The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the Lisbon Strategy, the proposal which set the action framework intended to transform the EU into “the most dynamic and competitive knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion, and respect for the environment by 2010”. We will also discuss the activities of the European Research Area (ERA), focusing in particular on the way in which our country may become a competitive part of this process.