Memo: ‘Intellectual Capital – Creative Impact’ Ministerial conference on the European Research Area and Informal meeting of Research Ministers in Sopot, Poland

A ministerial conference on the European Research Area (ERA) and an informal meeting of the EU Competitiveness Council will take place in Sopot, Poland on July 20th and 21st respectively under auspices of the Polish Presidency of the EU.

The Polish Minister of Science and Higher Education, Barbara Kudrycka, will chair both events; the European Commission will be represented by Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn. The ERA conference will address the need to better exploit the intellectual potential of Europe, notably through the completion of the European Research Area by 2014. The central topic of the informal Council meeting will be preparation of the future "Horizon 2020" funding framework for research and innovation.