Source: European Parliament
In a volatile geopolitical context, the Commission stresses that education, research and innovation in Europe are founded on the indissoluble paradigm of academic freedom and freedom of scientific research.
In the EU, European and international researchers will always be able to enjoy scientific freedom, which will therefore be enshrined in EU law in the context of the European Research Area ( ERA) Act, expected in 2026[1].
A EUR 500 million package has been announced by the Commission President for the period 2025-2027 to further strengthen the attractiveness of the EU for world’s talents, including from the European diaspora[2].
This includes a ‘Choose Europe for Science’ Marie Skłodowska-Curie Action (MSCA)[3] already in 2025 to provide excellent researchers coming to Europe with pathways to stable employment[4], a seven-year European Research Council (ERC)[5] super grant coupled with increased funding for grantees moving to Europe from abroad, and a visa strategy to facilitate relocation to Europe[6].
The new package builds on existing policies and tools. For example, the new European framework for research careers[7] and the European Charter for Researchers[8] support reforms at national and EU level to attract and retain research talents[9], while EURAXESS[10] continues to provide personalised support to incoming researchers.
In addition, the ERA Talent Platform[11] ensures the visibility of the attractive environment of European careers, and a Research and Innovation Careers Observatory (ReICO)[12] provides as of mid-2025 data for evidence-based policies.
Moreover, 65 European Universities alliances[13], the work towards a European degree, and the Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters action[14] contribute to the attractiveness of the EU as a place to study and work.
- [1] As announced in the Commission Communication of 29 January 2025 on A Competitiveness Compass for the EU, the ERA Act will also include, among others, legislative measures aiming to address challenges for research careers and mobility.
- [2] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/da/speech_25_1130.
- [3] https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_25_657.
- [4] The MSCA also provide a wide range of training, mobility and career development opportunities that are already available and open to researchers of all nationalities, including United States researchers. See https://marie-sklodowska-curie-actions.ec.europa.eu/.
- [5] https://erc.europa.eu/about-erc/erc-glance.
- [6] https://erc.europa.eu/news-events/news/choose-europe-science-erc-welcomes-new-budget-super-grants.
- [7] Council Recommendation of 18 December 2023 on a European framework to attract and retain research, innovation and entrepreneurial talents in Europe, OJ C C2023/1640, 29/12/2023.
- [8] https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/hrexcellenceaward/european-charter-researchers.
- [9] A Mutual Learning Exercise (https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/statistics/policy-support-facility/psf-challenge/mutual-learning-exercise-research-careers) under the Horizon Europe Policy Support Facility supports the exchange of good practices by Member States on the implementation of the new framework for research careers.
- [10] https://euraxess.ec.europa.eu/.
- [11] https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/.
- [12] https://ec.europa.eu/era-talent-platform/reico/, developed in partnership with the OECD with Horizon Europe support.
- [13] https://education.ec.europa.eu/education-levels/higher-education/european-universities-initiative.
- [14] https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/opportunities/opportunities-for-individuals/students/erasmus-mundus-joint-masters.