The Policy Brief is now available!

The aim of the first Policy Breif is to give substance to the ERA HUB concept. The publication shows the status of the project work after the first year.

2023 year was indeed very intensive for our work on explorating ERA Hubs patterns. We are pleased that step by step we have been exploring the innovation ecosystems in partnering regions, and their research & innovation policies to check if the ERA Hubs can act as:

• Knowledge Ecosystems,
• Multi-Stakeholder Platforms,
• a Policy Co-Creation Toolbox.

ERA Hubs is a novel policy concept focused on connecting and enhancing the place based research and innovation ecosystems in Europe. It aims to foster collaboration, knowledge transfer, talent circulation, and policy alignment among different regions, sectors, and disciplines within the European Research Area (ERA). ERA Hubs are expected to contribute to the EU’s strategic priorities, such as the green and digital transitions, investing in skills and education, supporting innovative businesses, and developing a robust industrial policy.

The ERA Hub concept is still in its early stages of development and testing, which doesn’t make it suitable for immediate adoption. Two EU funded projects – COOPERATE (https://www.cooperate-project.eu/) and ERA_FABRIC – are now engaged in addressing some of its acknowledged limitations, including:

• The lack of a clear definition and criteria for deciding what constitutes an ERA Hub, and how it differs from other existing initiatives and networks;
• The need for a balanced representation and participation of different types of R&I stakeholders, ensuring diversity and inclusiveness;
• The challenge of a comprehensive definition of ERA Hub considering the different European contexts and the still existing innovation gap among regions;
• The potential duplication of efforts and resources between the ERA Hub and other R&I policy measures, actors and intermediaries;
• The need to recognise a relation between the ERA Hub and other EU policies regarding infrastructures, education, entrepreneurship, industry;
• The difficulty of measuring and evaluating the impact and added value of the ERA Hub, and the need for a common framework and indicators;
• The uncertainty on the long-term sustainability and scalability of the ERA Hub, inclusive on the funding requirements and possible support mechanisms.

Complete project characteristics, strategic priorities, implications and recommendations as well as next steps and conclusions are in the full Policy Brief:
https://erafabric.eu/resources/policy-brief/