ACARE's primary mission is to establish and carry forward a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) that will influence all European stakeholders in the planning of research programmes, particularly national and EU programmes, in line with the Vision 2020 and the goals it identifies.

To this purpose, the activities of ACARE will include:

a) Launch and approve the SRA and update it periodically;

b) Make strategic and operational recommendations as well as commission studies for implementing the SRA and achieving the 2020 Vision;

c) Evaluate the overall results and benefits of the SRA for Member States, the Commission and stakeholders groups (see point 5);

d) Recommend measures for optimising the use of existing research infrastructures and achieving cost-effective investments;

e) Recommend measures for improving educational policies to attract the scientists, engineers and other skills that the sector needs;

f) Develop and implement a communications strategy to promote awareness of the SRA (within the stakeholders community as well as to larger public audiences) and to disseminate information on stakeholders' research programmes for facilitating consensus on priorities.

The ACARE will be tripartite in composition to include a representation of Member States, the Commission and stakeholders.

Members will be authoritative individuals with decision-making capability in the sector that are able to contribute with significant advice and to influence the stakeholders in planning research programmes.

The ACARE will be composed of tentatively 35-40 members. They will be drawn from the stakeholders listed hereunder. Each stakeholder will appoint the members representing it. Stakeholders should reach consensus to facilitate a balanced composition of ACARE with regard to members nationalities:

• Member States with significant public funding for aeronautics research (23) - The other Member States are invited to be represented as observers
• European Commission (2)
• Manufacturing industry - airframe, engine, equipment and supply chain, including ATM - (10) AECMA
• Research establishments (3) EREA
• Airlines (2) AEA, IATA
• Airports (1) ACI
• Regulators (2) JAA , EASA
• EUROCONTROL (1)
• Academia and other relevant expertise (1)
  
  

Members listed as "academia and other relevant expertise" will be independent experts appointed by the Commission.

Members will be appointed for a 3-year term and may be reappointed. Members will serve in a personal capacity; the appointment of substitutes is not envisaged.

The members will select a Chairperson and a Vice-Chairperson from amongst themselves. They will serve for a 3-year period and may be reappointed.

ACARE will submit the SRA and its positions, opinions, recommendations and reports to the Member States, the Commission and all stakeholders. Copies of these records will be made available to the public upon request. A yearly executive summary will be sent to the ITRE committee of the European Parliament.

The functions exercised by the members, Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson will not be subject to remunerations.

In performing the functions of its mission, ACARE will be supported by the "Support Group" (SG).

On ACARE's advice and request, the Commission may set up working parties of limited duration to deal with particular issues of special concern to its mission.

Meetings of ACARE will be held periodically, 2-3 times a year.

The SG will provide a secretariat function to ACARE. Its composition will reflect the tripartite principle comprising staff from Member States, the Commission and stakeholders appropriate to ACARE's needs.

The SG will operate largely as a virtual group with a core group of no more than 10 persons and other experts involved on an ad-hoc basis. They will meet as required for co-ordination and additional discussions.

The members of SG will not be subject to remuneration.

The SRA represents the plan to materialise the Vision 2020 and the goals it identifies.

ACARE will establish the process of preparation of the SRA. In this context, it will determine the extent to which available information in the stakeholders on programmes and plans will be used, assessed and extended.

ACARE will determine the scope and content of the SRA in accordance with its primary mission. It is expected that the content of the SRA will be presented in a target-based approach consistent with the goals and ambition of the Vision 2020. The SRA will not be a detailed research workprogramme, the formulation of which is the responsibility of competent organisations in the public or private sectors.

ACARE will determine priorities in the SRA. The selection of priorities will be done as much as possible on the basis of objective criteria that ACARE will establish taking into account relevant policies (e.g. transport, mobility, employment, industrial, environmental, safety, etc).
For supporting the selection of priorities, the preparation of the SRA will be complemented with an analysis of the technology options, evaluating their contributions to the stated targets and goals.

The SRA will be a statement of research priorities, including timing and identification of the necessary steps, with recommendations for implementation in both public (national and EU) and private programmes.

The influence of the SRA is expected to extend to EU, national and private research programmes. However, all stakeholders should recognise that each will have a different role in European aeronautics research and in the implementation of the SRA in their programmes. Consequently, the priorities identified in the SRA and the underlying criteria for their selection should take these different roles into account. This should be a recognition of complementarity and co-operation.

The SRA will be updated every 2 years or more frequently if required by the evolution of goals or technological advances.

1) It is expected in particular that the national aeronautics programme directors will take benefit from the ACARE framework to set up an ad hoc co-ordination working party, together with the Commission.