European Research Area

The European Union (EU) finances R&D activities through its framework programmes for research. The EU works to develop a favourable operating environment for R&D activities by, for example, removing obstacles to cross-border research cooperation. The aim is that national and regional R&D policies and EU activities will support each other and thus generate preconditions for open, internal markets for research, i.e. the European Research Area (ERA).

The Academy of Finland actively takes part in EU activities in the capacity of science policy expert, research funding agency and national authority. Key activities include networking and opening up research programmes, promoting women’s careers in research, strengthening international cooperation, and increasing coordination of joint use and establishment of research infrastructures.

Framework programmes
The Academy serves as the national contact organisation in the EU’s framework programmes for research (presently EU Seventh Framework Programme) together with Tekes.

ERC
A new dimension of the EU Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) is basic research, which will be funded by the European Research Council (ERC).

Research infrastructures
European policy on research infrastructures is managed under a coordinated approach through the European Strategy Forum on Research Infrastructures (ESFRI). Support for joint use of research infrastructures, access to infrastructures and building of new infrastructures is also made available through the EU Framework Programmes.

Research and partner organisations
In addition to EU cooperation, the Academy serves as the Finnish contact for a number of international scientific organisations in Europe. The Academy takes part in the promotion of European cooperation in a number of different ways:

• COST
• European University Institute (EUI)
• European Science Foundation (ESF)
• International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA)
• European Space Agency (ESA)
• European Southern Observatory (ESO)
• European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
• European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) and
• European Molecular Biology Conference (EMBC)
• European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT)

ERA-NETs
The Academy participates in ERA-NETs. The ERA-NET scheme is a funding instrument within the EU Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) contributing to the promotion of cooperation between national research programmes and research funding agencies.