The European Commission has launched EraWatch, an online information platform on research systems and policies within the European Union plus the US, Canada, Australia, China, Japan, Israel, Turkey and Brazil.

EraWatch provides policy makers and policy analysts working in the field of science and research with condensed and updated information and analysis on the development of research systems and policies in all Member States of the European Union plus the US, China and Japan. It contains information on recent policy documents, research programmes, funding agencies, research performance as well as major indicators such as expenditure, publications and patents. For Latin American institutions of science and research the platform is a great opportunity to learn from the experience of those countries that have demonstrated major advances in the development of policies that fosters and protects the development of scientific and technological research.

EraWatch is a public service jointly run by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Research and the Joint Research Centre in collaboration with CORDIS, in the framework of the 7th Framework Programme.

The site is kept up-to-date by a network of national contact organisations who collect and organise the information presented. Within its 'intelligence service,' EraWatch develops further analyses and reporting activities on research and related policies, as well as on the trends and factors influencing them.