The European Commission launches the new Research and Innovation Observatory (ROI), which will serve as a critical Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility by monitoring developments of research and innovation in the EU. The ROI website, hosted by the Joint Research Centre (JRC), will provide constructive information and analytical data on research and innovation, at both national and EU level to support policy making.

• Detailed yearly RIO country reports, serve evaluation of progress of national innovation/research systems and to pinpoint challenges, and more recently include a thematic series of reports showing the impact of public funding instruments on excellence, as well as on knowledge transfer mechanisms between academia and private sector. 
• Support for evidence-based policymaking, is reached through the website observing results and outcomes of the Horizon 2020 Policy Support Facility (PSF), launched in March 2015 by the EC, with the aim of aiding EU Member and Associate Countries in improving their research and innovation policies.
• Acting as a knowledge platform to support the European Semester, by providing information to the European Commission in their detailed yearly analysis of Member States’ research and innovation policies, including recommendations.
• Quantitative and qualitative evidence per country, including policy documents, reports, statistics and a news interface showcasing research and innovation developments of the different Member States. A ERA dashboard serves the comparison of national progress in research systems on EU level.