Three university groups give views on forthcoming ERA Act: Boost R&I spending but avoid new red tape

With the European Commission expected to publish its proposal for a European Research Area (ERA) Act in Q3 of 2026, several higher education and research organisations have sent their views to the Commission as part of a consultation that closed on 23/01/2026.

News Tank Academic has read contributions from three organisations: the European Universities Association (EUA), the Coimbra Group of Universities, representing European comprehensive and multidisciplinary universities, and the Young European Research Universities Network (YERUN).

All three groups welcome the Act as an opportunity to increase national R&I funding, to reorient research assessment and tackle issues such as gender and ethnic diversity. But they warn about creating additional administrative and compliance burdens for researchers and universities.

The three groups see the ERA Act as a chance to increase national funding for R&I to achieve the 3% of GDP target. YERUN and Coimbra think the 3% target should be binding to tackle underinvestment in R&I and to provide stable and predictable funding for research.

Coimbra…