A new scientific data paper presents EUPRO, a comprehensive database supporting research on publicly funded R&D projects and collaboration networks across Europe.
How do research organisations collaborate across countries, funding programmes and scientific fields? And how do these partnerships shape the European research and innovation landscape?
A new article published in Scientific Data presents EUPRO, a reference database developed to analyse participation in European research and development (R&D) funding programmes and the structure and evolution of project-based collaboration networks.
The paper, “EUPRO – A reference database on project-based R&D collaboration networks”, by Thomas Scherngell, Michael Barber, Georg Zahradnik, Anna Wolfmayr and Xheneta Bilalli Shkodra, was published on 12 March 2024.
Mapping more than 600,000 R&D projects
EUPRO brings together information on more than 600,000 R&D projects funded through European, transnational and national research funding programmes. The database records project characteristics, participating organisations, their locations, funding programmes and policy instruments, providing a detailed picture of collaborative research activities across Europe.
Its coverage includes European Framework Programmes, EUREKA initiatives, Joint Technology Initiatives, COST actions and national research funding programmes across 16 countries.
By harmonising information from different sources, EUPRO enables researchers to investigate how collaboration networks emerge, how they evolve over time and how they influence knowledge production and innovation. It also supports analyses of geographical and technological proximity, regional participation patterns and the role of different types of organisations in publicly funded research.
Connecting research data to generate new insights
A key strength of EUPRO is its integration within the RISIS research infrastructure. Through organisational registers such as OrgReg and FirmReg, the database can be linked to other RISIS resources covering scientific publications, patents and organisational characteristics.
These connections open new opportunities to investigate the relationships between research funding, collaboration and scientific or technological outputs. They also support evidence-based analyses of the European Research Area and the effectiveness of research and innovation policies.
The database incorporates thematic classifications, including links to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Key Enabling Technologies (KETs), facilitating research on the contribution of publicly funded R&D to broader societal and technological priorities.
Supporting research and innovation policy
By providing harmonised data on research projects and participating organisations, EUPRO offers a valuable resource for scholars, analysts and policymakers interested in understanding the dynamics of European R&D collaboration.
The article also documents the database’s collection and harmonisation processes, data quality checks and access procedures, supporting transparency, reproducibility and further methodological developments in innovation studies.
Explore the publication
Scherngell, T., Barber, M., Zahradnik, G., Wolfmayr, A., & Shkodra, X. B. (2024). EUPRO – A reference database on project-based R&D collaboration networks. Scientific Data, 11, Article 291.
