The starting point is that, although high on the EU political and policy agenda, the creation of the European Research Area is one of the most under-studied phenomena in European integration.
Specific questions which we will explore in scoping the research agenda include: what is the European Research Area and what is its governance structure?; how has it evolved and what is the relationship between this ‘area formation’ and others (e.g. the European Higher Education Area)?; what are the pressing issues (e.g. legitimacy, effectiveness, or democratic accountability) concerning these developments?; and, are the theories and approaches we have for investigating European integration adequate to capture and account for its evolution?