The European Commission has published the European Research Area (ERA) Scoreboard 2025, the latest edition of ERA monitoring. This edition marks a new step in the development of the monitoring framework, as the former ERA Scoreboard and Dashboard have been brought together into a single, streamlined monitoring tool. The Scoreboard tracks national and EU-level progress across ERA priorities, including research and innovation investment, open science, gender equality, researchers’ careers and mobility, global engagement, and the coordination of R&I policies across Europe.
Visionary Analytics was pleased to contribute to the implementation of the ERA Monitoring Mechanism as part of the consortium of independent experts supporting the European Commission. Our team prepared the Report on Methods to Improve the ERA Monitoring Mechanism and ERA Country Snapshots for Lithuania, Poland and Georgia as part of the ERA Monitoring 2025 cycle.
How to improve the ERA Monitoring Mechanism
Unlike previous editions, the report on methods did not focus on refining individual indicators. Instead, the objective was forward-looking: to assess how the overall monitoring architecture could better support strategic oversight, mutual learning and policy dialogue.
Through desk research, an online stakeholder survey and a dedicated workshop, the team gathered feedback on how the monitoring system is used, what types of outputs are most useful, and how the framework can better support policy learning and dialogue in the coming years.
The report highlights opportunities to make ERA monitoring outputs easier to navigate, interpret and use. It points to the importance of clear entry points, transparent information on data and methods, and reporting formats that help users move between high-level messages and more detailed evidence. It also underlines the value of combining continuity in the monitoring framework with gradual improvements to how findings are presented and connected.
These recommendations are intended to support the next phase of ERA monitoring, as the mechanism continues to evolve. Effective monitoring is not only about collecting data. It is also about making evidence accessible and useful for strategic oversight, mutual learning and evidence-informed policymaking.
Why this matters
The ERA Scoreboard 2025 and related monitoring outputs provide an important evidence base for understanding progress across the European Research Area, identifying areas where further policy attention may be needed, and supporting continued dialogue on the future of research and innovation in Europe.
Monitoring is only as useful as its ability to inform decisions. As ERA monitoring enters a new phase, with structural changes to how outputs are organised and published, there is an opportunity to make the mechanism work better for the full range of stakeholders who rely on it – from national policymakers and ERA Forum representatives to research organisations and R&I stakeholders across Europe.
Learn more
You can access the full ERA Scoreboard 2025 report and related materials here.
