A European Excellence Initiative (EEI) is in the making, in the context of ERA Action 13 (Empowering Higher Education Institutions) of the ERA Policy Agenda. The European university sector, together with representatives from Member States (MS), is working closely with EU policymakers to develop the outline of such initiative, whose goal is to boost Europe’s competitiveness in science globally.
f designed in the right way, the EEI could become the spearhead of European research collaboration. For this to happen, the EEI should not duplicate existing approaches, or fragment funding in too many directions. On the contrary, it should consider existing national or European approaches to excellence (such as the ERC Synergy Grants or the EIC pathfinder) to introduce the aspects that are currently lacking in European research collaboration.
In view of the 23 June meeting on ERA Action 13, YERUN shares some reflections regarding the ongoing process towards a future European Excellence Initiative. This contribution draws from the discussions with YERUN members, in the context of the YERUN Policy Platform, of existing national initiatives for excellence, as well as of the current opportunities coming from the EU. This reflection aims to identify where the added value of such an Initiative lays, looking at what it could bring to the European university sector and how it could help research excellence thrive across Europe in an inclusive and sustainable way.
Download the paper : YERUN’s reflection for a European Excellence Initiative