Metrix study. The compound average annual growth rates of these indicators are presented in table 1.

(4)

Policy developments have been described over the period mid 2014 (cut-off date for the 2014 ERA Progress Report) till mid-2016 (cut-off date for the 2016 ERA Progress Report. However, indicators are only available after some delay. Therefore most of the indicators in this report refer to previous years.

(5)

(Web reference to be included at the moment of publication).

(6)

Staff Working Document, table 1

(7)

Findings throughout this report refer to the Science-Metrix Report "Data gathering and information for the 2016 ERA Monitoring.

(8)

Staff Working Document, table 2a

(9)

Science Metrix report, section 3.2.2

(10)

Science Metrix report, section 3.2.4.

(11)

Staff Working Document, table 3

(12)

Science Metrix report, section 3.3

(13)

Staff Working Document, table 4

(14)

Three objectives have been defined : 1. Remove barriers to the recruitment and career progression of female researchers, 2. Address gender imbalances in decision making processes and 3.Strengthen the gender dimension in research programmes.

(15)

"Boosting Open Innovation and Knowledge Transfer in the European Union" by the Independent Expert Group report on Open Innovation and Knowledge Transfer: Debackere et al., 2014

(16)

Staff Working Document, table 5a1 and 5a2

(17)

Science-Metrix report: Data gathering and information for the 2016 ERA monitoring, table 25

(18)

Staff Working Document, table 5b

(19)

Staff Working Document, table 6

(20)

Staff Working Document, annex 3.

(21)

A description of these indicators is included in the statistical ERA Monitoring handbook which is part of the accompanying Science Metrix study