With this initiative, the European Commission aims to advance the European Research Area, by strengthening R&D investment and bringing it up to the 3% GDP target.
ECTRI welcomes the opportunity to contribute to this process and underlines the following key aspects:
- Bind national R&D targets with access to national and EU funding
- Set binding and measurable milestones, KPIs and budget allocations for multiannual national R&D roadmaps
- Adress the under-exploitation of EU academic patents and fragmented access to research infrastructures
- Increase EU-wide support to research institutions and niche ecosystems, recognised as drivers of disruptive research and technologies
- Set-up binding EU safeguards to protect scientific freedom, streamlined throughout EU funding programmes
- Establish an independent European Research Ombudsman and raise awareness, to ensure researchers practice without fear
- Require gender equality obligations from large firms, and encourage social inclusion lenses in transport and mobility research programmes
- Adress salary differences to support research attractiveness across the EU
This consultation informs a previous call for evidence to which ECTRI contributed in September 2025, with a position paper.
Read here ECTRI’s position paper on the European Research Area Act.
ECTRI thanks the ECTRI Task Force EU Policy for contributing to this consultation.