Florin Zubașcu

Since its 2014 launch the SME instrument has attracted applications from across Europe. But the quality is low, with only 12% passing the quality threshold. Bernd Reichert, head of unit at the Executive Agency for SMEs, offers tips for success

Shortcomings in the framework for clinical trials, little knowledge of intellectual property law and an awkward relationship between scientists and technology transfer offices are holding back science-industry collaboration, but work is in hand to change things

The 2015 EU Innovation Union Scoreboard shows that almost half of the member states scored less than in previous years due to economic slowdown in the private sector

By today’s standards for assessing impact, EU research funding agencies would discard Einstein’s theory of relativity

Just over a year after its launch, academics and business leaders gave their verdict on the EU’s €80B research programme at a Science|Business conference.

With most applications failing to pass the initial quality criteria, the Future and Emerging Technologies FET Open scheme has an overall success rate of only four per cent

Companies looking for funding in the first two calls for public-private partnerships under the Key Enabling Technologies programme represent more than 50 per cent of total applications. Of these, 30 per cent come from SMEs

Following its launch in 2014, the instrument quickly became very popular among European SMEs, and the Commission has been flooded with applications. Sadly, success rates are low, ranging from 6 to 10 per cent

Big science is about advancing the frontiers of knowledge. But it is also the source of extraordinary innovation, with huge commercial value and societal impact. So how can Europe become more systematic in extracting this value?

The project aims to bring together researchers, engineers, people from industry and young students and to encourage them to come up with new ideas that are useful for society, says Markus Nordberg of CERN