The latest European Research Area (ERA) Scoreboard 2025 shows that the EU, its Member States, and countries associated with Horizon Europe have made significant progress in several key research and innovation areas over the past decade. At the same time, the report highlights persistent structural challenges that could affect Europe’s long-term competitiveness and innovation performance.
The new edition combines the former ERA Scoreboard and Dashboard into a single monitoring tool and tracks developments across the ERA’s four strategic priorities, including the free circulation of knowledge, the green and digital transitions, research excellence, and coordinated research and innovation investments.
Among the positive developments, the share of open-access scientific publications increased from 41.4% in 2010 to 66.5% in 2024, while the number of researchers per million inhabitants rose from 3,055 to 4,913. Progress was also recorded in gender equality, with women now representing 29.2% of Grade A academic and research positions, compared with 19.7% in 2010.
However, the report also identifies areas where progress remains limited. Knowledge valorisation, university–industry collaboration, and the participation of Widening countries in Horizon Europe have improved only modestly. The share of innovative firms collaborating with higher education institutions has remained largely unchanged at around 13.6% since 2020.
In addition, some indicators point to stagnation or decline. The proportion of scientific publications among the world’s top 10% most cited papers fell from 10.5% in 2010 to 9.4% in 2023, while environmentally related government R&D spending has remained largely unchanged over the same period.
Overall, the report concludes that while the European Research Area continues to strengthen coordination and common policy objectives, greater efforts are needed to address disparities between countries, improve collaboration, and reinforce investment in research and innovation. The European Commission plans to adopt the proposal for an ERA Act in 2026, as announced in the Competitiveness Compass for the EU.
Download the Scoreboard here.