Thomas Brent

The Commission’s guide to the next phase of EU’s R&I framework programme was published this week. It includes new partnerships, a research security section and a beefed up context for the EU missions

Milena Stoycheva is an entrepreneur who in June 2023 was handed the keys to Bulgaria’s innovation ministry. She has set her sights on making the country a regional hub for high tech business and, in time, an innovation destination 

Several countries from the western Balkans could end up joining the bloc during the lifespan of the next research framework programme, and there are calls for them to have input on how it is designed

A UNESCO report highlights the terrible impact that Russia’s invasion of the country has had on scientists, research institutions and scientific equipment

Six of the top 10 institutions in Widening countries to win funding from the research programme are Greek. The leading research centre says the secret to success is people and details

A bigger budget for the EU’s next research framework programme should mean more money to bridge the EU’s east-west divide

Scientists don’t usually get on their tractors to lobby, but ERC president Maria Leptin wants them to go out and speak to politicians and citizens to explain why investing in research and innovation is important

New research shows how East Germany and other former Eastern bloc countries remain affected by the legacy of the command economy and the shock transition to capitalism

With a broader global downturn in start-up investment, the resilience and ‘ingrained frugality’ of central and eastern Europe could see the region prosper

As Mariya Gabriel prepares to take up rotating role of prime minister of Bulgaria in March, she says measures aimed at closing Europe’s research and innovation gap are a ‘powerful tool’