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I think that many - indeed most - Member States have very good programmes in place to foster research at home.  Where Europe can play a role, however is encouraging cross-border cooperation and collaboration.  Research by its very nature needs new ideas and fresh ways of thinking.  The European Union offers a unique opportunity for Member States to benefit from the ideas and methods of their neighbours in the field of research. 

A very valuable programme to further the goal of inter-European research collaboration is the seventh Framework Programme (FP7), under which €32,413 million is allocated to a Cooperation programme, designed to support cooperation and collaborative research between universities, industry, research centres and public authorities throughout the EU. FP7 envisages the establishment of networks of excellence and similar projects. In my opinion programmes such as FP7 that actively encourage such research collaboration are the best way forward for fostering research in Europe

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I am not sure that national and institutional barriers are the only problem here.  Many research bodies are unaware of the potential and opportunity that the ERA and other European initiatives offer.  If re-elected I will be pushing for the European institutions - and for relevant bodies and authorities in Member States -  to step up information and awareness campaigns and to reach out more to research bodies and to individuals that could benefit from the workings of a successful ERA and from other EU initiatives in this area.

As to the national and institutional barriers themselves:  the European Institutions are well aware of the challenges and difficulties that face the ERA, and this is acknowledged in the 2007 Green Paper on the issue.  There are indeed  barriers to the progression of the ERA but these are by no means insurmountable.  By working together we can build a unified and dynamic research area in Europe.

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The most important points are the ERA, EIT, FP7, the nobility of researchers and the freedom of knowledge as the 5th freedom in the EU.

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To enhance the overall governance of ERA it would be necessary to cut down the red tape for reseachers as it was already done by the EP concerning FP7.

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I think that there are too many different programs and funds at the moment which make it very difficult for individual researchers and research institutions to find a funding that suits their purpose. I think that the Commission needs to give a better overview and more guidance for funding. Furthermore, the rules of participation as they are at the moment are to complex so that a lot of researchers do not have the necessary resources to fulfill all obligations and therefore even abstain from applying for EU funds. A simplification and consolidation of these rules are absolutely necessary to foster European research.

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As standing rapporteur for the financial regulation, my aim for the new legislature is to reduce the number of financial rules and prescriptions for more legal certainty and les contradictions. This will also be an important step in the preparation of the next framework program. In my opinion, we should integrate the funding possibilities that exist at the moment outside the framework program in to the next FP so that comparable rules apply for all kind of researchers.

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The EU's instrument to fund research is the Framework Programme for Research and Development. European research does provide a tool to enhance cooperation amongst all research bodies, big and small, public and private, across the EU. However, But the money is not always allocated to the most important research areas. In the field of energy for example billions are spent under EURATOM on nuclear research - most of it for the ITER nuclear fusion project. This technology will not deliver any electricity before 2050 - if ever. The amount spent on renewable energies, energy efficiency and resource efficiency is dwarfed compared to ITER. I will fight for EU-funded research that corresponds to the current challenges facing the financial as well as the climate crisis. Efficient and clean technologies will be ever more important in the future. To stay competitive in the technology markets of the future, Europe has to get its research priorities right.

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The ERA is a good initiative as it seeks to improve coordination and exchange of knowledge of the European research at EU level and in the Member states. This is why the Greens have supported this concept right from the start. The ERA is an important tool of the Lisbon strategy and it should continue to grow and that is one of the aspects of the Lisbon strategy that I will defend. As a MEP I pay attention to contact with civil society organizations and I encourage you to share with us your needs, and your knowledge so that the ERA fits the needs of the people and organisations that work on these issues on a daily basis.

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For me as an MEP, who  was significantly involved in the 7th  Framework research program, of course, a further expansion in this segment  is my goal . I will ensure that an 8th Framework research program  is launched, which  should increase  the current existing funding a further 100% to ensure adequate funding for the research in Europe.

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I will fight for "better governance" concerning the research market and have set myself the target of the breaking the bureaucracy in the jungle of funding.

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I consider it most important that research is fostered especially in these areas, which are vital for the future of Europe as a high tech continent.

Information and communication technoligies as well as bio and nano technologies are essential, if Europe wants to be taken serious as a economic power in a global competition.

Also, the efficiency of renewable energy sources must be enhanced. Energy security is vital for Europa as a ressources-poor continent.

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As a member of the legal, petitions and committee for internal affairs, I personally can hardly push the Parliament towards more action in the ERA process.

The Parliament as a whole is highly interested in fostering research and to enhance the ERA.

But this is mainly a process between the national governments and the Commission.

The Slovenian Presidency has however, in 2008, installed the so called Ljubljana Process. Thereby new progress can be made in this area.