The conference will focus on a key component of the European Research Area (ERA), namely, the development of an open labour market for researchers; to ensure the removal of barriers to researcher mobility, training and attractive careers. The overall impact of this conference will be to improve the coordination and coherence of policy initiatives and actions at EU and national levels and thereby will contribute to advance the realisation of the objectives of the Innovation Union initiative, including ERA. The specific focus is contributing to achieving ERA by the deadline set at 2014. The conference will succeed in these aims through the active participation of the European Commission, Member & Associated States, key international stakeholders (including the European Parliament, European Universities Association, European Science Foundation and EURODOC) and the broad research community. This conference, while stand alone in its own right, should be seen in the context of successive activities following from the Cypriot and leading into the Lithuanian Presidencies.