Gail Edmondson

A major reform of EU regional policy will put innovation at the heart of smart specialisation strategies that aim to end the research divide and halt the brain drain

Technology alone will not fix global problems such as climate change, food and water shortages, soil erosion or the rising tide of chronic disease. What’s needed is more dialogue and interchange between the natural and the social sciences

Debt instruments won’t work. To leverage Europe’s excellent science, the EU should back a ‘fund of funds’ to take equity in research-based spinouts, says Cambridge VC and entrepreneur Hermann Hauser in the inaugural Science|Business lecture

Breakthroughs in Horizon 2020 are a bigger role for SMEs and simplification for all. But securing the benefits hangs on implementation. Parliament must track whether SMEs really do find it easier to get funding, MEPs said in a Science|Business webcast

New framework to be completed in 2014. Key priorities are developing smart electricity grids and industrial value chains, says senior EU official.

Renewal fees could make or break the unitary patent. And companies are worried a single patent court could prompt a deluge of patent infringement suits by “patent trolls.” But top EU officials insist the new system will actually help European inventors – while keeping trolls at bay.

The Science|Business Academic Enterprise Awards for spin-outs highlight Europe’s innovation potential and underline the need for closer collaboration between industry and academe, says Jerzy Buzek MEP, former president of the European Parliament

Gas technology, nuclear fusion, fuel cells, batteries and smart grids top the list of key technologies for potential transatlantic collaboration

Technology transfer in Germany is ripe for reform. A grace period for filing patents would help – and industry collaboration needs an overhaul, says Jörg Steinbach, President of the Technical University of Berlin

2012 was a record year for patent filings and grants, European Patent Office reports