Research Executive Agency

The Research Executive Agency (REA) is an executive agency established by the European Commission (initially via Decision 2008/46/EC[1] and subsequently via Decision 2013/778/EU[2]) in order to manage specific Community activities in the field of research and innovation. The REA's mission is to assist the Commission in achieving the objectives of the Research Framework Programmes and the EU strategies to foster growth through research and innovation. The agency started operating in 2009.

Research Executive Agency
FormationDecember 14, 2007 (2007-12-14)
Location
Key people
Marc Tachelet (Director)
Websitewebsite

Responsibilities

The Agency is responsible for:

  • managing parts of Horizon 2020, the EU's Framework Programme for research and innovation, as well as parts of 7th Framework Programme, preceding Horizon 2020
  • providing support services for the Horizon 2020 evaluation process by handling the contracting and payments of evaluator experts, by coordinating the call planning and by managing the central evaluation facility for various Commission Directorates-General and Executive Agencies of the European Commission
  • verifying the legal existence of programme participants based on their legal status and performing financial viability checks on organisations which receive EU funding
  • managing the European Commission Research Enquiry Service, which answers questions from applicants, beneficiaries of the EU research funding and the public

Programme implementation tasks

REA manages approximately 20% of the budget of Horizon 2020 which began in 2014. In particular the Agency is in charge of:

  • Marie Skłodowska-Curie actions - funding mobility of researchers across borders and sectors
  • Future and Emerging Technologies (FET-Open) – funding early-stage joint science and technology research
  • Space Research - supporting the European space research community in developing innovative technologies
  • Societal Challenge 2 – funding R&I projects addressing food security, sustainable agriculture and forestry, marine, maritime and inland water research and the bioeconomy
  • Societal Challenge 6 - Innovative, inclusive and reflective societies - funding research projects addressing, among other things, social exclusion, inequality, social innovation and the European cultural heritage
  • Societal Challenge 7 - Secure societies - funding research projects in the areas of crisis management, fight against crime and terrorism, external and border security, cyber security, privacy and trust
  • Spreading excellence and widening participation - aiming at strengthening research and innovation performance, encouraging stronger participation in Horizon 2020 and facilitating partnering opportunities with a view to boost capacities for low R&I performing countries of the EU (and states associated to Horizon 2020)
  • Science with and for Society - aiming, among other things, at making scientific and technological careers attractive to young students, promoting gender equality in research, encouraging citizen participation in science and promoting an ethics framework for research and innovation

Governance

Its status as an executive agency means that, although independent as a legal entity, REA is closely linked[3] with and monitored by the European Commission and in particular the following Directorates-General: Directorate-General for Research and Innovation (DG RTD), Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development (DG AGRI); Directorate-General for Communications Networks, Content and Technology (DG CONNECT); Directorate-General for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs (DG GROW); Directorate-General for Education and Culture (DG EAC); Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs (DG HOME).

The main governing body of the REA is its steering committee, which has the task of ensuring that the agency carries out its mission and performs the tasks assigned to it. Together with the REA Director, it provides the high-level management of the agency. The committee is composed of representatives from the above-mentioned Directorates-General well as an observer from the Directorate-General for Human Resources and Security.

Budget

Under the EU's Framework Programme for Research and Innovation, Horizon 2020, the budget managed by the REA is €17 billion for the period 2014–2020. That is a substantial increase from its initial seven-year budget under the EU's 7th Research Framework Programme (2007–2013), when the total budget managed by REA was €6.4 billion.

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References
  1. "EUR-Lex - 32008D0046 - EN - EUR-Lex". eur-lex.europa.eu.
  2. "EUR-Lex - 32013D0778(01) - EN - EUR-Lex". eur-lex.europa.eu.
  3. ERA Portal Austria. Research Executive Agency reorganises to take on the new mandate. 14 May 2014
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