Innovation

The European Research Area (ERA) was launched by the European Commission in 2000, with the idea of developing attractive opportunities for researchers within Europe. Today, ERA is at the heart of the EU 2020 Strategy and of the Innovation Union (IU) where it can help contribute to growth and jobs.

The European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs) represent a new approach of partnerships by focusing on the societal benefits of Research and Innovation and on a rapid modernisation of the associated sectors and markets.

The Innovation Union is one of the targets for the European Union 2020 Strategy (increasing research spending to 3% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of many goals). It is considered a crucial investment for the future of the European Union.

Most EU-funded projects are collaborative, with at least three organisations from different EU Member States or Associated countries taking part. Maybe your future project partner belongs to one of the following databases?

1. CORDIS – EU Research Partners

CORDIS is the European Commission's primary public repository and portal to disseminate information on all EU-funded research projects and their results in the broadest sense. It offers one of the largest databases of partner profiles (self-registered profiles).

Smart Specialisation Strategies contribute to the Europe 2020 objectives of smart, sustainable and inclusive growth by enhancing EU regional and national potential in research and innovation.

In the article “All you need to know on Horizon 2020” in the MCAA Newsletter 1, we gave you an idea of what to expect under Horizon 2020. Below, we have summed up the changes to the Marie Curie Actions under this new Programme.

Research infrastructures (RIs) will play an important role in the advancement of knowledge and technology and their exploitation in the context of Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions. Here is a quick recap of what they are.

Several Marie Curie fellows have already worked on projects under the umbrella of the JTIs. For more information on the opportunities available, see below.

Joint Technology Initiatives (JTIs) are a type of partnership between the European Union and the private sector established under Article 187 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU: