Thomas Brent

The initiative is backed by over 1.2 million people - but science and academic groups warn it would be a devastating blow for EU health research. A ban ‘would endanger the lives of millions of people’ says one MEP

The appeals add another layer of complication to an ongoing dispute between Brussels and Budapest over the autonomy of many of Hungary’s higher education institutions

Gabriel will act as understudy to anti-corruption campaigner Nikolay Denkov, a member of the Academy of Sciences, in a government that looks on paper a boon for the country’s R&D. But judicial reform will be the priority

The portfolio of Mariya Gabriel is split in two, with Margrethe Vestager caretaker of R&I until a replacement is appointed. Some question Vestager’s interest in research, while others think her experience in competition policy will be a positive for innovation  

The EU’s Bulgarian commissioner officially leaves Brussels, with a mandate for a difficult task: trying to form a coalition government back home in Sofia after close elections

The country is looking to boost its research, development and innovation landscape with a massive increase in the budget and new focus after decades of stasis

Seven countries have signed up to a Commission initiative to help them in drawing up tailored R&I policies that make the most of EU programmes. Initial reaction is positive, but participants say implementation is what counts

New threats, such as cancel culture and censoring research by withdrawing funding, are increasing the pressure on universities

The number of Polish participants in Horizon Europe has leapt up compared to the early years of the previous framework programme

A fact-finding trip to Budapest has left MEPs from across the political spectrum uneasy. Their impressions of deteriorating academic freedom and self-censorship are at odds with how government representatives portrayed things