Frontier research funded by the ERC is thereby expected to have a substantial direct impact in the form of advances at the frontiers of knowledge, opening the way to new and often unexpected scientific and technological results and new areas for research which, ultimately, can generate the radically new ideas which will drive innovation and business inventiveness and tackle societal challenges.

This leads to a dramatic waste of Europe's research potential by delaying and in some cases even inhibiting the emergence of the next generation of researchers, who bring new ideas and energy, and by enticing excellent researchers starting their career to seek advancement elsewhere.

Light and fast continuously open submission schemes will seek for promising new high-risk research ideas and will include tracks for new and high-potential innovation actors such as young researchers and high-tech SMEs.

Light and fast continuously open submission schemes will seek for promising new high-risk research ideas and will include tracks for new and high-potential innovation actors such as young researchers and high-tech SMEs.

Considers that the concept of pre-commercial procurement is important, but fears that it will be unsuccessful in drawing in SMEs unless it is clearly understood how pre-commercial procurement is to work, particularly in a cross-border context; points out that the key principle of pre-commercial procurement – namely that the public authority does not keep all benefits resulting from the research and development, but that each company retains the ownership rights in respect of the new ideas it generates – ensures legal certainty and the protection of ideas for participating businesses;

Its work depends on intensive networking with public and private institutions in the Member States through, for example, research networks, joint projects or staff exchanges (... ) While the indirect actions will continue to be the main mechanism for developing and testing new ideas, the JRC's role is to help apply them in the service of the policy-maker".