Editing Science policy (section)

===European Union===
The science policy of the [[European Union]] is carried out through the [[European Research Area]], a system which integrates the scientific resources of member nations and acts as a "common market" for research and innovation. The European Union's executive body, the [[European Commission]], has a [[Directorate-General for Research (European Commission)|Directorate-General for Research]], which is responsible for the Union's science policy. In addition, the [[Joint Research Centre]] provides independent scientific and technical advice to the European Commission and Member States of the [[European Union]] (EU) in support of EU policies.<ref name="a1370">{{cite web | url=http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/jrc/index.cfm?id=1370 | title=EU Science Hub - European Commission| date=12 March 2024}}</ref>  There is also the recently established [[European Research Council]], the first European Union [[Funding of science|funding body]] set up to support investigator-driven research.

There are also European science agencies that operate independently of the European Union, such as the [[European Science Foundation]], [[European Space Agency]], and the [[European Higher Education Area]], created by the [[Bologna process]].

The [[European environmental research and innovation policy]] addresses global challenges of pivotal importance for the well-being of European citizens within the context of sustainable development and environmental protection. Research and innovation in Europe is financially supported by the programme [[Horizon 2020]], which is also open to participation worldwide.<ref>See Horizon 2020 – the EU's new research and innovation programme http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_MEMO-13-1085_en.htm</ref>