The Open Science topic, directly linked to open innovation, was widely discussed and referred to in the statements of a large number of delegates at the meeting of the European Research Area Committee, ERAC, which took place from 14 to 16 March 2018, in Plovdiv. The meeting is part of the official events of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
During their 37th meeting, delegates discussed up-to-date information on the progress of pan-European research policies. The review of the consultative structure of the European Research Area (ERA) was presented and the scope and mandate of the new Governing Board were defined. The advisory management approach is a key strategic objective for ERAC representatives. The Committee decided to encourage broad stakeholder discussions by making it a mandatory consultation to provide support from the scientific community in relation to the ongoing European policies. European Commission representatives have undertaken to offer a survey to ease and focus the consultation process.
An important focus during the Session was the presentation on the progress of the the Action Plan for the implementation of the ERA priorities, open science, gender equality, scientific infrastructure, the link between higher education and science, and human resources. During the meeting documents were presented by independent experts demonstrating the impact of science and innovation on business and industry in Europe.
At the same time a meeting of the Working Group on Scientific Research (Atomic Questions) was held. The scientific diplomats who participated in the discussions delved into the topics of the European cloud for science and the Strategy for Sustainable Bio-Sciences based on Research and Innovation.