"The objective of the proposed Conference during the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of EU is to bring together relevant ERA stakeholders such as research organisations, universities, private enterprises and public authorities to contribute to the debate on the policy measures and actions which must be implemented with a view to completing the European Research Area by 2014 as called for by the European Council. The Conference Programme, objectives and outcomes will be tuned to the key cross-cutting and specific issues of this ERA policy development debate that will be a key topic in the second half of 2012.The title of the Conference will be ‘Completing the European Research Area in the Context of the Innovation Union’. It will be designed as 1 day event with an Opening Session, 2 Plenary Sessions, 6 Parallel Sessions & 1 Concluding Plenary Session. It will adress issues dealing with researchers, joint programming, cross border operation of research organisations, knowledge transfer, infrastructures and international cooperation.It will be organised on the 14th of November 2012 at Nicosia’s International Conference Centre. The aim is to gather around 150-200 participants. The participation to the conference will be by invitation only. The working language of the Conference will be English.The preparation and implementation of the Conference will be done in close collaboration between the Research Promotion Foundation (Coordinator), the Planning Bureau of Cyprus and the Secretariat of Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU which has the responsibility of the central coordination / administration of all Presidency Events. A coherent set of activities and tasks to be performed have been designed and grouped into four Work Packages in order to ensure the successful organisation of the Conference which will contribute to the ongoing debate on the optimisation and realisation of the European Research Area."