Innovation lab | The 5th Freedom: Kurt Deketelaere (LERU)

In collaboration with KnowledgeRights21, we proudly present the 5th Freedom project in our innovation lab!

🔎 In our latest Innovation Lab, we explore why free circulation of knowledge and researchers—the so-called 5th Freedom—isn’t just a legal aspiration, but an urgent necessity for Europe's future. With sharp insights from Kurt Deketelaere, Secretary-General of LERU, we dig into the roots, roadblocks, and real possibilities for turning the European Research Area (ERA) into a functioning legal reality.

Key quotes:

🗣️ “The European Research Area is a legal obligation. It’s time we treat it as such.”

🗣️ “After 25 years of voluntary measures, we must acknowledge that real progress now depends on a legislative initiative.”

🗣️ “The 5th Freedom—of knowledge and researchers—should be just as enforceable as the freedoms of goods, services, people, and capital.”

🗣️ “We need a lean, realistic ERA Act: one that anchors core principles and removes national obstacles to free knowledge circulation.”

🗣️ “It’s not just about research. We should build one coherent European Knowledge Area—linking research, innovation, and education under a single legal framework.”

📌About Our Guest

🎙️Kurt Deketelaere | League of European Research Universities (LERU)

🌐https://www.leru.org

🌐linkedin.com/in/kurt-deketelaere-124430316 

Professor Kurt Deketelaere is a seasoned legal scholar and policy strategist in European R&I affairs. As the long-standing Secretary-General of LERU, he has championed the idea that legal certainty and structured integration are critical for unleashing the full potential of Europe's research and education systems.

Our bite-sized videos bring you:

↪️ Expert predictions on the future of Europe’s competitive edge in a knowledge-driven economy.

↪️ Crucial insights on what policymakers should (1) enable—bold investments in research and innovation—and (2) avoid—barriers that limit the free movement of ideas and talent.

#5thfreedom