David Matthews

Maria Leptin said her comments are not specifically aimed at China, but they do echo concerns in the Commission about the EU’s ‘unbalanced’ relationship.

Talks with Japan, South Korea, Canada and New Zealand have all made progress, EU lead negotiator Signe Ratso tells Science|Business. But association is likely only to be partial, and the UK and Switzerland remain shut out of the research programme

To turn things around, the Commission is considering more money for the European Defence Fund, a hub for defence innovation, new financing instruments for defence SMEs and a bigger role for the European Investment Bank

US AI guidelines are everything the EU’s AI Act is not: voluntary, non-prescriptive and focused on changing the culture of tech companies. They could have an impact long before the EU legislation – but only if AI developers sign up

Washington and Brussels also agreed to make it easier to research social media platforms and promised more R&D coordination on rare earth magnets and 6G wireless

Joint research calls, supply chain monopolies and standards setting. All these topics and more were on the agenda at a meeting in Washington DC. China was shut out, opening a geopolitical fault line in a critical technology of the future

The Research Excellence Framework involved 900 academics scrutinising more than 185,000 pieces of research. 41% of UK research is world leading, while 43% is internationally excellent, the review finds

The country has announced further alternatives for its researchers, and wants to bolster its quantum and space sectors

A White House body wants more research into lab safety measures, while the Commission has asked member states to review their rules. But action has so far been limited

Commission appears keen on allowing crops created with newer, more precise editing techniques. But it will face stiff opposition from environmental groups and Green MEPs