Shaping Europe’s Research Future: OPERAS Calls for a Sovereign and Equitable ERA Act

A Critical Juncture for Open Science, SSH, and Community-Led Infrastructure
The European research landscape stands at a pivotal moment. The European Commission’s consultation for the European Research Area (ERA) Act, finalised on January 23rd, represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to legislate the future of research, innovation, and knowledge circulation across the continent. This wasn’t merely a bureaucratic exercise; it’s a chance to embed the values of openness, equity, and sustainability into the very fabric of European science for decades to come.
Without active engagement from the research community, particularly from the Social Sciences and Humanities (SSH) and those championing community-led infrastructure, the ERA Act could inadvertently pave the way for commercial interests to capture publicly funded knowledge, undermining the very principles of Open Science and academic freedom.
OPERAS, as the European Research Infrastructure for the Social Sciences and Humanities, has a clear vision for an ERA that truly serves the public good.
We believe that a sovereign, equitable, and inclusive European Research Area must be built on strong foundations that prioritise community, transparency, and accessibility.
The position paper we present right now outlines four critical pillars that we urge the European Commission and the wider research community to consider.
The Four Pillars of OPERAS’s Vision for the ERA Act
Our position paper advocates for a legislative framework that actively supports and protects the open scholarly ecosystem. These four pillars are designed to ensure that the ERA Act fosters a research environment where knowledge is a public good, not a commodity.
1. Diamond Open Access as the Standard
The current landscape of scholarly publishing is often dominated by a “pay-to-publish” model, where authors, institutions, or funders must pay significant fees to make their research openly accessible. This creates systemic inequalities, excluding researchers from less wealthy institutions or regions, and disproportionately impacting the SSH, where funding models differ.
OPERAS advocates for the ERA Act to formally recognise and promote Diamond Open Access as the default model for scholarly publishing. This means research that is free for both authors to publish and readers to access, supported by community-led, non-commercial infrastructure. By embedding this principle, the ERA Act can dismantle financial barriers to knowledge dissemination, fostering true equity and inclusivity in European research.
2. Sustainable Research Infrastructures
Robust and sustainable research infrastructures are the backbone of a thriving research ecosystem. While the European Research Infrastructure Consortia (ERICs) have been instrumental in coordinating large-scale research efforts, their long-term sustainability often faces challenges, particularly concerning core operational funding and staff mobility.
Our position paper calls for the ERA Act to ensure direct and stable funding for ERIC headquarters, recognising their crucial role in coordinating pan-European research. Furthermore, we advocate for the adoption of portable pension schemes like RESAVER across all European research institutions. This would enable researchers to move freely between countries and institutions without losing pension benefits, ensuring that talent can follow science, not bureaucracy, and fostering a truly mobile and collaborative research workforce.
3. Knowledge Valorisation Through Inclusion
The valorisation of knowledge – transforming research into tangible benefits for society – should be an inclusive process that extends beyond traditional economic metrics. It must embrace diverse forms of knowledge, languages, and public engagement.
OPERAS proposes that the ERA Act mandate a minimum of 5% of all R&D funding be dedicated to Citizen Science initiatives. This would empower citizens to actively participate in research, fostering public trust and relevance. Additionally, the Act should formally recognise and support multilingual scholarship, ensuring that research produced in all European languages is valued, discoverable, and integrated into the broader scholarly record. This approach ensures that knowledge valorisation is a democratic process, enriching society in myriad ways.
4. AI Integrity & Data Sovereignty
The rapid rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents both immense opportunities and significant risks for research. The integrity of research data and the sovereignty over its use are paramount, especially when AI models are trained on vast datasets, often including publicly funded research.
Our position paper urges the ERA Act to mandate the use of open source AI in publicly funded research. This ensures transparency, auditability, and prevents vendor lock-in, allowing researchers to understand and control the tools they use. Crucially, the Act must also include strong provisions for data sovereignty, protecting European research data from “rogue harvesting” by commercial entities. Researchers must retain control over how their work trains commercial AI models, safeguarding academic freedom and preventing the exploitation of publicly funded intellectual assets.
Why This Matters: The Stakes for European Research
The ERA Act consultation is not just about policy; it’s about safeguarding the very soul of European research. If these critical pillars are not firmly embedded in the legislation, we risk:
- Commercial Enclosure: Publicly funded research, intended for the common good, could be locked behind paywalls or exploited by commercial AI models without fair compensation or control.
- Academic Inequality: The “pay-to-publish” model and lack of support for diverse research practices will continue to disadvantage researchers from less privileged backgrounds and regions.
- Loss of Sovereignty: European research data and intellectual assets could be controlled by non-European commercial entities, undermining Europe’s strategic autonomy in science and technology.
- Erosion of Public Trust: If research is perceived as serving corporate interests rather than societal needs, public trust in science and academic institutions will diminish.
This is the moment to ensure that the “fifth freedom” – the free circulation of researchers, knowledge, and technology – truly serves the public good and fosters a vibrant, equitable, and open research ecosystem across Europe.
We urge all researchers, librarians, publishers, policy-makers, and stakeholders, particularly those within the Social Sciences and Humanities, to engage with this critical process. Download and read the full OPERAS Position Paper on the ERA Act Consultation: 2026_OPERAS Position Paper on the ERA Act Consultations.
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OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
OPERAS Editorial Team (January 28, 2026). Shaping Europe’s Research Future: OPERAS Calls for a Sovereign and Equitable ERA Act. OPERAS. Retrieved February 12, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/15l4j
