The European Commission has presented a first comprehensive analysis of the state of the 'single market' for research, or the European Research Area (ERA). The report provides a factual base for assessing progress in target areas like open and fair recruitment of researchers or better circulation of scientific knowledge. It shows that some progress has been made, but that even the best performing research institutions still have issues to address ahead of the 2014 deadline for ERA, as set by EU leaders. There is also a significant gap between the best and the worst performers (MEMO/13/807).